GK Framing never compromises quality of materials for cost, or careful handling for high production volume. While your art is on the premises, paintings, works on paper, textiles, photographs, antique frames and rare documents are attended by experienced staff members.

Handling and moving unframed artwork is kept to an an absolute minimum, as strict preservation measures are imperative throughout the framing process. The facility is climate controlled and actively monitored throughout the day to maintain optimum temperature and relative humidity conditions in the studio and showroom. The HEPA-filtered clean room, where your art is sealed with its mat board, moisture barrier backing and glazing, is a particulate-free room inhabited by senior technicians who wear Tyvek coats and hair bonnets to prevent dust and deposits during assembly.

Poor quality framing causes the vast majority of damage that paper conservators encounter. Cheap framing materials, including mat board, foam core, cardboard, brown paper backings, pressure sensitive tapes and linen tape, degrade rapidly and stain the artwork. Synthetic adhesives become intractable and their strength overpowers that of the art substrate, inducing tears, dark stains and prominent surface distortions. GK utilizes 100% cotton rag or buffered mat board and polyethylene or poly carbonate boards for moisture-barrier backings. Works on paper and photographs are hinged or mounted using Japanese paper and wheat starch paste which have superior aging properties and reversibility over linen tapes, pressure sensitive tapes, "archival" tapes, cellulose ethers (Klucel G) and acrylic adhesives (PVA). Paintings framed without moisture and impact resistant backings leave artwork exposed to punctures, tears, water damage and bio deterioration (i.e. mold growth).

GK clients work with knowledgeable sales staff to select glazing to further protect the artwork. Most glazing options we provide contain ultra-violet filters to deter fading, especially if your art is light-sensitive as if often the case with watercolors, pastels, textiles, woodblock prints, and color photographs. Other glazing options are impact resistant or shatter-proof in case your art is displayed in a high-traffic or active area. Unlike GK's packages of glass, art and mat board which are tightly sealed in a dust-free clean room before the frame is attached, art that is unsealed in its frame is exposed to extreme fluctuations of temperature and relative humidity which can rapidly lead to distortions, water stains and tears in fragile artwork. Package assembly in a dusty environment can trap abrasive soot and mold spores in proximity to the art to further accelerate degradation.

Conservation framing is designed to extend the longevity of your artwork and prevent framing materials from negatively impacting or accelerating degradation. Call for an appointment to tour our facilities and view the entirety of the GK framing process, from hinging to final packaging, through the windows into our production studio and clean room. Let us teach you about archival framing and show you how it is done right.

Call 212.431.0633 to make an appointment for consultation.