Glazing
When doing it's job properly a picture frame should enhance the artwork, but never be noticeable in itself. Glass can be one of the biggest
obstacles to this, but specialist glazing provides the perfect solution.
The image to the right has two sheets of glazing: standard glass on the right and Anti-reflective glass on the left. Not only is the
Anti-reflective glass undetectable to the eye, but the strength and depth of the colours remain vibrant and true to the artwork.
Learn more about all the different types of specialist glazing options below.
Glass
Standard Float Glass
2mm, 3mm
~40% UV control
~8% reflection
Good colour reproduction
This float glass has a low iron content meaning it offers outstanding colour reproduction.
Water White
2mm
~40% UV control
~8% reflection
Outstanding colour reproduction
This float glass has a lower iron content than standard glass, meaning it offers outstanding colour reproduction at a very affordable price.
UV Control
2.5mm
~97% UV control
~8% reflection
Good colour reproduction
This glass has a tough UV coating on one side, with plain float glass on the other. It looks just like standard float glass, yet filters 97%+ UV with
no significant colour shift, and is competitively priced.
Anti-Reflective
2mm, 3mm
~70% UV control
~0.5% reflection
Outstanding colour reproduction
Not to be confused with diffused glass which has a satin finish, this glass is completely transparent with anti reflective coatings on both surfaces.
It is colour neutral and, when lit correctly, this glass is almost undetectable.
UV Control &
Anti-Reflective
2mm, 3mm
~92% UV control
~0.5% reflection
Outstanding colour reproduction
Commonly referred to as Museum glass, this conservation float glass combines over 90% UV protection with full anti-reflective coatings, and is
applied to a colourless WaterWhite substrate.
Laminate
4.4mm, 6.4mm
>99% UV control
<1% reflection
Outstanding colour reproduction
Laminated float glass is incredibly tough, made with a plastic interlayer sandwiched between two sheets of float glass. This interlayer gives a UV
filter of nearly 99% with less than 1% reflection, and it prevents flying glass in the rare event of a breakage.
Acrylic / Perspex
Clear Cast
3mm, 4mm, and 5mm
>99% UV control
Perspex® Clear has very high light transmission in excess of 92% of visible light, with virtually no colour bias. Even after 10 years of outdoor exposure, Perspex® Clear will continue to transmit 85% of visible light while other thermoplastic sheet will show a much greater reduction over the same period.
UV Control
3mm, 4mm, and 5mm
>99% UV control
Perspex® VA is a colourless, cast acrylic sheet with integral UV protection and is suitable for specialist glazing applications and display cases.
UV Control &
Anti-Reflective
3mm, 4.5mm, and 6mm
>97% UV control
Tru-Vue Optium Museum Acrylic® provides the ultimate in clarity & protection. A magnetron-sputtered anti-reflective, anti-static coating is bonded to
an abrasion resistant, UV filtering acrylic sheet at an atomic level. This ensures long-lasting protection that doesn’t oxidize and degrade over time.
It is also 50% lighter than glass, making it perfect for large items and display cases.
Polycarbonate
As polycarbonate is extruded, not cast, it is not as clear as perspex and scratches more easily, however it is half the weight of glass
and can be produced in large sheet sizes making it a good option for glazing very large pieces in budget.
The image to the right is a section of a 4.4 metre frame which had 2 sheets of
polycarbonate sandwiched together - if done with perspex, bespoke sheets would have had to be drop cast to size, which would have been prohibitively expensive.
