Since my art collecting began most prints have been sitting in storage waiting for the day that I have them framed. The thought of doing it myself has come to mind many times, but I've been avoiding it because I've been intimidated by matting. The fact that there are specialty tools required had me assuming it's hard and I would eventually frame my prints when I had some money burning a hole in my pocket. But, we've been busy with some changes in our dining room lately and I knew I wanted to hang a Kandinsky print we bought online years ago.
Of course the print was a weird size and none of the regular frame stores sold anything nearing the size I needed, so I headed to Goodwill in search of something that might work. Sure enough, I found a frame that I thought could do the trick. For under $10 I was able to get a wood frame with glass to fit my large 24" x 20" print. A can of gold spray paint was all I needed to make it work along with some white poster board that I was able to cut to surround the print. Sure, it's not the greatest matting job in the world, but as long as you have a steady hand, a sharp knife and a good ruler, it's pretty hard to notice. It ended up looking like the poster itself had wider borders.
Turns out the gold paint I picked wasn't the right colour (I actually can't stand it), but until I get around to spraying it again, it is what it is. But to anyone looking to frame a print this is a great way to go. Ikea is my go-to for frames, but the sizes are pretty standard and I'm finding more and more of them aren't made with glass but with a thin sheet of plastic which just isn't the same. Also, whatever the good people at Ikea use to make their frames it is next to impossible to paint it. The paint just peels off like nail polish. For less money you can get a thrift store frame and make it yours.
