Glass or Plexiglass?

[nsurit]

What kind of glazing do folks find best for displaying their images. I have a couple of places that have asked me to show some of my work. The images would be in 24X30 inch frames. I have a preference for UV glass , however find that many places prefer plexiglass. I would appreciate ideas on what others are using and how durable they find their choice to be. Thanks, Bill Barber

 

[ann]

i tried som plexi but found it scratches easily and went back to glass, and when i say easily i mean i barely looked at the stuff and it had a scratch from a small piece of dust that landed on the surface when removing the protective sheeting.

 

[Ian Grant]

Like Ann I've used both, but will only use glass. I have about 200 frames and they are all glass, I always have spare glass for each frame size. However there might be circumstances where it's necessary to use Plexiglass for safety reasons.

Ian

 

[Travis Nunn]

I hope you have some strong wall anchors if you're going to be using glass for 24x30 frames

 

[Ian Grant]

I hope you have some strong wall anchors if you're going to be using glass for 24x30 frames

When I've hung 24x30 frames it's been normal to use mirror plates, so the frames are screwed to the wall. Most galleries prefer this method as it cuts the risk of theft as well.

Ian

 

[Travis Nunn]

When I've hung 24x30 frames it's been normal to use mirror plates, so the frames are screwed to the wall. Most galleries prefer this method as it cuts the risk of theft as well.

Ian

Fair enough. I'm not familiar with hanging in a gallery, just at home.

 

[ann]

i have a whole wall of very large prints that size and they are hung with devices made for hanging images, don't remember the name but they come in packs with various sizes for different weights.

it certainly is understandable that many would use the mirror type devices.

 

[juan]

I've displayed at some places that require plexi - they're afraid glass will break and someone will be hurt. I don't profess to know if their concerns are reasonable, just saying that some folks require plexiglass.
juan

 

[Murray@uptowngallery]

I can't believe how often pieces are dropped and broken at shows that require art to be accepted & dropped off & picked up. We have done emergency repairs for organizations who have accidents in handling, hanging etc.

Maybe requiring acrylic reduces their problems with that.

I have a very small number of clients who will only use UV filtering acrylic because of a combination of art value and infrequent need to ship framed pieces. One in particular does it to reduce risk of art damage.

I have been stunned by the frequent and large increases in acrylic prices in recent years - cost is significantly higher than basic UV filtering conservation glass (for example, TruVue Conservation Clear).

There used to be a miniscule advantage to UVF acrylic (filtering starts at 400 nm and shorter, claimed minimum 98% UVF), whereas UVF glass used to claim minimum 97% filtering and blocking wavelengths 380 nm and shorter).

I see the glass people are claiming 98% minimum now. I don't know if there is a technical improvement or a marketing scheme. (Haven't investigated).

If you want UV filtering glass with anti-reflection coating (more like eyeglass coating, not referring to etched 'non-glare' type), the price goes up alot, but it's still more economical than UVF AR acrylic (Optium for example).

 

[fdi]

Glass vs Acrylic is a complicated question. Possibly about the only perfect medium is abrasion resistant acrylic but that is very expensive and not considered with the cost for scratch resistance since you can just go with glass if scratching is a concern. Museums prefer acrylic because if the glass breaks in can slice irreplaceable artwork. I have compiled a list of all of the tradeoffs and some things to think about here:

Glass vs Acrlic for picture framing

What kind of glazing do folks find best for displaying their images. I have a couple of places that have asked me to show some of my work. The images would be in 24X30 inch frames. I have a preference for UV glass , however find that many places prefer plexiglass. I would appreciate ideas on what others are using and how durable they find their choice to be. Thanks, Bill Barber