It's all about reflection

Choosing the best type of glass for your artwork is not always the easiest job, specially with so many choices in the market. At the 1st Floor Gallery Picture Framing we work with any type of glass from clear to conservation and museum standards without forgetting bespoke mirrors! The difference is in the reflection which is the key to your best choice. Starting from the highest grade of reflection, mirror glass has 100% reflection whereas clear glass reflects only 7% of the light. If your goal is to enjoy the smallest detail from your artwork, then non-reflective glass would be the best choice, with less than 1% reflection. On the top image, the butterfly on the left is displayed behind non-reflective glass and the one on the right, regular glass.

Another key factor when choosing the best type of glass for you is the UV factor as direct light can badly damage your valued framed object. Conservation glass will give you 99% UV protection and museum glass -the highest quality- will give you the same UV protection as well as being non-reflective.

An artwork with lots of detail such a cross-stitch, a tapestry or a miniature would be best framed using a non-reflective glass (up to 99%UV

protection).

Non-reflective glass has special optical coatings,

making the reflection less than 1% which is superior to normal 2-3mm picture framing glass.

But on some occasions, your artwork will be displayed at schools, hospitals, care homes, or any place where safety of the public is important. For those locations, at the First Floor Gallery we may recommend the use of alternative products like styrenes, specialist plastic glazing or scratch resistant acrylics. The majority of these materials can offer protection from UV rays to avoid posters, photos or artworks fading.

As framing specialists with over 30 years of experience in Romsey, we offer a very large range of mounts, rims and glass at competitive prices for you.