Restore old wood picture frames

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In many ways wood picture frame restoration is similar to furniture restoration and is easy to do it yourself.

We did custom picture framing as well as furniture restoration and repair, so it made it very handy for people to bring in wood picture frames for restoration and repair and use them for the custom picture frame job.

As time goes on we'll be adding more information about how to custom picture frame to this section of the web site. It's fascinating to see what you can do to bring out certain areas of a picture with matting and frame color and style.

You can find some really nice picture frames in second hand and thrift stores as well as yard sales, tag sales, in the barn, attic or anywhere else someone might put a frame that has become old and decrepit looking.

If a picture frame looks like it was a really nice one at one time, it can be again.

Before you begin restoration of the whole picture frame you need to check the corners to see if they need repair. Take the frame by each side and give a little twist, if there is give or wiggle in any of the corners see picture frame corner repair.

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Matboard

Picture
Hanging
Supplies

Poster
Frames

Mounting
Systems

Mat Cutting
Tools

Accuride Full Extension Zinc Box Drawer Slides (Series 3832)

Different stages of picture frame restoration.

If the corners are tight, then it's time to start the restoration.

The first thing to make a restoration easier is to clean. There is a good cleaner on our furniture cleaner page and lots of cleaning tips on the following pages

Furniture Cleaning Basic

Furniture Restoration Procedure

Furniture Restoration

Cleaning Furniture

Clean Wicker

Kitchen Cabinet Cleaning

Techniques for cleaning for restoration work the same on most things that are wood and have a finish on them.

There are a few exceptions though. If the frame is gilded with gold leaf and the finish is gone you may rub the gold leaf off while using 0000 steel wool or if there is a very smooth white or amber surface, it may be gesso and you could rub a dip in it with the steel wool.

If the frame is obviously a very expensive and old frame that was gilded with gold leaf, then it should be restored using Gold Leaf. Otherwise, if the frame is very nice and impressive to you, but doesn't fit the above description you can gild with other techniques.

If your frame has a stain and clear finish the cleaning may make the frame look a whole lot different than it did before and maybe just a light application of paste wax will bring back a radiance that will make the frame look like you want it to without further picture frame restoration procedures.

When you use paste wax, always use just a very light coat, as a heavy coat won't dry and harden properly and will do more harm than good.

If the picture frame appears that it will need more TLC than just wax, then read the page on picture frame restoration.

If your picture frame has a paint finish and looks good after cleaning, but lacks luster, you may be able to give it a wax treatment, or a clear coat may do the trick.

Certificates look fine in a plain narrow black frame, but a baby picture or graduation or wedding picture need something special and pictures of long ago relatives look best in an antique frame or an older looking frame. You should try pictures in several frames to see which brings out the interesting points of the picture.

It's easy to have a good supply of really nice frames at a low cost if you do your own picture frame restoration, or build your own frames from scratch. You can also buy some nice picture frames , inexpensively, to do your own custom picture frame jobs and save a bundle.