When it comes to selecting either glass and acrylic (plexiglass) for your frame, it can be confusing as to which one is best for your needs. Whether you are looking for a lightweight, shatterproof option or a traditional look, we hope you will find all the information you need to make the right choice.

Glazing is an important aspect of framing that often a little overlooked. Glass and Acrylic’s are the two primary materials to consider, both of which we offer in our bespoke made frames. In the past only ever used glass for all our framing (standard 2mm / non reflective / conservation or museum glass). Increasingly we are now using Acrylic Glass for a number of reasons which we have listed below. But in particularly you cant tell it is an acrylic, it is also a greener option and it is more transparent with no tint (unlike some glass).

Glass

Standard glass

The standard glass type, to a picture framer, is normally a 2mm clear float glass, we occasional use 3mm and 4mm for larger pictures. It is relatively inexpensive and will protect your artwork from dust and physical damage.

• Pros – 

  • Inexpensive

  • Reliable, it will not degrade and could last for hundreds of years

  • Is easy to clean

  • It is fully recyclable  

• Cons –

  • Very reflective

  • No UV protection.

  • Slight green colour cast and less transparent than acrylic.

  • Very fragile making it difficult and expensive to ship without damage.

  • If it breaks it can cause damage to the work and frame, or in the worse case cause injury

  • Glass is vulnerable to condensation as its a good insulator, creating a risk of moisture which could damge your artwork

• Guide cost -

  • £

The green cast of float glass

Art Glass (non-reflective)

The Art / Museum quality glass is exceptional. The non-reflective coating does minimise glare and stops 90% plus of UV light from hitting your image, prolonging the image from fading.

• Pros -

  • Can stop a lot of reflection

  • Can stop in excess of 90% of UV light hitting the artwork

• Cons -

  • It is a tad expensive, but well worth the investment.

• Costs

  • ££

UltraVue glass

Conservation Clear framing glass type is the brand name for a type of clear glass that offers 99% UV protection.

What does this mean? It means your artwork won’t fade or discolour even if the frame is exposed to light. Conservation clear glass provides conservation-grade glazing that is also cost-effective.

If you’ve got a delicate piece of artwork you want to protect, Conservation glass is a good choice.

Pros -

• Highest UV protection available (around 99%)

• HGarder to scratch than an Acrylic 

• Cons -

  • More expensive

  • More caution required when cleaning

  • Scratches more easily than standard glass 

• Costs

  • £££

Non relelective glass

Museum glass

This 2mm coated glass comes with the highest grade of UV protection, it is treated with non-reflective coating so the artwork has a clear appearance under glass as possible, it looks ‘invisible.’

• Pros –

  • Top UV protection (99%) ,

  • No reflections

  • No colour cast. 

• Cons–

  • Most Expensive

  • Quite heavy

  • Caution when cleaning

  • The coating can scratch easily

• Guide Cost – £££££

Acrylic

As a business we have started to use Acrylic more and more, at our clients requests.

Initially we were a little concerned it would look like plastic and not give the high end look we were after. But we have been pleasantly surprised at the quality (unlike glass it’s perfectly clear) and the visual experience it gives. It has been extremely popular with our commercial clients as the risk of injury (its both lightweight and shatter resistance), especially in areas of high footfall.

Standard (2mm) Acrylic Glass

Acrylic Glass allows 92% light transmission, more than that of float glass which tends to be 90% or lower. Acrylic Glass, unlike 2mm float glass is also tint free and visually colourless and has 66% inherent UV resistance due to the UV stabilizer that is added to protect against ageing. This absorbs many of the damaging UV wavelengths in natural and artificial light.

• Pros – 

  • Inexpensive

  • Reliable, it will not degrade and could last for hundreds of years

  • Excellent clarity, 92% transmission showing the true colours

  • Tint free, virtually colourless unlike Float glass and Styrene

  • Shatter resistant and safe

  • Lightweight

  • Safe for shipping to clients

  • Safe for commercial / high traffic areas

  • It is fully recyclable  

• Cons –

  • Reflective

  • It can scratch when cleaning, care should be taken

  • Slightly dearer than 2mm float glass

• Guide cost -

  • £

Acrylic Glass Archival UV Protection 2mm

We find this ideal for framing valuable or irreplaceable items such as original artwork, limited edition prints. Due to the complete absorption of UV-A rays, the fading of colours in your prints can be prevented. 

It is made of marine grade cast acrylic, which has a harder surface toughness and better scratch resistance than standard extruded acrylic and is designed for extreme exposure to direct sunlight. Acrylic Glass has exceptional optical clarity and is visually colourless, Styrene or Float Glass have a faint tint of green or blue which can affect the colours of your work.

• Pros – 

  • Cheaper than its glass equivalent

  • Excellent clarity, 92% transmission showing the true colours

  • Tint free

  • Lightweight

  • Safe for commercial / high traffic areas, shatter resistant

  • Cheaper than it glass equivalent

  • Ideal for artwork hung in direct sunlight

  • Scratch resistant

• Cons –

  • Reflective

  • Slightly dearer than 2mm Acrylic Glass

  • Can be damaged by direct heat

• Guide cost -

  • ££

Museum Quality Acrylic 3mm

Frame artwork to last for generations, present it with exceptional clarity

Museum Acrylic glass is the perfect choice when you want to preserve your finest and most important art with conservation standard framing. The high-quality cast acrylic is coated on both sides with a special Moth Eye laminate to block 99.8% of damaging UV rays while allowing 98.6% of light to pass through, minimising all reflections.

• Pros – 

  • 99.8% UV protection to shield valuable artwork from fading and deterioration caused by ultraviolet rays.

  • 98.6% light transmission rating makes it virtually invisible

  • The non-reflective coating technology means it is virtually reflection free

  • 10 times the impact strength of glass - protects valuable artwork from damage in the event of an accident and makes frames safer to ship

  • Safe for commercial / high traffic areas, shatter resistant

  • Cheaper than it glass equivalent

  • Ideal for artwork hung in direct sunlight

  • Scratch resistant

  • 50% lighter than glass – makes frames easier to handle, ship and hang.

• Cons –

  • Dearer than the other Acrylic Glass

  • Can be damaged by direct heat

• Guide cost -

  • ££££