Large Mount

I've posted in the past about large and oversize mounts and how they can be dealt with, links to previous posts below: 

Oversize framing and Spliced mounts and Long mount

The blue mount in these photos is on a movie poster I framed recently, the mount has been made by joining two sheets of mountboard together, to give a mount larger than the standard size of 32" x 44" that this colour is available in. The top photo shows the join is unnoticeable when viewed face on, only really from the side or above can the join be seen, and even then only from a few inches away. I have another of these types of oversize mounts to do next week.

Large and Oversize Frames

I often do quotes for framing large or oversize prints, fabrics, posters, and original works of art. These enquiries come from all over the country, often because people can't find someone locally to frame something over the 'jumbo' mountboard size of 44" x 64". 
Perhaps only 1 in 5 quoted goes ahead, people seem to think that material prices go up proportionally with size, but in reality the choice of certain oversize materials is limited and the costs considerably higher than the stock or standard sizes of 32" x 44" (some suppliers standard size is 32" x 40" and 32" x 47") and the jumbo size of 44" x 64" (some jumbo boards are 40" x 60"). Other factors that need to be considered are the extra labour involved, the equipment needed, and workshop space required to handle the assembly and fitting of large frames. The images below are just to give an idea of some methods that can be used.

There are a number of ways of dealing with mounts over 44" x 64", full sheets in very limited colours are available over this size and up to 48" x 96" and 64" x 86". It is relatively easy to create large mounts by splicing two boards together with bevel cuts meaning almost any board colour/size is possible. Spliced mounts can be cut on a standard mountcutter, or large ones by using a Keencut 72" straight edge which has a guide channel for using a Logan hand mountcutter. A spliced mount could also be covered in fine fabric or a material such as linen or hessian.

There are some other methods that don't use a mount, for example a wide flat wooden slip that has a bevel edge can be used to replicate a mount, this can be painted or gessoed and lined with mountboard, so that the artwork is not in direct contact with the wood. An aperture could even be cut out of a sheet of MDF which can then be painted. Another option is that the artwork, print, or poster can be float mounted on to a backing, with a spacer to keep it away from the glazing.                           
                             

Sheets of Foamboard, Correx, Gatorfoam, Kapa, and Tycore board can be used for backing and support, these are rigid, pH neutral, and lightweight. These types of board are all preferable to MDF or plywood which are heavy, prone to bowing, and contain impurities which can be harmful to art. MDF can be used but it is better to also use cross braces to make the backing more rigid.
For the glazing, acrylic in 4mm to 6mm offers the most practical solution for large sizes, it is lighter than glass and virtually unbreakable. Laminated glass can also be used but it is very heavy. Both acrylic and laminated glazings are available with anti-reflective and UV filter properties, these are known as 'museum glazing', and are used for the highest specification framing projects. 
The frame itself of course needs to be suitable regarding strength, width, and depth, although even relatively narrow frames can be used if required when combined with a sub-frame, using pocket hole screws to secure the sub-frame to the frame. This example shows a bevel cleat which can be used to hang the frame to a matching section of timber fixed to the wall.
                    

Where cost is an issue and conservation is not then large posters can be framed directly against the acrylic glazing, as acrylic is much less prone to developing condensation on the inside of the glazing when compared to glass.

Splice as nice

Mountboards are available in many different colours, the standard sized sheet being around 32" x 44", over this size there are 'Jumbo' sheets which are around 40" x 60" although the choice of colours is quite limited.  Over the Jumbo size the choice of colours becomes very limited, although you can get sheets up to 48" x 96" and 64" x 86"

For this mount (external size 54" x 38") there was no colour close in the Jumbo or larger sheet sizes, and this sand yellow was absolutely perfect for the art being framed, so we spliced two smaller sheets of mountboard together. This involves cutting two bevels where the join will be, butting the cuts together and fixing with tape, the join was then reinforced with mountboard. The join is very hard to see, especially as a picture of this size will rarely be viewed close up.