Wood picture frames

Profiles and shades

We work with dozens of wood moldings, and they fall into four families that behave differently on the wall.

Natural tones: pale wood, oak, walnut. They bring warmth and tie in with existing wood furniture, and they're the most common choice for family photos and the living room. The darker the shade, the deeper its presence, and the "heavier" the picture looks.

Black and white: clean profiles without a pronounced grain, which suit almost any modern space. Black frames sharply and works beautifully on black-and-white photos and graphic posters; white nearly disappears into a pale wall and leaves all the attention on the picture.

Painted finishes: a wood molding painted in a single, even color. Good when you want a specific color that natural wood doesn't come in, especially in children's rooms and on strongly colored work.

Ornate finishes: gold and silver in a stepped or carved profile. These are the classic moldings, meant for oil paintings, embroidery, certificates and awards. On graphic design or a modern photo they almost always clash.

Molding width is a separate decision from the shade, and it follows mainly from the size of the picture. Our frame types page goes into it in depth.

What sets one wood finish apart from another

When choosing a wood frame, the name of the wood matters less than what you see on it. Three things decide how a molding will look on the wall: the shade, the texture and the width.

A natural finish leaves the wood grain visible, and every frame comes out slightly different from the next. That's an advantage in a home with natural materials, and it's also why two frames of the same model look close but never quite identical.

An opaque finish, painted or lacquered, gives a completely uniform look. It's easier to match to existing furniture, and it's the safe choice when you're ordering several frames that need to look the same.

And what you can't judge from a catalog: how the shade behaves in light. The same molding looks warm under yellow light and grayish in daylight, which is why we hold samples against the picture at the studio rather than choosing from a photo on a screen.

When wood, and when not

Wood is a good default for most jobs, but there are cases where aluminum is better, and it's worth knowing them before you decide.

Wood wins for oil and acrylic paintings, embroidery and needlepoint, certificates and diplomas, family photos, and any room with wood furniture. It's also what gives a piece the feel of "artwork" rather than "a print."

Aluminum wins for graphic posters and modern prints, gallery walls with many pieces, and large pictures, where it's much lighter, which also changes how the frame hangs. See our aluminum and metal frames page.

And one place where wood really isn't recommended: a bathroom, or any space with high humidity. Wood reacts to moisture; aluminum doesn't.

Wood frames for canvas and mirrors

A wood frame isn't only for pictures on paper.

You can add an outer wood molding to a printed canvas or a painting on canvas, and that's what turns a stretched canvas into a finished piece. The most attractive option is usually a floater frame, which leaves a thin gap around the canvas and emphasizes its depth. See our floater frames page.

And for mirrors, a wood molding gives a warm, homey look that aluminum doesn't, and suits an entryway, a bedroom or a living room. In a bathroom we'd go with aluminum because of the humidity. We cut the mirror itself to size in the same studio. See our custom mirrors page.

Wood frames made to measure

Every wood frame we make is cut to the size of the piece, including non-standard sizes: the molding, the glass and the mat are cut to fit the piece, not the other way around.

That goes for standard sizes too: A4 and A3 are simply two sizes that come up a lot, and each has its own page. For any other size, we make it to whatever you bring.

On large pictures, molding width becomes a structural consideration as well as an aesthetic one: a thin molding cut to a long length flexes, so for large pieces we go wider. See our large picture frames page.

Caring for a wood frame

A wood frame needs almost no maintenance, but two things are worth knowing.

Cleaning: a dry or slightly damp cloth, and no cleaning products. Liquid that seeps between the molding and the glass stays there.

Placement: over time wood reacts to humidity and direct sunlight. A natural finish can fade and a painted finish can crack. An interior wall that doesn't get direct midday sun is the best spot for any frame, and for wood especially.

Choose at the studio

The studio is at 3 Naftali Palatin St., Booth 147, Rishon LeZion, with free parking nearby, open Sunday–Thursday 08:15–17:00, and no appointment is needed.

Bring the picture, hold molding samples against it one after another, and within two minutes you can see which shade and which width work. That's the part that doesn't work well from a catalog or a screen, and it's why we work face to face. Most jobs are ready within two business days.