 Mat
Boards Are More Than Just A Pretty Color!
There are not only many colors of mats but many different kinds. Rag
mats, regular mats, white cores, black cores, fabric covered mats. There
are even specialty mats which come in unbelievable styles.
The mat is the board that surrounds much of the art being framed today.
One of the most obvious reasons for the use of mats is because they bring
out the colors in the art. Mats also draw the eye toward the art. There
are hundreds of creative designs that can be done to mats to make the
framed artwork appear more elegant. Most art on paper is framed using
a mat, not only for beauty but also to protect the art. First, let’s
look at what a mat is, then what does a mat do, and are mats just for
looks.
WHAT IS A MAT?
There are in common use today three different types of mat boards. Paper
mats, Alfa Mats, and Rag mats. All these mats come in hundreds of colors.
All three types have the same colors, for the most part. Paper mats have
been around the longest so there is a slightly larger choice of colors
for these, but rag mats and others are quickly catching up.
PAPER MATS
Paper mats are made from paper pulp. These mats are the most inexpensive
mats available. They are fine for use on cheap artwork, which can easily
be replaced or art that has very little value at all. Paper mats are also
know by the name, "Regular Mat Boards."
Paper mats have a lot of acid in them. This eventually causes the cut
edges of the mat to turn brown. The acid will find its way into the art
and also cause that to turn brown. This of course will ruin the art as
the acid eats into it. Usually the edges of the art that are hidden just
under the edges of the mat will be attacked first. Much art is ruined
this way before the owners even discover what is happening.
It is easy to tell if paper mats have been used on a piece of art. Look
at the cut beveled edge of the mat where it meets the art. If the cut
edge is not pure white, it probably is a paper mat, as rag mats and alpha
mats are pure white. Collectors of fine art can spot a paper mat a long
way off and many times will not buy any framed art that has been framed
using such mats. Anyone can learn to spot this kind of mat very quickly.
These mats are in very common use today. They are used on almost all the
framed art you see in department stores, and by many artists framing their
own work. They are cheaper. You pay for what you get, always!
Even children’s art does not have to be framed using paper mats.
For just a few dollars more, the owner could have used rag mat. It would
have been appreciated 30 years later when the child was grown. Think about
it, even Pablo Picasso must have produced tons of drawings when he was
a child. If you have some of his around and don’t want it, send it
to me!Grignon’s Art & Frame uses ONLY Rag Mat on every piece
of art we frame for customers of this web site. Every piece of Art for
sale at this web site has been framed using the best Rag Mat! We are very
concerned that our customers receive on the very best materials available.
ALFA MATS
Alfa Mats are paper mats that have been much more highly purified. The
acid in the mats has been neutralized using buffering agents. The manufacturers
of these mats claim that these mats never hurt your art. The cut edges
of the mats are pure white and stay that way. Many times these mats are
called acid free mats, which is not exactly true. The acid is still there
but has been neutralized by the buffering agents.
These mats come in many of the same sizes and colors as rag mats, but
are made by a different company than the maker of rag mats. Most frame
shops start with one company or the other and build up quite an inventory
of mats. Due to this, most frame shops tend to stick to one company for
most of its mat needs. These are very good mats, but we do not feel they
are quite as good as true rag mats.
RAG MATS
Quite a number of years ago museum curators asked Crescent Cardboard
Company to produce mat boards that would not harm art in any way for any
duration of time. The museum curators were disturbed by the damage that
was being done to their works of art, by paper mats.
 Crescent
Cardboard Company started producing mats using pure cotton. The mats have
no acid, are pure white inside, and the cut edges always stay pure white.
This mat is the absolute finest mat board available today and is still
used by the majority of the world’s museums. These mats come with
an outer covering that is available in just about any color you could
ever desire. In fact Crescent has recently just released thirty-five new
colors in its rag mat line. These mats are considered the best mats available
today by many custom framers and museums.
Grignon’s Art & Frame uses ONLY Rag Mats on every piece of art
we frame for customers of this web site. Every piece of Art for sale at
this web site has been framed using Rag Mat.
ARE MATS JUST FOR LOOKS?
Mats aren’t just for looks! They serve the practical function of
protecting artwork. Mats should be used on all forms of paper art, prints
and photographs. Mats are necessary to keep the artwork separated from
the glass in the frame so that the two never touch. Without a mat, works
of art may stick to the glass, which would eventually ruin the art. Moisture
can condense inside a frame just as it does in a car on a cold morning.
Usually not so bad as to be even noticeable until someday the art is ruined.
Photographic emulsions can also soften with time and heat and stick to
the glass and be ruined. Photographs also expand and contract a lot due
to temperature variations in a room. If the photograph has been placed
next to the glass without a mat it can be ruined. Have you ever taken
a really nice glossy photo, and framed it using a department store frame
without a mat? Go get that piece and take it out of the frame. If its
been there a year or more, I am sure you will fine small scratches all
over it that weren’t there when you put it in the frame. These are
due to the expansion and contraction of the photograph while pressed next
to the glass. All photographs and works of art should never be allowed
to touch the glass covering them. The best and easiest way to accomplish
this is to use a mat!
Mats also add greatly to the beauty of a custom framed picture. Two or
more mats can be combined to create distinctive designs. Beautiful V-grooves
can be cut into the mats to enhance them. French lines and panels can
be added.
 At
Grignon's Art and Frame we choose mat colors that compliment the art.
With the hundreds of colors available we pick mats that make the art come
alive. Many galleries use only white mats on their art. This is a very
contemporary look which is fine, but we find colored mats that compliment
the art is what many people are looking for. Even black and white works
of art deserve proper matting and framing.
Mats add depth and realism to artwork. They take a one-dimensional picture
and make it appear to have three dimensions. Two mats nearly always look
better than one mat. A V-groove adds even more appeal.
Mats add width and height to a picture. To look great the art needs the
space around the image that the mat supplies. Also your eyes need a place
to focus without being distracted by the wall behind the picture and the
frame. If you ever have a chance to compare two identical pictures, one
beautifully matted and framed next to an un-matted picture you will quickly
see the difference.
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