A number of companies offering custom framing in Melbourne give customers the choice between glass and Plexiglas for the glaze. Since glazing is one of the most important parts of the picture frame, it is very important that you get the right one for the job.
To help you decide, let’s take a look at their key strengths and weaknesses.
Acrylic
One key feature of acrylic or Plexiglas is its relatively light weight. That makes it easier to transport, and also helps reduce the overall weight of larger, finished picture frames, reducing the stress on the wall. Another key strength is that it doesn’t shatter if it does break. That helps keep artwork and pictures safe, even if the glaze breaks for whatever reason. This is why most services offering custom framing in Melbourne prefer acrylic for more valuable artwork.
Good acrylic is also optically pure and can come with the UV filter built into the material directly. This makes it better than glass since it is usually coated with the UV filter that fades out and deteriorates over time. However, good quality, UV acrylic can be very expensive, and can easily bend. Even though it provides better insulation than glass, it is susceptible to bending or flexing and temperature variations and humidity make it even more vulnerable.
In addition to that, acrylic is also easier to scratch than glass, and that makes cleaning it harder. Paper towels are like sandpaper to it and can damage acrylic very easily. Microfiber cleaning cloths work like a charm though. Acrylic is also prone to becoming statically charged, which makes it harder to clean and keep clean, specially during assembly of the frame.
Glass
While glass is less expensive than acrylic, it’s also scratch resistant and doesn’t bend or flex. Standard, uncoated glass is more scratch resistant than acrylic, making it easier to clean and maintain. It is, however, also more susceptible to shattering and special care needs to be taken while handling frames with glass glazes. Shattered glass can easily destroy artwork held in the frame. Moreover, it’s also a lot heavier than acrylic, making the finished picture frame even heavier.
Companies offering custom framing in Melbourne tend to prefer glass for larger frames but it puts a considerable amount of stress on the wall and frame supports, as well as the frame itself. In addition to being scratch resistant, glass is also less susceptible to static charge, making it great for glazing.
The main drawback of glass though, is that it isn’t as optically pure as acrylic can be. Standard glass contains some iron, and that gives it a greenish tint, making pictures or artwork in the frame look greener than it is. Though you can find reduced-iron glass, it will be more expensive. On top of that, you will have to compromise with a UV filter coating that will deteriorate over time, rather than having UV protection built into the glaze directly.
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