How do I choose between art and a mirror for my foyer?

It depends on what you want to accomplish. Art adds color, warmth, and personality to your home. Mirrors enlarge and expand a room, are handy to have for that last glance before a night on the town, and can make a powerful fashion statement.

I want to place a large piece of framed art in our foyer, but how can I hang it securely?

This is not a problem if you have the right hanging hardware and a hammer. The best hanging hardware for most walls is the J-hook. It is designed to keep the nail that goes into the wall at a sharp angle, so that even in drywall, it will stay in place. It is important that the J-hook be properly weighted for the item you want to hang. On most large framed art, we include the proper J-hook and nails to make sure you have exactly the hardware you need for hanging each piece. Note that small and medium sized framed art comes prewired for easy hanging. If your framed art is not prewired, it is too large to be hung by wire. Please use your J-hook hardware to support and hang this item properly.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t hang my mirrors and pictures level on the first try. Any secrets?

The most common way to hang is to hold the mirror or picture against the wall where you want it to be, have someone else step back and level the item from sight, and then mark the wall with a pencil where the hangers should be. A level can be used to make sure the item is perfectly straight before the wall is marked. In most cases, your art piece will come prewired to make hanging easier. We are able to provide this wiring on art and not on mirrors because art pieces usually weigh less than mirrors. Never wire the item yourself if it doesn’t come prewired.

What is the best way to clean my framed art?

For cleaning or dusting, only use a clean dry cloth. We do not recommend any cleaning solution be used on the frame or artwork.

What is the difference between a carved wood frame and a moulded polyurethane frame?

Mostly the price. With today’s technology, a solid core polyurethane frame feels and looks like wood. It lasts just as long as wood and absorbs a finish just like wood.

Framed art really varies in price. Why is this?

There are many obvious reasons, but one less obvious reason is the frame finish. Frames can be finished very inexpensively with sprays, paper-wraps, and foil-wraps, but the more attractive finishes have numerous steps including hand-laid metal leaf and hand-antiquing. This gives a richer, deeper metallic finish like the Old World finishes of the past.

Will the humidity and changing temperatures in a bathroom damage a mirror or picture frame?

No. Good quality frame finishes are sealed with multiple coats of sealer or lacquer to withstand normal usage in a bathroom.