Buying Wood Picture Frames

Matching Frame and Picture

Just like selecting outfits and a clothing store, you should do the same when buying picture frames. Check for major tones in the photograph or item you are going to put into the frame. Have a lot of yellow tones? Go with a darker wood. Have a photograph with major brown or burgundy hues? Frame it with a lighter colored wooden frame.

The best thing to do is to have the picture with you when picking out a frame. Of course, don’t bring the original. Make a copy. Most all-in-one printers out there can make decent reproductions of the original without compromising color quality, which will make matching the colors of the picture to the color of the frame easier.

Manufactured Frames or Custom Built Frames

If you are on a budget, buying wood picture frames at a major retailer like Wal-Mart of Target could be your best option. There are two main advantages of purchasing buying picture frames this way. One, they are cheaper than having one custom built. Instead of getting one built frame, you can usually get 10 or so ready-made frames for the same price. The second advantage is that you can have a collection of wooden frames that look alike, just in different sizes. That way, uniformity is maintained when grouping them together.

Custom built frames will be more expensive, but you can get exactly what you what to fit any picture shape. Whether you want to be creative and fit a circular picture or have an odd sized shaped photo, framers will work with you to get you what you want and will help you select the right style and color of wood frames.

Buying Wood Picture Frames at Antique Shops

Simple Frame

It’s no surprise what you find at antique shops: old stuff. You can even find old wooden picture frames that nobody wants anymore. Most of the antique frames are brittle or delicate so be careful. You probably need to refinish the wooden frame if you need to keep it as close a match as you can to the picture. Otherwise, ensure the frame is secure enough to hang on the wall and keep an antique theme going.

Make Your Own

You don’t have to be satisfied with searching through already made frames or spending hours creating the perfect frame from scratching. Buying wood picture frames can also mean heading to the plain wooden frames aisle in your local craft store, picking up a few accessories and paint and making your own from scratch.

You have many things to pick from with accessories. Stencils and adhesives can decorate a frame very well. One idea you might try is to use cutouts from other pictures to stick to the frame. If you have a serious picture you are framing, you probably don’t want to do this type of craft, but for a fun picture this would be a great, silly way to spice up the frame and picture. A popular reason that you might make your own is for a unique baby gift, scrapbooking, or for other mementos.

Many Choices

Whether you are buying manufactured frames, having one built for you, or getting one from an antique shop, just be sure that it compliments the picture and perhaps any furniture around it. Plus, if you are unsure what kind of wooden frame you should go with or what color you should choose, stick with black. Black is the universal color that brings out the best of a picture and will go with just about any color of wall to help highlight an attractive photo.