Walk into any home and you can usually tell which pieces on the wall actually mean something. It’s not always the most expensive painting or the biggest print — it’s often the photo from a wedding, the jersey from a championship season, the diploma that took years to earn, or the needlepoint a grandmother spent a winter finishing. These are the pieces that deserve more than a stock frame from a big-box store. They deserve custom framing.
At Middle Village Frame Shoppe in Queens, NY, we’ve spent years helping neighbors protect and showcase the things they care about most. Here’s a look at what custom framing actually involves, and why it makes such a difference.
It Starts With the Frame Itself
Custom framing means exactly what it sounds like: a frame built around your piece, not the other way around. Instead of trying to squeeze an odd-sized photo or document into a pre-made frame, we work with wood, metal, and gold leaf options in a wide range of colors and styles to build something that actually fits — both in size and in personality.
This flexibility matters most for the pieces that don’t fit a standard mold: a jigsaw puzzle you want mounted after finishing it, a collage of photos from a family trip, a diploma or professional certificate, a signed jersey, a collection of military medals, a piece of needlework, or a mirror cut to an unusual shape. All of that work happens in-house, on-site, so your piece never leaves our care until it’s ready for pickup or delivery.
Choosing the Right Glass
One of the most overlooked parts of framing is the glass, but it’s one of the most important. The right glazing can mean the difference between a piece that fades and yellows over a decade and one that looks the same twenty years from now.
We stock several tiers of glass and acrylic, each suited to different needs:
- Regular glass works well for pieces in controlled lighting, where reflection and UV exposure aren’t major concerns.
- UV-protective (conservation) glass blocks the vast majority of harmful ultraviolet rays, which is especially important for photographs, documents, and anything that can fade or discolor over time.
- Non-glare glass scatters light instead of reflecting it, which is ideal for pieces hung in bright rooms or across from windows.
- Non-glare conservation glass combines both benefits — cutting glare and blocking UV rays — for artwork on display in well-lit spaces.
- Museum glass is the top of the line: nearly invisible, highly protective against UV damage, and virtually free of reflection or distortion. It’s the option that lets a piece look its truest self.
If you’re not sure which is right for your piece, that’s a conversation worth having before you frame anything. The correct glass depends on the room, the lighting, and the type of artwork or object you’re protecting.
Mounting: More Than Just Holding It in Place
Mounting keeps a piece flat and secure inside its frame, but not all mounting methods are created equal, especially when the item has sentimental or monetary value.
Standard mounting options include simple tape or spray adhesive, which can be removed later, and dry mounting, which is permanent and uses a heat-activated film. Dry mounting works well for posters and reproductions, but it’s not recommended for anything with resale or collectible value, since it can’t be undone.
For pieces worth preserving long-term, conservation mounting is the better route. This includes acid-free tape, corner “pockets” that hold artwork without adhesive touching it directly, and museum-quality hinging techniques. For three-dimensional textiles like flags or jerseys, we use stretching, lacing, and sewing methods that hold the item securely to an acid-free backing without any glue at all — fully reversible if you ever need to remove it.
Mats Do More Than Decorate
It’s easy to think of a mat as a purely decorative border, and it does play that role — the right mat draws the eye toward the part of the piece that matters most. But mats also serve a protective function that’s just as important.
A mat physically separates the artwork from the glass. Without that gap, condensation can form on the inside of the glass and transfer directly onto your art, leading to water damage, mold, or mildew. We use acid-free, cotton-fiber mats specifically because they won’t introduce chemicals that could harm the piece over time.
We also avoid gluing photographs or paper items directly to the backing. Instead, we use small “photo corner” pockets that hold each corner of the piece in place without adhesive ever touching the art itself. The mat then sits on top, hiding those corners and keeping everything secure and reversible.
Canvas Stretching
If you’re working with a canvas piece, stretching is its own specialized process. We offer standard, museum, and gallery stretching, each suited to different types of canvas art and different display needs. A properly stretched canvas stays taut and even, without sagging or warping over time.
Shadow Boxes for Three-Dimensional Keepsakes
Not everything fits neatly behind a flat pane of glass. Signed jerseys, medals, antique ornaments, and other three-dimensional keepsakes need extra depth to be displayed properly. That’s where shadow boxes come in.
A shadow box uses a deeper molding with a built-in channel for the glass, allowing objects to be displayed without a traditional mat while still staying protected from dust and condensation. It’s one of the best ways to turn a keepsake that would otherwise sit in a drawer into something you actually see and enjoy every day.
Why It’s Worth Doing Right
Custom framing is ultimately about protecting things you can’t easily replace. A photograph can be reprinted, but the version that’s slightly faded, slightly warped, or damaged by moisture behind cheap glass loses something. A diploma, a jersey, a piece of needlework — these are one of a kind. The right frame, the right glass, and the right mounting techniques are what keep them looking the way they did the day you brought them in, for decades to come.
At Middle Village Frame Shoppe, every piece is framed on-site, and we stand behind the work with a satisfaction guarantee. If you have a piece that’s been waiting for the right frame — or one that’s currently sitting in a mismatched, off-the-shelf frame that isn’t doing it justice — stop by and let’s talk about what it needs. We also offer volume discounts for customers framing multiple pieces at once.
Your artwork, your memories, and your keepsakes deserve to be protected properly. That’s what custom framing is for.