There comes a time when you purchase a piece of artwork — that photograph you've been ogling, or that screenprint that you've been in love with for years — that you are faced with the very grown-up decision of how to frame. Do you go with plexiglass? Or regular glass? Here are a few facts that might help you to make a decision.
I've worked in fine art galleries and museums for years. Folks typically have very polarized opinions when it comes to the type of framing materials to use, but there are clear benefits and disadvantages to each type of glass for artwork. The standard for quite some time is museum glass. Historically, glass has provided the most clear, uninhibited viewing of artwork. Plexiglass, however, has come a long way over the last decade or two, and tends to be the industry standard by now.
Museum-grade glass has long provided the clearest view of the artwork underneath. With UV-filtering options easily attainable, it is a great option for your framing needs. Plexiglass has evolved in years past, and now offers all of the benefits of glass, plus a few bonus features. With UV-protectant coatings filtering out harmful rays that are a detriment to paintings, prints, and especially photography, Plexiglass now offers the protection that glass once dominated. In addition, you can now purchase plexiglass that provides a virtually glare-free viewing experience.
Plexiglass, in its most advanced form, provides all of the benefits that museum glass once cornered the market on. With an anti-reflective surface that filters 50-75% of UV rays, it is anti-static and scratch resistant, and is a sound alternative.
For me, it boils down to a few key details. Glass is heavy. It also breaks easily. I moved around quite a bit, and the thought of packing and lugging around artwork framed with glass was enough to cause a panic attack. Plexiglass is light and virtually impossible to break. Big bonuses for my transient lifestyle.
The cons? Well, there's the slightly abstract idea that plexiglass is, technically, a polymer, which means that it requires petroleum for its production. An ardent conservationist would question its archival qualities, long term. I suppose that I just can't seem to comprehend the length of time that it would take for the material to have a negative effect on a piece of artwork, but it is, in fact, a danger. It will take a very, very long time to see the negative effect on condition of the artwork it is paired with, but it is a danger nonetheless.
Also, although plexiglass can be scratch resistant, it is still, decidedly, much easier to scratch than ordinary glass. Many of my pieces of artwork, framed with plexi, show battle scars from my many moves. But, for me, those scars would have been fatalities had they been framed in glass.
So, for my money, I am definitely pro-plexiglass. Acrylite OP-3 is my plex of choice, and I have been very happy with the results. It is not more expensive, and has stood the test of time for my artwork, when I am certain glass would have died, and perhaps taken my artwork with it. The galleries and museums that I have worked for in the past definitely shaped my decision, as I have witnessed very few folks opting for glass.
What are your experiences in framing? Have you discovered your perfect solution?
Images: Jessica Tata
Apartment Therapy's Sofa Shopping Guide
Nikki’s Sweet and Cheery Print Studio
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Sprout Side Table
5 Things Paris Taught Me About Travel
Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
Glass.
Yes, it's heavier, but I've never had one scratched. The first (and last) expensive framing I had done I used plexiglass and it got scratched on the first move.
Now if you had a technique for removing scratches ....
I have 2 young kids and I use plexi all the time now. I have had a glass frame fall off the wall and smash and that was scary enough to convert me. I live in Calgary (usually dry) and the gallery cautioned me that plexi would collect more dust and therefore need to be wiped and potentially scratched more but I have had no trouble at all with that issue. I just think the safety outweighs all cons for me.
I don't know about current formulations, but (and I also worked in an art museum) plexi historically is not amenable to ammonia cleaners -- so you do NOT use Windex or similar cleaners on plexi.
I use glass for small pieces (although to be honest, I often get my art works already framed at thrift stores, etc. so it only factors in rare occasions.)
I have no problems with plexi on larger matted works. I would never use it in direct contact with a print or other work on paper (and of course oil and acrylic paintings aren't normally covered) but with a mat for some air space, shouldn't be a problem. (There is a chance of a chemical reaction between some media, particularly oil based inks, etc., if touching the plexi.)
I'm decidedly pro-acrylic. Small battle scars are usually hard to spot, can be buffed out with a polish like Novus, and are easier to live with than the time & money spent replacing broken glass or worse - replacing/repairing the art in a busted frame!
In fact at http://www.wexelart.com we've even gotten rid of the frame part and gone straight to the beauty of the glazing.
Acrylic is 20 times more shatter resistant than glass. I do like using glass for smaller framed pieces. As a former custom framer, I can attest that we had a lot of leftover glass in small sizes and could give you a good deal on it.
I live in earthquake country, and even with the best precautions, things fall off the wall sometimes, so I'm more worried about what broken glass can do to my artwork than the long-term damage of polymers. Plus, for a really big piece, I appreciate the lighter weight. Plexiglass +1!
If you're going to frame photographs or graphite drawings NEVER use plexiglass. It has static & can damage or lift your artwork! We learned this in my framing class in college. The framing instructor was in charge of framing millions of dollars worth of historical artwork. I definitely trust his opinion.
With that said, I always use glass. I've moved around 5 times (twice cross country) in the last 5 years & never have I had anything break on me; and I have a TON of artwork.
Glass
Plexi is my choice - once I sell a framed piece it needs to be shipped, so glass really isn't an option in terms of weight (cost) and fragility.
Plus Plexi has all the other advantages outlined above, especially the UV protection for my antique paper.
Actually there is static-free Plexi called "Optium" that works well for friable media, like graphite. With a deep sink-mat I'd even use it for pastels. I work for a cultural institution and sometimes courier valuable artworks for exhibitions, and I have people who work at borrowing museums ooh and aah over the Optium (ignoring the painting underneath). It's reduced glare, too. Of course it costs an arm and a leg!
I like the feel of glass, but one incident changed my mind about always using it - my cousin had a precious piece of art set up on easel to display it. Someone bumped the piece and it fell - promptly shattering the glass, and a big piece of the broken glass cut a huge hole right through the center of the piece! It was really tragic. If she had used plexi, such a small fall would have never have damaged the artwork like that.
So while I still like glass for small pieces that aren't so important, I think I'd use plexi for something I was really worried about.
As an editorial note, there is no "plexiglass"; Plexiglas is a trademarked name for acrylic glass. It is also marketed under Lucite or Perspex, for our friends across the pond.
Like many AT readers, I hold you all to a higher editorial standard. Now back to our regularly scheduled program...
Glass for anything that you care about. Or put it in a museum frame and use nothing. Acrylic is for Ikea art.
@Dollface, framers often refer to acrylic as "plexiglass". It's like "Kleenex", the brand became a synonym.
@D2 pad, framing grade acrylic is much different than the junk they fit Ikea frames with. It's much thicker and has better clarity.
As a framer, I say glass for everything under 36x48. plexi for kid's rooms and over-sized pieces, or people who tend to move a lot.
and of course, glass breakage can be avoided better when items are hung correctly.
I currently have an even mix of acrylic and glass.
I should say "I had."
Remember that earthquake that spread north (and west and ...) out of Virginia? It shook my townhouse violently. In the top loft level, I have 2 picture rails, and on them I had leaned some glass-framed art against the walls.
Disaster area after the quake. All of that glass -- I just couldn't bear it. I kept the door to the loft closed for a week.
One mat for a small framed newspaper was damaged by a shard of glass. Just a few inches difference and the newspaper would've been toast.
If I decide to reframe some of the work -- and this is a good time for me to reevaluate whether I want to or whether it's time for "new" -- it will be with acrylic. I'm also looking around the house for other framed art I have and evaluating whether I want to switch other pieces to acrylic. Not just to protect the art, but also to protect the small dog who "co-owns" the place.
(Other, larger glass-framed pieces hanging on the wall in the loft and in lower levels of the house were just fine, tho; just tilted.)
What's the chance another earthquake will roll through? I don't even want to think about that.
One other factor regarding plexi vs. regular glass or Conservation Clear, is that plexi is colourless.
Regular glass will have a greenish tint, and CC glass has a warmer, orange tint.
Museum glass is beautiful. It's the looks as though there's no glass in front of the artwork at all. But boy does it scratch. Plexi scratches easily, but Museum glass SCRATCHES EASILY!
For clarity and protection, you can't beat Museum Glass. For safety, colour accuracy, but with reflection; OP3 acrylic is a good option. There will always be pros & cons.
I framed a piece last week for a client. The piece was entirely black (black texture). If she had used plexi or Conservation Clear glass, she'd have a nice mirror. I suggested that for this piece, the glass was more important than the frame. She went with Museum Glass, and it looked beautiful.
There are a whole bunch of very effective products available for removing scratches, removing static, cleaning and polishing acrylic. And if a plexi sheet gets damaged beyond what these products can do, it's a simple matter of replacing it. At least it won't break and damage the art.
Though I agree that museum glass is traditionally the most "archival" solution, I think the practical benefits of plexi and other acrylics make it the best solution for a wide range of artworks, especially large pieces.
And for artists who exhibit their work on a regular basis, plexi is the only way to go.
Can commenters tell me the names of some of the products that remove scratches in glass (and are framing stores the best place to buy those removers)?
I have a large framed art poster that at some point (maybe during a move some yrs back?) acquired a scratch I might like to try getting rid of. Fortunately, it's in the lower right corner and isn't really visible in a lot of lights, but sometimes it really stands out to me now that I've noticed it ;) ... thanks!
As a custom framer, I can say that acrylic (Plexiglas is a brand name) has come a long way. My personal choice when it is required and best to use on a framing job is Acrylite AR-OP3. This product is UV fliter 99% and also ABRASION RESISTANT...you can take a piece of 0000 Steel Wool to it and it will not scratch. Optium Acrylic is priced so high it is a joke...one piece of 24"x30" retails at $252.44 while AR-OP3 sells for $80.72. Unless you have money to blow, or MUST have that "anti-reflective" property (with a blue cast reflection) wait til the price comes down. Remember, flat screen TV prices a couple of years ago?
Recently in my Southern California neighborhood the state did earthquake seismic tests with powerful 'thumper' trucks. I was at work at the time the tests were done, but I came home to 2 cracked glass picture frames. It made me rethink the glass frames I have for when the Big One hits.
I would love to switch out my many, many glass frames with plexi/ acrylic/ not-glass material. I am not picky about the finish and most pieces are not in direct sunlight or in need of museum quality materials. Is there a cheap resource for getting custom plexi glass cut? I asked at a frame store and they wanted $20 per 8x10 sheet. Thanks!
I live in San Francisco and am on bedrock, which means that even small quakes shift most of my framed and hanging-or-leaned pictures, as a result I'm a big lover of acrylic for framing (and of securing valuable pieces and bookshelves into the wall studs!).
I have just mounted a solo exhibition of photographs with op3 uv acrylic glazing and the reflections are distorted like looking in a mirror at a carnival fun house. Does anyone have an idea of what the problem is? Was the thickness too thin? Is it fitting too tight causing it to bend and warp? I am very disappointed and will likely return to the more expensive museum glass. In the past I have used mirrorguard and C-thru
At our company, AmericanFrame.com, we recommend the use of museum quality plexi and acrylic over glass as it's shatterproof, lightweight, clear and distortion free, enhances the richness of line and color in your image and is always acid free. @LynnDunham my guess is your issue was with the thickness of the acrylic. For UV, you want the thickness to be at least 3/32". True, if you're framing charcoal or pastel drawings you must protect the work from static pull by either using a fixative on the art work or incorporating the use of an acrylic spacer between the art and the plexi. Re: scratches, Novus makes a product called "Clean & Shine" which works beautifully, and @HayleyMiller, the cost of an 8 x 10 piece of standard plex should be closer to $3.00.
I would love to put my daughters baptism dress in a shadow box and display it in her room. I am not sure what will perserve the dress from yellowing or being damaged. I love the clarity'of glass, but since it will be hung in her room, I don't want to risk it falling and she gets hurt...any suggestions?