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Picture frames come in all shapes and sizes, though the majority of styles offered by picture framers tend to be fairly simple designs. It is possible though to find some quite interesting frames at art auctions or antique centres, ornate gilt frames that would cost a lot to have ready made are sometimes offered for sale at a reasonable price, especially if the picture it surrounds is either in poor condition or of no merit at all.

Plus, damaged frames can also be cheap to buy and, once repaired, can give your painting a 'museum quality' finish.

Re-gluing

Wood has a habit of expanding and contracting due to changes in temperature and will also shrink as it slowly dries out, forcing glued joints to split apart. Nonetheless, if the securing pins are straight, these can be re-glued. Firstly, remove any dust or dirt that has collected in the joint plus any of the original glue. The new glue can then be applied to the joint and the corners held in place with a clamp. To secure the joint, either use a frame clamp, or you can improvise with wooden blocks and string; put two blocks at the centre of each side of the frame, tie the string firmly around the block, then move them towards the corners to tighten the string.

Re-enforcing corners

Sometimes it's a good idea to add support to corners to avoid further movement. To do this, metal corner plates or pieces of plywood can be screwed to the reverse of the frame. Make sure the frame itself is wide enough and deep enough for the screws to avoid them splitting the wood or coming out the other side!

Frames with moulded decoration

Moulded frames with small chips or dents can be repaired with plastic wood or cellulose filler. For more extensive damage, you can make a replacement piece by firstly taking an impression (using model-casting rubber or dental compound) of the same, though undamaged, section of frame. Use the impression to make a mould by pinning it to a flat piece of wood strip, this then can be filled with fibre-glass paste to create a new piece. Sand and paint or gild the new portion to match the original.

When framing your picture, always make sure the frame is deep enough to enclose the painting properly, a problem made more obvious with canvas on stretchers. In addition, the chord should be attached to the frame and not the painting stretcher or back panel and fixed just above the centre, this will help the painting hang with a slight tilt which, in turn, allows air to circulate and keeping dust off the picture.

When framed behind glass, paintings should always be kept away from the glass by use of a mount or slip (beading). The glass and the backing board should be sealed to the frame using gummed paper to prevent insects from getting in, this also helps protect it from the atmosphere. Whenever possible fittings should be made of brass as iron or steel will corrode.

Rob Tyrrell is an artist that creates fine quality pet portraits. He also offers a besoke framing service for all his portraits. If you would see samples of his pet portraits from photos, visit his web site www.robtyrrell-petportraits.co.uk