How to care for wood picture frames

A solid wood frame should outlast the couch, the paint color, and a few of the houses it hangs in. It only asks for a little care. Ten minutes a month keeps a frame looking new for decades. Here is the full routine we use in our own shop and give to our customers.

What you need

Frame care takes almost nothing. Most of this is already in your house.

• Two clean microfiber cloths
• Plain water in a small spray bottle
• A cleaner made for acrylic, if you want one
• A furniture touch-up marker close to your frame color
• A small screwdriver for the yearly hardware check

Dust with a dry cloth

Once a month or so, run a dry microfiber cloth along the moulding. That's it. Skip the furniture polish and spray cleaners on the wood. They build up a film over time, and some sprays soften finishes.

If the frame gets sticky (kitchens do this), a cloth barely damp with water works. Follow right away with a dry one. Standing water is hard on wood, so never leave a frame wet.

Frames near a fireplace or a candle shelf pick up a thin smoke film too. The damp wipe handles it. Just do those frames twice as often.

Clean the acrylic the right way

Our frames use frame grade acrylic instead of glass. It stays clearer longer and won't shatter, but it scratches easier than glass. So the method matters.

1. Dust the acrylic first with a dry microfiber cloth, using light pressure. Grit dragged across dry acrylic is what causes fine scratches.
2. Spray plain water or acrylic cleaner on the cloth. Never spray the frame itself.
3. Wipe in straight lines from top to bottom. Circles grind dust into the surface.
4. Dry with your second cloth.

Cleaner that runs down the frame edge can wick behind the acrylic and reach the art. That is why you spray the cloth. And skip ammonia cleaners like standard glass spray. Ammonia clouds acrylic over time. Window cleaner ruins more frames than kids and dogs put together.

Watch where it hangs

Two spots are hard on frames. Direct sun and damp rooms.

Sunlight fades art. Our acrylic blocks much of the UV, but no glazing stops it all. If a wall gets hard afternoon sun, hang something replaceable there. Keep the one of a kind pieces on a shaded wall.

Humidity is the other one. Bathrooms and unfinished basements swell wood and curl paper. If you want art in a bathroom, make it a print you can replace, and check the back of the frame a couple times a year.

Heat is a quieter problem. A frame right above a radiator or heat vent dries out fast, and the corner joints can open up over a few winters. Slide it a foot or two to the side and it will live much longer.

Check the hardware once a year

Pick a day (we like the first cold weekend of fall) and do a quick pass of the house.

• Lift each frame slightly to make sure the hook or nail still bites.
• Snug loose screws on sawtooth hangers and D-rings with a small screwdriver.
• Look at hanging wire for frayed strands. Wire that looks fuzzy needs replacing.
• Check that big frames still sit level and flat against the wall.

Five minutes, and you'll never hear the midnight crash of a frame giving up on a nail.

Small dings happen

Wood dents, and that's part of why we like it. A light scratch on a dark frame disappears with a matching furniture touch-up marker. On natural pine, a tiny dab of clear paste wax hides most scuffs. Rub it in with a soft cloth and buff.

Deeper dents in raw wood can be steamed out. Lay a damp cloth over the dent and press a warm iron on it for a few seconds. The wood fibers swell back up. This works on unfinished frames only, so test a hidden spot first.

Deep gouge? A wood frame is worth repairing the way plastic never is.

What if the acrylic gets scratched?

Fine scratches sometimes buff out with a polish made for plastic. Deep ones don't. The good news: you don't need a new frame. The acrylic lifts out from the back, so you can swap in a fresh sheet in about two minutes. We sell replacement acrylic sheets for exactly this.

To swap it, lay the frame face down on a towel. Bend back the metal points, lift out the backing and the old sheet, peel the film off the new sheet, and stack it all back in the same order.

Storing frames between uses

Swapping art with the seasons, or packing for a move? Store frames on edge, like books on a shelf. Never stack them flat. Stacked frames press on each other, and the bottom one always loses.

Slip cardboard between frames and keep them in a dry room inside the house. Skip the attic and the garage. Both swing from hot to cold, and wood joints work loose when they cycle like that.

Questions we hear a lot

Can I use Windex on my frame?

Not on the acrylic. Ammonia clouds it over time. Use plain water or an acrylic cleaner, sprayed on the cloth, not the frame.

How often should I clean a picture frame?

Dust monthly. Do a damp wipe and a hardware check once or twice a year. A wood frame doesn't ask for more than that.

The finish looks dull. Can I wax it?

Yes. A thin coat of clear paste wax, buffed with a soft cloth, brings back the low sheen on most finishes. Test a back corner first.

Taking care of the frame is really taking care of what's inside it. Our framing guide covers sizing, mats, and hanging if you're starting a new project. And if a frame is past saving, we'll cut you a fresh one to the same size. That's the point of made to order frames. Anything else, our FAQ page probably covers it.