How To Fix Bending Metal Picture Frame

When you choose to frame something to hang on your wall, yous want to proceed it looking its best for years to come. However, sometimes things can happen, such as a bowing or an otherwise warped picture frame. These issues can, unfortunately, accept a negative touch on on your display. While cheaply made frames that utilize sub-par materials are frequently most susceptible to warping issues, it can happen to only about any frame if the conditions are right (or wrong, rather).

Don't worry, though — even if your frame does bow or warp, there's usually a style to annul it!

Note: We must emphasize that bowing is a rare problem, and this mail service volition tell you how to deal with it should the issue arise, but information technology's not a very common occurrence.

With that being said, if y'all've been to our Learning Center before, you know that there are ii chief types of frames — metal and wood. Bowing and warping can happen either, for various reasons. We'll cover both frame materials, besides as what to do if information technology happens to your frame. Let united states of america but say that if you lot exercise find your frame to bow or warp, it isn't something to panic about, and with a few key steps, your frame will be back to looking brand new!

How To Tell If Y'all Have A Bowing Or Warped Picture Frame

Allow'due south first talk about what a bowing or warped picture frame looks similar. You'll most likely be able to tell since information technology's tough to miss, only if office of your frame is slightly lifted from the balance of the wall, it's bowing.

Warping usually happens in wood frames when the fibers in the woods lose moisture and dry out. Because of that loss of moisture, the wood starts to pull the frame into a bend.

Similarly, in very humid situations sometimes the backing of a frame tin can absorb wet and could warp, not necessarily the actual frame itself. To prevent this, it is common that after your impress is inserted apply craft paper on the rear of the frame creating an actress barrier to stop moisture from penetrating.

Bowing Wood Frames

Let's showtime with forest frames, as they are near susceptible to outside forces. A shift in humidity or a dip in temperature can have noticeable impacts on the cloth.

Every bit nosotros mentioned above, wood warping is a deformity that occurs when its moisture content changes unevenly . Woods expands and contracts as its moisture content fluctuates. When it'south non evenly distributed, warping occurs.

An overly dry frame can also exist the crusade of warping. At that place can be other factors that contribute to this, though, such as:

Bad weather conditions.
Poor maintenance of the wood.
Insect infestation.

Caring For Natural Woods

Equally nosotros mentioned, poor maintenance of forest is ane of many reasons information technology warps. It is also, by our assessment, the cistron that is virtually within your control. If you lot happen to have a natural forest frame, properly caring for it volition probable avoid a lot of issues.

In the case of preventing warping, keeping the woods frame in a climate-controlled surroundings would be your best bet. In add-on, a bunch of wood experts requite different numbers for the all-time room moisture setting, but all of them are around the ballpark of 35-50%.

Keeping your habitation humidity level beneath l% also prevents infestation, which is another reason for woods quality degrading over time — as well as it warping.

You'll also desire to keep your humidity levels over xxx%, at least. Dip below that — especially during the wintertime — and you lot run the risk of having your frame dry. And that presents its own set of issues, such every bit brittleness, splintering, and, yeah, you guessed it — warping.

Essentially, caring for a wood frame is a practise of moderation; proceed your room right in the sweet spot of "not too dry, not too humid," and you lot shouldn't run into whatsoever of the above issues.

Bad weather was another event mentioned, but we don't recommend hanging forest frames outside. Ane rainstorm or dry day would be all that'southward needed to desperately warp the frame. Climate command is key for a natural woods frame.

Only maybe you didn't utilise these best practices from the start, and your frame is now bowing. Don't fret! We'll encompass a few solutions to this, starting with 1 that should work on all wood frames (including ours).

Quick Fix #one: Attach Paper To The Opposite Side.

If your wood frame is warped, and you're looking to prepare it, you lot tin ever adhere a slice of paper to the reverse side of the frame. This acts equally a vapor barrier and almost spine-like support to add rigidity to your frame.

All you'd demand is some newspaper (acid-complimentary would be best, equally acidic paper can pb to impairment to your frame and print over fourth dimension) and an adhesive to attach the sheet to the frame (like permanent double-sided scrapbooking tape).

Doing this will assistance go along the frame flat — creating a "spine" that supports it on all corners. With this applied, it will be very hard for a corner to bow in a management that you don't want it to. (A bonus is that this is a good way to keep dust out of the frame, too! )

Once the paper is on the back of the frame, you lot should effort to pull it in any given direction — gently, of course, and the newspaper should keep it in identify, and brand it much harder to motion.

Here at Frame It Easy, we use wall brackets for forest frames wider than thirty inches. They are placed on the summit role of the frame and have corresponding pieces to mountain onto the wall. They are meant to continue your frame flat, as wire tin can crusade bowing for larger forest frames.

Bowing Metallic Frames

Metal is less susceptible to outside forces — at least in terms of warping. You won't have to worry about moisture levels for this cloth, especially for aluminum frames, as they are meant to be low maintenance. Yet, larger metal frames can bow and warp.

The actual cause for a metal warped picture frame typically the cream bankroll absorbing wet. Near of the fourth dimension, it's simply sheer size without the proper back up — such equally uneven weight distribution throughout the frame.

The larger your frame, the more likely information technology will bow. How to counteract this, you lot inquire? Well, information technology shouldn't be too difficult.

Quick Fix: Back up Wire Helps With Metallic Frames

Metal Picture frame Euro Hangers with Hanging Wire

Information technology would take absurdly loftier temperatures — such as ane achieved with a blowtorch or other welding materials — to warp a metallic frame rail in the same fashion as a wooden 1. Most metal frames are aluminum, and they're ordinarily durable and take the shape dictated by their framer.

Considering of this, if y'all want to purchase a frame to display outside, metallic would exist your better pick. Don't expose wood to the natural elements though; it won't finish well, as we simply went over.

Metallic frames can still get a petty lopsided, merely there is an easy way to set up this result — only apply force in the contrary direction. You lot can do this by placing a back up wire on the back of the frame.

Ideally, the back up wire would be placed vertically and intersect with the wire used to hang your frame. The aforementioned type of wire tin can be used for either function, likewise. It's the placement of the cloth that matters, not what it's really made of.

There is one issue with vertical placement, though: It could interfere with the hook that's used to hang it. If yous bending the support wire slightly, however, it will accept the same result, just not compromise your power to, well, display your photos.

Here at Frame Information technology Like shooting fish in a barrel, nosotros include support wire for all metal frames with a "Width" larger than thirty″. For our products, support wire shouldn't be necessary for sizes smaller than this. If you lot want to attach a piece on your ain, just as a precautionary measure, you could still practice that.

Final Thoughts

If y'all could preclude frame warping before it came to laissez passer, that'd be ideal, right? It's always better to have care of an issue earlier it always arises. Check out these 3 pro tips for frame maintenance to keep your frame looking as skillful equally the mean solar day you lot got it. It is besides of import to note that we do not suggest hanging picture frames on cement or below-class walls because of the possibility of wet penetration.

Of grade, things notwithstanding happen and if you find yourself with a bowing or warped flick frame, just remember to follow these tricks to fix the issue:

Use the hanging hardware your framer provides you. Most likely, it's been tested and proven to withstand climate fluctuations. And it'south made to keep your frame apartment on the wall for years to come up.
If you notice bowing, endeavor putting paper on the behind of wooden frames.
Support wire ordinarily does the trick for metal frames.

If you accept ordered your frames from us, and are experiencing any issues, be sure to email yourfriends@frameiteasy with some photos of the issue, as we're happy to aid our customers — no thing how long ago they purchased their frame.

If you are in need of some other tips, feel gratis to achieve out to our back up squad. We'd be happy to assist you out!

This postal service first appeared as How To Treat A Bowing Or Warped Film Frame on Frame It Easy - Learning Center for Custom Picture Framing.