The Framers Forum

A local artist has asked me to frame a oil on 5mm ply it is fairly large at 2M x 1.75M
It hasn’t been decided yet if it’s going to be conventionally framed or a tray frame but the concern either way is warping so any advice please.
Apparently it is perfectly flat at the moment and is going to be varnished front and back, it is to be hung in a coastal location in a modern apartment.
I have not yet seen it or has indeed the people that commissioned it and the artist would like to debut it my shop where they will choose the moulding.
The artist is not sure of the quality of the ply but it came from B&Q for £20 so not Maine grade

Why do artists never think things through?

You could just frame it as-is and wait and see. If it warps it can be flattened (possibly) but maybe better to take measures
to keep it flat. The best way IMHO is to make a frame from some square softwood with cross-braces and glue it down.

* Pine cladding makes it easy to do half-lap joints if you laminate it. Makes a very stable frame.

Hi Paul, I hope things are going well in your new shop

Glad to read it's being varnished both sides, that will help. I would definitely go the sub-frame route as prospero suggests and because of it's size, I would add extra strength to the corners.

Peter.

You don't skimp on screws,Peter! I do like your trick to avoid cutting all those half-laps.

I have never framed a painting on 5mm ply anywhere near that size, but I'm not convinced that a piece of cheap B &Q 5mm ply is going to remain stable in the long term. Supporting it from behind with a support framework, does not mean that it won't bow outwards away from that framework. Maybe I don't think like everyone else, but I would not be offering to frame it.

I would not want the responsibility to put things right if anything goes wrong at a later date. Not for me, thanks!

I would add that I would glue it to the subframe along the bars which would make it an integral part of the painting.

The artist should have done that first.

The subframes are easy to make. Square-cut the lengths - not rocket science. Then assemble 'dry' with one screw per corner.
Square it up by measuring diagonally. Then remove one corner screw in turn and slap plenty of glue on. Re-screw and add screws.
Then it's just a question of gluing/screwing crossbars and filling in the second layers.

I find 8mm pine cladding with the tongue side ripped off makes the most economical construction. 12mm if you want more beef.

One thing occurred to me about the dimensions of the ply, if it's from b&q I wouldn't have thought they do anything larger than 2.4 x 1.2m so is the painting on more than one piece?

I have got the size wrong I think it probably should be 2000mm x 750mm