An original painting on canvas from the VanArtHub gallery at 1242 Davie Street in Vancouver.

Care & repair · Vancouver

Custom Mat Cutting

A mat cut to the exact size of your picture and your frame makes a ready-made frame fit. We cut single, double and multi-opening mats in acid-free board.

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10% off custom framing at our shop, 1242 Davie Street. Get your code

We cut mats to order at 1242 Davie Street, with a frame order or on their own. A mat is the border of card between a picture and its frame, with an opening that shows the picture. A mat cut to your picture and your frame is often the one part a frame you already own needs. It makes a ready-made frame fit a picture of another size, and it replaces a mat that has yellowed or whose opening was wrong from the start.

The two measurements

Every mat has an outside size and an opening.

  • The outside size matches the inside of your frame, which is the size of its glass.
  • The opening is cut smaller than the picture, so the mat overlaps the picture by a narrow strip on each side and holds its edges out of sight.

Bring the frame and the picture, and we measure both. If the picture has a signature, a title or a white margin that should show, tell us. The opening is then cut larger than the image, and the picture is hinged to a backing board behind it. Our guide to framing works on paper explains hinging.

Some pictures have a blank border that should stay in view. Fiery Echo, a coloured pencil drawing on artboard, 30 by 40 cm, shows a red macaw and a smaller yellow parrot on a branch with white board around them, so a mat opening would be cut wider than the birds.

Red macaw & yellow parrot on branch, Phaedra. Colored pencils on artboard.
Fiery Echo One-of-a-kind original$723.00 Free insured shipping. 14-day returns. See this original

The choices you will make

  • Board. We cut acid-free mat board, which is made so it does not turn acidic and stain the paper it touches. See acid-free mats and backing.
  • Colour. White and off-white suit most pictures. A colour taken from the picture can also work. Ask to see samples against your picture before the board is cut.
  • Border width. A wider border makes a small picture look larger on the wall. Our mat border width guide gives starting points, and the frame and mat size calculator does the arithmetic.
  • Single or double. A double mat is two mats, one under the other, with a thin line of the lower colour showing around the opening. See double mats and fillets.
  • Number of openings. Several photographs, or a certificate with a photograph, can share one mat. All the openings are cut from a single sheet, so the spacing between them is exact.
  • The cut edge. The edge of the opening is cut at a slant, called a bevel. It shows a thin line of the inside of the board around the picture.

What a mat does besides looking good

A mat holds the glazing, the sheet of glass or acrylic at the front of the frame, away from the picture. Without that space a photograph can stick to the glass, and damp that forms on the inside of the glass reaches the paper. The mat also gives the paper room to move as the air in the room changes.

Space under the glazing matters most for a drawing in pencil, which smudges when anything rubs it. Dance of Instincts is a graphite drawing on artboard from our gallery, 30 by 40 cm, of an octopus in a ballet skirt on a dancer's legs.

Maria's graphite drawing: octopus with ballerina legs & tutu dancing on white.
Dance of Instincts One-of-a-kind original$904.00 Free insured shipping. 14-day returns. See this original

Fitting it

You can take the mat home and fit it yourself. You can also leave the frame and the picture with us, and we fit the mat, hinge the picture and close the back. If the backing in your frame is brown cardboard, that visit is the time to change it for acid-free board. Our reframing service page describes a full refit.

What changes the cost

Three things set the cost: the size of the board, the number of openings, and whether the mat is single or double. A mat with many openings takes longer to plan and cut than a mat with one. We quote at the counter when we have seen the picture and the frame.

What to bring

Bring the frame and every picture that goes in it. If the frame is at home on the wall, bring the size of its glass, measured to the millimetre, and the picture itself. For a set of photographs, bring them in the order you want them.

Walk in at 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. Enter your email on this page for a 10% framing code to show at the shop, and see custom framing for everything else we frame.

How it works

  1. 1

    Bring it in, or send photographs

    Walk in to 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. If you are not in Vancouver, send the dimensions and a photograph and we will work from that.

  2. 2

    We look at the actual piece

    What it is made of, what condition it is in, and where it is going to hang all change the answer. You get a straight recommendation and a price for your piece, not a rate card.

  3. 3

    It is made by hand and fitted

    Cut to the piece, using conservation materials, and finished with hanging hardware rated for the actual weight.

Common questions

Can I order a custom mat without buying a frame?

Yes, you can order a custom mat without buying a frame. We cut the mat to the inside size of the frame you own and to the picture that goes in it. You can fit it at home, or leave the frame with us to have the mat fitted and the back closed. Bring the frame and the picture to 1242 Davie Street.

What measurements are needed to cut a custom mat?

Two measurements are needed to cut a custom mat: the inside size of the frame, which matches the size of its glass, and the size of the picture. The opening is cut smaller than the picture so the mat holds its edges. Bringing the frame and the picture is the surest way, because we measure both to the millimetre.

How much should a mat overlap the picture?

A mat should overlap the picture by a narrow strip on each side, enough to hold the edges of the paper behind the opening. If the picture has a signature or a title close to its edge, the overlap is reduced on that side, or the opening is cut larger than the image so the full sheet shows. Point out anything near the edge that must stay visible.

Can one mat hold several photographs?

Yes, one mat can hold several photographs, each in its own opening. All the openings are cut from a single sheet, so the gaps between them are exact and the rows line up. Bring the photographs in the order you want them, along with the frame if you already have one. The layout is planned before the board is cut.

Why has the cut edge of my old mat turned brown?

The cut edge of an old mat turns brown when the inside of the board is acidic. The surface paper hides it, and the slanted edge of the opening shows it. The same acid can leave a brown line on the picture where the mat touched it. An acid-free mat in the same size replaces the old one and stops the frame from adding more.

Can a custom mat make a store-bought frame fit my picture?

Yes, a custom mat makes a store-bought frame fit a picture of another size. Choose a ready-made frame larger than the picture, and the mat fills the space between the two, with its opening cut to the picture. This is a common way to frame a print in an unusual size. Bring the frame and the print together.

Can a new mat be cut to match the mat in another frame?

A new mat can be cut to match the border widths, the opening and the cut edge of a mat in another frame. Colour is harder to match. Board colours differ between makers, and an old mat has changed colour with age, so a new white beside an old white can look different. Bring the other frame, and consider new mats for both.

Other things we frame

Where to find us

VanArtHub Gallery 1242 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 1N3
Canada
Monday10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Wednesday10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Thursday10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Get directions Call (604) 401-9499

In-shop offer · 1242 Davie Street, Vancouver

10% off your custom framing when you show this code at our shop

We frame, stretch canvas and reframe by hand, in our own workshop inside the gallery at 1242 Davie Street. Enter your email and your code appears right here. Show it at the counter and we take 10% off the job. The code does not expire.

How the offer works

Your code appears on this page as soon as you send the form.

Not sure what yours needs?

Send the measurements, what it is made of, and a photograph. We will tell you what it actually needs, including when the answer is that it needs less than you expected.

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