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

Care & repair · Vancouver

Picture Frame Glass Replacement

A frame with broken or scratched glass can keep everything else. We cut a new sheet of glass or acrylic to fit it, and you can change to UV or anti-reflective glazing at the same visit.

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We replace the glazing in frames you already own, at 1242 Davie Street. Glazing means the sheet of glass or acrylic at the front of a frame. When it breaks, scratches or turns out to be the wrong kind, the frame, the mat and the picture can all stay. We cut a new sheet to fit and close the frame again.

Reasons to change the glazing

  • It is broken or cracked. This is the most common reason. A crack also lets dust and damp into the frame.
  • It is scratched or cloudy. Older acrylic sheets pick up scratches and can turn dull.
  • The picture is fading. Plain glass is made without a filter for ultraviolet light, the part of daylight that fades paper and ink. UV glazing has one.
  • Reflections hide the picture. Anti-reflective glass reduces them.
  • Weight or safety. Acrylic weighs less than glass and does not shatter. People change to it before a move, for a child's room or for a frame above a bed. See acrylic vs glass.
  • The glass touches the picture. A photograph or print pressed against glass can stick to it over time. Spacers (thin strips hidden under the lip of the frame) or a mat hold the new sheet clear of the surface.

Plain glass lets through the light that fades colour on paper and board. Surrender to Silence, a coloured pencil drawing on artboard of a face with closed eyes under a raised arm, 30 by 40 cm, is a piece that UV glazing is made for.

Pale figure, serene contemplation. Phaedra, colored pencils on artboard.
Surrender to Silence One-of-a-kind original$723.00 Free insured shipping. 14-day returns. See this original

If the glass has just broken

Leave the broken pieces where they are. Pulling them out drags sharp edges across the picture. Lay the frame flat with the glass side up, tape a sheet of cardboard over the front so the pieces cannot move, and wrap the frame in a towel or a blanket. Bring it to us like that. We take the pieces out at the workbench, where the picture can be covered as each piece is lifted.

How the new sheet is fitted

The sheet sits in the rebate, the step on the inside of the frame that holds the glazing, the mat and the backing. We measure the rebate of your frame and cut the sheet to it. Frames are seldom the exact size written on them, and old frames are often out of square, so the measurement comes from the frame itself. If you change from glass to acrylic, the rebate has to be deep enough for the new sheet, and we check that first.

While the frame is open

Opening a frame shows what is behind the picture. Brown cardboard at the back is acidic and stains paper over the years. The same visit is a good time to change it for acid-free board, to replace a yellowed mat, or to fit new hanging wire. Our reframing service page covers a full refit, and frame repair covers a corner that opened or a moulding that chipped in the same fall.

If the picture has stuck to the old glass, leave it stuck and bring it as it is, because pulling tears the surface. We look at it with you and say what the options are.

What sits behind a drawing matters as much as the sheet in front of it. Majestic Gaze is a coloured pencil drawing on artboard from our gallery, 30 by 40 cm, of a grey and white bird of prey on a rock, and acid-free board is the backing a drawing needs.

Phaedra's colored pencil falcon in black, white, and yellow gazes right, perched on a dark form.
Majestic Gaze One-of-a-kind original$723.00 Free insured shipping. 14-day returns. See this original

What changes the cost

Two things set the cost: the size of the sheet and the type of glazing. Plain glass costs the least, and UV, anti-reflective and acrylic sheets each cost more. Changing the backing or the mat at the same visit adds material. We quote at the counter when we have seen the frame.

What to bring

Bring the whole frame with the picture in it. A written measurement leaves out the depth of the rebate and whether the frame is square. If you need the frame back for a date, ask about rush framing. To ask a question first, call (604) 401-9499.

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 you replace only the glass in a picture frame I already own?

Yes, we replace only the glass in a picture frame you already own. The frame, the mat and the picture stay as they are. We measure the inside of the frame, cut a new sheet of glass or acrylic to fit, and close the back again. Bring the whole frame to 1242 Davie Street with the picture still in it.

What should I do when the glass in a picture frame breaks?

When the glass in a picture frame breaks, leave the pieces in the frame and keep the frame flat with the glass side up. Tape a sheet of cardboard over the front so the pieces cannot move, wrap the frame in a towel, and bring it in. Pulling the pieces out at home drags sharp edges across the picture.

Can broken glass damage the picture inside the frame?

Yes, broken glass can damage the picture inside the frame, because the broken edges are sharp enough to scratch paper, photographs and paint. Most of the damage happens when the frame is shaken, carried upright or opened at home. Keep the frame flat and still, cover the front with cardboard, and let the pieces be lifted out one at a time at a workbench.

Is it worth changing to UV glass when the glass is being replaced?

Changing to UV glass is worth it when the frame holds something that fades and cannot be replaced, such as a photograph, a watercolour, a signature or a certificate. The frame is already open and a new sheet is already being cut, so the added cost is the difference between the two types of glass. For a poster you can buy again, plain glass is a fair choice.

Can the glass be replaced in an old or antique frame?

Yes, the glass in an old or antique frame can be replaced. Old frames are often out of square, so the new sheet is cut to the frame as measured, and the frame is handled with care at its joints. If a corner has opened or a piece of the moulding has broken off, that is a frame repair, which we also do.

Can scratched acrylic in a frame be replaced?

Yes, scratched acrylic in a frame is replaced with a new sheet, the same way as broken glass. Deep scratches in acrylic cannot be wiped away, so a new sheet is the fix. Clean new acrylic with a soft cloth and never with a paper towel, because paper scratches it. If scratches keep coming back, glass is an option for a small frame.

Why should I bring the whole frame instead of its measurements?

Bring the whole frame because a written measurement leaves out two things the new sheet depends on. The first is the depth of the rebate, the step inside the frame that holds the glazing. The second is whether the frame is square. A sheet cut to written numbers can turn out too tight or too loose, and a sheet cut to the frame fits.

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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