Our workshop

Our workshop

Our workshop is located on the same premises as our store where there's a very large range of frames, passe-partouts, in all styles and colours.

90% of all work is craftfully executed by us on our premises. We strive to deliver ‘quality’ hand finished frames so that your valueable work of art will cast its true value after we applied our professional approach!

If you were to be in doubt as to how the final product will look like, we'll explain you step by step how we will proceed.

Taking into account that the frames are custom made we do ask you to respect our delivery times, subject to 'The law of Murphy’, as each frame and the materials being applied are subject to availability, artisic constaints and craftmanship.

  • Craftmanship - Hand Finished Frames

    The difference between a cheap industrial frame and a picture frame being made by a craftsman is the professional care and technique being applied.

    To create a perfect picture frame there are many things which have to be taken into consideration such as materials, colours, shapes, ... We frame everything from oil paintings, watercolours, pastels, photographs, prints, sports’ memorabilia, books, certificates, children’s art, tapestries, wedding dresses etc.

    Hereunder you'll find some stages which are applied:

  • What is a mat board or mount?

    The matboard is the colored material which is placed between the artwork and the glass so that your work of art doesn't come into contact with the glass. The right color mat board takes your framed art or photos to the next level for a beautiful, gallery-worthy look.

    In a vast majority of framing projects, a single mat works quite well. Framers sometimes like to layer different colored mats to create a visual border. This is done by placing one mat over the other, the bottom one being slightly larger than the top one in order to create a small border.

    Mats are available in numerous shades of every color in the rainbow, including gold, silver, white and black. The best color is the one that looks good to you.

    All our mats are acid free which means that they wont damage your work of art over time.

  • All our mounts are acid-free

    All our acid-free mounts (or matboards) are cut to size, with an optional range of embellishments such as v-grooves, corner cut outs, engraving, decoration, pigmentation, ..

    You get the widest range of colours and surfaces in the industry and all acid-free mounts (or matboards) are 100% bleed and fade resistant, whichever colour you select.

    In addition, you get the widest range of rag boards, jumbo boards and extra thick boards, all with the same added value professional craftmanship from Atelier Rubens.

  • What type of glass should I choose?

    Glass should have a thickness of at least 2mm. We offer 3 different types of glass – standard clear glass, conservation glass (uv protection) and museum glass (uv protection, non-reflective).

    Conservation glass protects your artwork against harmful uv rays. Over time exposure to indoor and outdoor UV light rays can contribute to fading and deterioration of art, photographs and other important personal keepsakes. Conservation glass effectively blocks up to 99% of UV light rays to protect against fading and help keep framed pieces brighter, longer.

    Museum glass or anti-reflection picture framing glass with Conservation Grade UV Protection is the best glazing option available for art, photographs and other important personal keepsakes. Along with its nearly invisible finish, it effectively blocks up to 99% of harmful indoor and outdoor UV light rays so framed pieces remain clearer and brighter for longer.

  • The backside of the frame

    What is a Mounting Board?


    Once you have selected the mount (or matting), the decisions become much more straightforward. The Mounting board, is the back of the frame and it is what the artwork is attached to. Sometimes cardboard is used as a mounting board, but many framers recommend against this because cardboard is very acidic and will quickly yellow the artwork. Our high-quality mounting boards are made of plywood or MDF.

    They are cut to precision and are sealed off to protect your work against dust, humidity and insects.

  • The Frame - wood or metal?

    The best quality frames are made of either metal or wood. Wooden frames usually have a warmer, more inviting and traditional look. This is desirable for certain pieces of artwork such as a painting, a rich color photograph or a heirloom piece.

    In contrast, metal frames, with their straight edges and sharp corners, tend to portray a bolder and more contemporary, even industrial look. Metal frames are commonly used for black and white photography and other modern media.

    In most framing projects, the very first question you will ask yourself is whether you are looking for a metal or a wood frame. To accommodate this decision, we have organized our products into two broad categories, namely classical or modern frames.