Carol Duvall, host of HGTV's The Carol Duvall Show, shares her insights about matting and framing artwork:
Starting with a turquoise mat, add 1/2" foam board on top and finish with a white mat on top of the foam board.
Here the image is cut, each section is mounted on 1/4" foam board, and individual mats are cut around each section.
So many artisans, painters and seamstresses have their work matted and framed and spend many dollars to do it.
I sat alone with a mat cutter and a book., The Complete Guide to Basic Mat Cutting , and couldn't believe how easy it was to learn and make...and what a difference the right mat could make in the appearance of a single photograph or greeting card. I only stopped cutting when I ran out of cutting mats.
However, the main point of all this is not to show you how you could cut a rug, but to show you how you could do it yourself, without having a math or engineering degree, and how you could save money in the process. . Costs can really escalate when you want to have more than one opening cut on a mat, such as when you want to include multiple photos. All arguments aside, the best reason to cut yours is because it's fun to do.
Another reason to do your own rug cutting is that, for the first time, a truly professional cutter is available for less than $100. The LoganB. The cutter I used is listed at $79. (Note:The cost of this product has increased to $109.95 since this segment first aired.)
It can be a bit difficult to know what color and size of mat to use, as well as what size opening to cut.
Fortunately, the book I mentioned has a lot of information and guidelines to help you make such decisions. And what an interesting image can be produced by simply matting and framing something as basic as a greeting card or rubber stamp image. Yeah, forget the saving money part. This is a new craft to enjoy.
When I checked with various craft and art supply stores across the country, I discovered a wide range of prices on board. The price of a 32" piece for 40" ranged from $4.50 to $12, sometimes even in the same store! It depends on the finish as well as the color and whether it is acid free. The folks at De Young's art store in Traverse City, Michigan said they could order a 40" by 60" piece of cardboard for $15, but they were the only store that did.
