Hobby Lobby Expands Store Footprint: What New Locations Mean for Framing Services
The fundamental tension in big-box custom framing centers on art preservation standards. Budget framing operations historically cut corners using standard float glass and buffered wood-pulp matting that releases lignin over time, causing yellowing and irreversible paper burns. Hobby Lobby’s standard spec sheets tell a more nuanced story.
The custom framing counter offers three primary tiers of glazing, dominated by Tru Vue products: standard clear glass, Conservation Clear glass, and Museum Glass. Conservation Clear blocks 99% of harmful ultraviolet rays without optical coatings, preventing dye fading under indirect sunlight. Museum Glass adds anti-reflective magnetron-sputtered coatings, lowering reflection to less than 1% while maintaining identical UV blockage. Acrylic alternatives are also stocked for oversized frames exceeding 40x60 inches where glass weight risks structural bowing.
Mat boards follow a similar bifurcation. Customers can select decorative paper mats or upgrade to conservation-grade, 100% acid-free matting made of purified alpha-cellulose or solid cotton rag. For basic posters, paper mats suffice. For signed fine-art prints, limited-edition photography, and historic documents, technicians are trained to specify acid-free barriers, non-invasive mounting corners, and acid-free backing foam boards rather than heat-activated adhesive dry mounting.
