Why does picture framing cost so much?

The simple answer is that Picture Framing is a business - and one in which expertise, access to materials and often specialized equipment becomes part of the price.

In today's world where anything can be bought at a discount - value is often overlooked.  And value is not something that is equal in every one's eyes.  For example;  if you are a good mechanic and can repair your car yourself - you see little value in taking it to a repair shop and paying hundreds of dollars to change  a water pump.

Yet for many of us - the repair shop offers excellent value - after all, I get my car back on the road and even with a bit of knowledge it would have taken me unknown hours and much frustration to do that job.

As such the value offered by professional picture framers is no different and can be critical when choosing materials that are matched to the conservation requirements of your precious artwork.

However, there are ways to also be wise and save money and education is available on line to provide you with ways to do many things yourself - or at least be educated about the various available materials and their conservation properties and values.

If you are doing major repairs - you do research.  You should do the same with spending hundreds of dollars on framing.  Good companies on or off line will be willing to take the time to explain your options to you and help you match the materials to use with what you are framing.  Too often I see people spend way to much on something that they have no intention of keeping for any great length of time because they were talked into expensive conservation materials.

To be fair - I have also seen people ill-advised to put cheap products that will not last on valuable pieces and family heirlooms when a little advise may have provided them with better insight to the affects of time on those choices.

Picture framing is an investment that you can enjoy so it is important to understand a bit about what is involved.  For more info I suggest that you search the web for "Understanding professional picture framing" or simply Matting and Framing.  You will find many sites with good information on types of materials, quality and durability.