Many times, we find the perfect picture to put on the wall and cherish forever. However, not paying enough attention to the framing glass can cause it to fade and degrade within a few months.
To extend their lifespan and keep them bright, you will need effective framing glass with UV protection.
That is why we are here to see which one between conservation glass vs. museum glass turns out to be the better choice for framing.
What Is Conservation Glass?
Conservation glass is one of the many varieties of glass used for framing photos. This is flat glass or Plexi, which can present art objects or artworks through a transparent medium while also protecting them from dust particles.
It can be of two types – Conservation Clear and Conservation Reflection Control. The latter comes with more conveniences than the former.
Advantages Of Conservation Glass
Highest Level Of UV Protection
If you are constantly worried about damage from the UV rays on your precious art pieces, you can opt for conservation glass since it can provide the highest level of UV protection in the industry right now. No other framing glass variety can ensure blocking 99% of the UV rays coming to the photos or objects inside.
Being in contact with such rays can result in the deterioration of your precious pieces. So preserving them inside a conservation glass frame or container can extend its lifespan and keep it brighter for longer.
Does Not Degrade Or Delaminate Over Time
Along with not fading over time, this glass also prevents the stored piece from delaminating with time. It comes equipped with a coating that blocks UV rays and this layer becomes permanently bonded by being baked into the glass substrate. As a result, you can show off the intricacies or memories captured inside for ages!
Ideal For Framing Posters
For the cinephiles who love seeing their favorite celluloid characters in front of them all the time, or for the musicophiles who want to remember their favorite artists every day, the conservation glass is a great option. It is ideal for framing posters that you want to have for a long time without losing their shine.
Disadvantages Of Conservation Glass
Reflection
Not all varieties of conservation glass ensure freedom from reflection for the conserved object. While there is a style called Conservation Reflection Control, the regular conservation glass cannot provide a matte finish to minimize glare for your eyes. So you can use it for the framings which will not be affected by reflections.
What is Museum Glass?
Museum glass is a specialized picture framing glass meant specifically to ensure no reflection is generated from its surface. Such glass consists of a 2.5 mm substrate and meets the ISO guidelines by providing a minimum of 97% protection from UV rays both indoors and outdoors.
Advantages of Museum Glass
UV Protection
Similar to the conservation glass, the museum glass also prevents up to 99% of the harmful ultraviolet rays. As a result, it can preserve your valued articles inside for a long time without causing any degradation. The inorganic silica-based UV coating permanently baked into its layered structure makes this possible.
Anti-Reflection
Known to be the perfect anti-reflection material for framing artistic figures or carefully curated photographs, the museum glass manages to showcase those captivating objects inside a transparent container without reflecting much light.
It reduces reflection by more than 85% and thus causes less than 1% of light reflection. This is the lowest reflection rating possible for glass materials which also provide UV protection.
Enhanced Brightness And Contrast
Museum glass can attain more than 97% light transmission through an optical coating, which ensures optimal clarity of colors and the highest color neutrality.
Because of these features, the material can enhance the levels of brightness and contrast for the item stored inside. As a result, it becomes more vibrant and stays that way for a long time.
Disadvantages of Museum Glass
Expensive
Such durable preservation of artistic pieces and enhancing their appearance without affecting quality come at a certain price. That cost might be too much for some customers especially when compared to other glass varieties used for framing pictures or objects.
Difference Between Conservation Glass vs. Museum Glass
Applications
You can use either conservation glass or museum glass to frame your photos, posters, art pieces or other valuable items.
However, the museum glass is primarily meant for protecting artwork, certificates and deep framing projects. The conservation glass on the other hand is ideal for framing posters, photographs and other artwork based on inks or papers.
UV Protection
With time, exposure to ultraviolet rays lowers the quality and vibrance of photos or artworks stored inside. While both the glass varieties offer a very high level of protection against such harmful UV rays, the conservation wins this round since it is capable of providing the highest UV protection in the industry.
Reflection
Reflection from the framing glass can cause glare while viewing and make the experience less amusing.
To combat this issue, museum glass and the conservation reflection control glass come with a coating that scatters the light to minimize such glare. However, the clear conservation glass doesn’t have such convenience.
Strength
Both museum glass and conservation glass come with a premium thickness of 2.5 mm for higher strength and rigidity. They are not like your typical glass that shatters due to minimal force exerted accidentally. Since their main purpose is to keep your treasured items safe, they are both constructed to be robust.
Cost
While framing glass definitely comes at a higher price point than usual glass, there is a slight difference between the costs of conservation glass and museum glass. The latter is a little more expensive than the former since it provides better protection against reflection.
Bottom Line – Which One is For You?
Finding proper framing glass to showcase your favorite artworks and most treasurable is a significant decision. Doing so will decide if it will last for years or months.
Comparing museum glass vs conservation glass, the first one is better if you have a limited budget and wouldn’t mind some reflection. The other one might come at a higher price but it also provides higher protection against reflection.
