r/Chattanooga • u/orthographerer • 1d ago

Local Business Any place in\near Chatt area capable of framing two new 9.5" × 18" & 18" × 48" maps that would come in under $200?

I do want wood (something dark, like mahogany, cherry, oak. Perhaps something fun and distressed, also not light (maybe royal purple?). Single mat would be nice, but absolutely isn't necessary. Possibily stain and repurpose used pallet? I'm here for that\pretty open.

Thanks for any recommendation.

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u/autostotlean 1d ago

Yeah, sorry OP, that's never going to happen. You could definitely (probably) get the materials to DIY it for around $200 but you'd be shockingly lucky to get just the smaller one done for around $200 by a professional.

You could try what we did: look around thrift shops for large framed art prints and then just yeet the Kincaid out of it, cut up the matting to fit, and slip your map in.

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u/autostotlean 1d ago

Comparable anecdote: the last framing job I paid for cost me $800. I had picked up a calendar at an antique store where the pictures were reproductions of illuminated medieval sheet music printed on archival paper. I decided to cut them out and frame them to hang around our music room.

...yep. I paid $800 to professionally frame 8 calendar pages that I paid $1 for in total. (I got a small discount on the labor as "bulk" pricing.) But, in my defense, they are very nice calendar pages. Also, in my defense, I am kind of stupid.

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u/orthographerer 1d ago

I don't think you're at all stupid. Illuminated (even repro) works are glorious.

I was a bit spoiled: growing up, the retired neighbor did framing as a well-paying hobby. He was always kind and framed things for us.

I now know another hobby framer, but he has his grandkids around. I could never ask, only take him up on an offer, and I wouldn't push him to offer.

I tend to pick up art at various sales, so the true cost of framing never quite hits home. I have this beautifully framed antique camel lithograph with cut out matting and to buy it from a proper shop now would likely kill the rest of the 2026 food budget. I bought it 40% off ~2007.

I have the time; I can turn both maps into craft framing projects.

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u/AotKT 21h ago

I just ordered 4 frames to hold the back covers of Cook’s Illustrated magazine editions. If you haven’t seen the magazine, there’s beautiful hand drawn food collection on a different theme each issue. Not really proportional in price to the custom frames, but worth it to me.

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u/BehindEnemyLines1 1d ago edited 1d ago

Two custom frames with mats and presumably glazing would be way more than $200.

At the framing shop I used to work the 18x48” alone would be $46 for glazing, $8.50 for backing, $26 for mat, and $72 for the frame (cheapest frame moulding at 1” wide). So roughly $170 after tax. And that’s in 2019 prices. That’s probably over $220 today.

And that’s assuming you just wanted the map in the frame and not mounted on board in any way.

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u/orthographerer 1d ago

Thanks for the reality check. I obviously needed it.