Use acid-free materials when framing a mulberry bark paper painting.
Mulberry bark paper is made from the bark of the Saa tree, which is indigenous to Thailand. Mulberry bark peels easily off this tree, which grows in Thailand's mountainous northern region. The remarkable thing about the mulberry, or Saa, tree is that it is able to provide a continual source of paper without being cut down. As the bark grows back, more paper can be made from it. Sunlight and dyes are used to produce mulberry bark paper that comes in many different shapes and colors. Each piece of paper is as unique as the bark fibers that formed it. It makes a great paper for painting and making cards.
Instructions
1. Create your own corner pockets for your mulberry paper print by cutting four 1 inch squares out of acid-free archival paper. Fold squares in half diagonally so they form triangles. Slide each corner of your print into the center of the triangle. With the picture corner inserted, fold the triangle in half again, from the outside in, so it creates a small pocket for the corner of the picture to sit within. Use the triangles to mount your mulberry paper print onto an acid-free mat which you can then frame.
2. Choose an acid-free mat that is larger than your print by 2 inches or more larger on every side. Secure each triangle to the mat using one piece of acid-free tape for each triangle.
3. Place the matted print against a pane of glass inside of a wood or metal frame and close off the back of the frame.
Tips Warnings
You may also choose to dry mount a mulberry painting onto a silicone adhesive paper backing. Cut a piece of silicone paper that is exactly the same size as your print. Spray the back of your print with water to dampen it. Warm an iron to 180 degrees. Lay the silicone paper on the back of the print and run the iron over the paper moving from the center outwards in x motions so that you avoid creating bubbles in the paper. Remove the iron and remove the backing on the silicone paper. Attach the adhesive side to your frame backing. Be careful to follow all manufacturer directions on the silicone adhesive paper.
