Blick Art Materials — Local services in Iowa City

This review is only for the custom framing service offered at Blick, and not for their store as a whole.

Based on my experience using the Blick custom framing service, I cannot in good faith recommend anyone having a custom framing job done there.

First off, the facts about this service:

You can expect to pay around $400.00 retail price for a framing job on a larger print (~26" X 40".) This is for the standard glass with a wood frame and a matte border. Expect to pay more for higher quality glass or frame. Both times I've had custom framing jobs there I've paid about $300 with a 30% off coupon.

The turnaround time was bout 2-3 weeks both times I used their service.

The reason I've used their custom framing service more than once is because the first print I had framed there turned out pretty well, until I had it hanging on my wall for about 2 years. The print came loose from the matte inside the frame, and started to sag. Note that the print was never handled roughly or dropped. It was only transported from Blick to my home.

I took the print in to get adjusted, and when they finally got to it after about 2 more weeks, I got a call from an employee who told me the frame was cracked and would need to be replaced. He also said that the wrong type of frame was used and was not strong enough to support the large amount of glass used. When I originally picked out the frame I had done so based on the advice from the person working at Blick! What gives?! They also said it would cost about $200 to get a different frame put in, after I had already spent over $300 and been advised to put the wrong type of frame on the print. I would be happy if they replaced the frame for free, but that would not do that.

Overall, it was a very unpleasant experience. I would strongly advise people to avoid the custom framing service at Blick, and will be passing the word along to...

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