From animal containment to temporary fences and erosion control, hardware cloth has many valuable uses for DIY and professional projects alike. Discover the best wire gauge for your projects, and explore the different types and many uses of wire mesh for your needs.
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Whether it&#;s around the home, in the garden or beyond, hardware cloth can be quite useful. Also called wire mesh, hardware cloth is easy-to-install and can be the answer to many home maintenance projects. Often designed of woven or welded wires in grids, wire mesh screen is typically made from durable, high quality steel to stand up to a number of jobs.
Wire gauge determine the thickness of wire in hardware cloth. Generally speaking, the lower a gauge is, the thicker the wire will be. Wil you need thicker or thinner wire for your projects? Thicker wire is stronger and more durable than thinner wire, but can also prove more difficult to work with as you prepare it for your specific projects. Unsure what you may need for your project? Stop by your local ace hardware store where our helpful staff will advise you.
Mesh wire comes in a variety of designs offering lots of versatility for different projects around the home. Before you make any purchases, it&#;s important to understand the different types of hardware cloth, including galvanized, vinyl-coated, and twisted or welded metal mesh.
Additionally, the mesh wire you choose may be twisted or welded. Welded wire mesh screen is what you typically see in gardens to help keep out pests or protect plants, and also can be fitted on house vents to allow circulation while ensuring no debris enters. Welded wire is very durable, as the wire grid is welded together at each cross-section. Woven mesh wires are interwoven and more flexible than welded mesh wires. Woven wire is often used for fences for livestock, and tends to be more affordable than welded mesh wires.
From the material that goes into making it to the specific intricate design, your hardware cloth has many uses. Set up an animal containment fence to keep livestock in or predators large and small out, or use it to complete home maintenance and craft projects like wall repair and window screens. For gardeners, screen cloth is great for plant support and erosion control, and can also be used to help with compost containment.
By Dorie Chevlen
Dorie Chevlen is a writer covering home design. Her subjects have included scented candles, makeup mirrors, and&#;her favorite&#;popcorn makers.
An online framing service can transform a neglected iPhone photo into a beautiful work of art to hang on your wall.
Now, these services may not replace the attention to detail you get from a local framing shop. And using an online framing service for a photo will cost more than just buying a frame off the rack. But if you want an all-in-one service that produces something easily and quickly, a good online framing service is your best bet for transforming your blank walls.
After years of testing and researching 13 services and then ordering new framed photos from eight, we think Framebridge and Level Frames are the best online framing services.
That said, literally every online framing service I tested delivered a framed photo that I&#;d be glad to hang on my walls.
Framebridge makes sturdy, beautiful frames in a variety of styles, and its website is easy to navigate. But this service has fewer premium customization options than other online framers.
Level Frames has an easy-to-use website, and it offers premium UV-glazing options for delicate artwork or photos hung in sunny rooms. However, it lacks our top pick&#;s frame variety of frame styles.
We preferred online framing websites that had an easy-to-navigate interface and user-friendly features.
We inspected frames and photo prints to make sure they were well made and looked professional.
We looked for places that offered a variety of frame styles, mat variations, and other customizations.
Framing isn&#;t cheap, so we looked for services with good customer support and considerate warranties or return policies, in case anything goes wrong.
Framebridge makes sturdy, beautiful frames in a variety of styles, and its website is easy to navigate. But this service has fewer premium customization options than other online framers.
Framebridge first became our top pick in , and it readily earned its place again when I retested it in .
The site is easy to use and has many customizations, so you can get a frame that feels right for your home. (Still, it doesn&#;t have quite as many customizations as other online framers.) And the very reasonable price is paired with a generous &#;happiness guarantee,&#; which Framebridge actually makes good on.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTLevel Frames has an easy-to-use website, and it offers premium UV-glazing options for delicate artwork or photos hung in sunny rooms. However, it lacks our top pick&#;s frame variety of frame styles.
The Level Frames site is easy to navigate, and it and offers more customization options than Framebridge, but not so many that you feel overwhelmed.
It also offers a few details that other services lack, like additional UV protection (for a fee).
However, it doesn&#;t have quite the same level of responsiveness from customer service, and we haven&#;t had as much experience with this service over time.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTI&#;m a staff writer on Wirecutter&#;s home design team, and I focus most of my working hours on ways to make your home beautiful and functional. I&#;ve covered everything from scented candles to small-bedroom storage to makeup mirrors.
For this guide:
An online framing service falls somewhere between buying a ready-made frame that you put your own photo in and going to an in-person framing shop to have everything done for you.
This service is ideal for people who are short on time. Instead of schlepping to a framer for a consultation, dropping off a photo (or artwork), and returning later to pick it up, with a photo service, all you have to do is tap on your or laptop for a few minutes.
Online framing is also a good option for digital images you haven&#;t yet printed.
But you probably shouldn&#;t use an online framing service for valuable art or heirlooms, said Gina Canter, a professional framer and owner of Allan Jeffries Framing in Los Angeles. For one thing, mailing your art to an online framing service puts it at risk of being lost or damaged en route. In addition, even though the online framers we recommend use acid-free paper and backing, when we dissected some of the frames, we found some did not use acid-free tape; this is not a big deal for photos you have digital copies of, but it&#;s something that could cause staining or fading over many years.
Online framing is convenient, however, and a service often provides several customization options and some personalized assistance.
And using an online framing service is usually less expensive than going to a local frame shop. But you do lose out on the expertise and personal touch that an in-person professional can offer while handling your art.
For example, Canter (who, granted, runs a local framing store and has a clearly vested interest in arguing for the benefits of in-person handling) said a pro framer can recommend different glazing (the &#;glass&#; part of a frame), based on whether you&#;re framing a pastel, a watercolor, or a signed poster. And all of those materials respond differently to light, humidity, and even static electricity. Most of the online services I researched don&#;t offer this variety of glazing options, and even with those that do, the task of identifying which one you need still falls on your shoulders.
The majority of the online frames I received looked professional and felt sturdy, but the materials often aren&#;t as high-quality as those of a custom frame. And only a few of the online services I tried offered glazing for more-comprehensive sun protection.
Online services usually offer less customization&#;fewer frame styles, dimension options, and mat colors&#;so if you have a specific look in mind or an unusually sized piece, you may want to go to an in-person professional.
And if you don&#;t have a specific look in mind, a framer can help you figure out an aesthetic particular to your space and style better than a website can. Some online retailers, like Framebridge, have started offering customized online design services and in-person shopping, but we haven&#;t tried those yet.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTI mainly focused on full-service companies that printed and framed photos (you digitally upload the files or mail them in), and I skipped those that ship empty frames for self-assembly.
I used the following criteria to determine the best overall service:
I tested eight services, selecting approximately the same option each time: a slim, black wooden gallery frame with a 1.5-inch white mat around an 8-by-10-inch print of a Wirecutter editor&#;s cute pup, Mia.
Each service had different customization options, including mat width and color, glaze upgrades (UV blocking or antiglare), backing type, and hanging style (sawtooth or wire). By keeping our orders as simple as possible&#;making no adjustments to the recommended options&#;I was able to see how tasteful the default styles looked.
Every service delivered a well-wrapped frame (none of them were damaged on arrival), and all were decent digital prints.
To check frame quality, I looked to see whether anything was chipped, the corner seams were especially visible, the image was lying flat against the mat, or the plexiglass was scratched. Finally, I examined the back to see whether the mounting hardware was placed correctly.
To my surprise, every single framing company that I tested delivered a product I&#;d be happy to hang&#;within the promised timeline of six to 10 days.
Some had very minor flaws (Frameology had slight gapping between the print and the mat; Simply Framed was colored a bit off in tone compared with other photos). But these were noticeable only because I was able to compare them side by side.
Are you interested in learning more about interior framing metal mesh? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
Any online framing service I tested would likely make a good choice.
Framebridge makes sturdy, beautiful frames in a variety of styles, and its website is easy to navigate. But this service has fewer premium customization options than other online framers.
Since we first recommended this service, in , we remain confident that Framebridge will send you a beautiful frame&#;on time&#;and will make things right if it fails.
Framebridge has a vast catalog of frame styles to pick from. From its classic wood and metal frames to colorful lacquered models and standing frames, Framebridge was among the services offering the most styles and variety while still being easy to navigate. It currently offers around 30 to 40 different frame styles (90 if you count the color variations), 22 classic mat colors, and a variety of other unique mat or mounting options, like clear float and accent mats. Given all of these options, we think most people will be able to find something that matches their home decor.
Framebridge has proved to be trustworthy over the years. Since Framebridge first became our top pick, in , several Wirecutter journalists have used it to frame their own photos, as well as to send framed photos to loved ones as gifts.
Everyone reported a positive ordering experience, with on-time delivery (and no mishaps) of their desired photos.
It&#;s customizable yet not confusing. Thanks to straightforward language and great website design, Framebridge&#;s interface is easy to navigate, even for those who aren&#;t tech-savvy (like me). All too often, online framing websites have clunky embedded menus or overly designed framing tools, which make them hard to use. But with Framebridge&#;s website, it&#;s easy to see everything it offers so you can start framing.
It gives clear guidance on both the size of your print and the size of your frame, so you&#;re certain of exactly what you&#;re ordering. You can select from among several mat colors or mounting styles. And you can pay extra for details like a brass plate or a thick, eight-ply mat, but even these options are limited, so the selection process remains simple.
It&#;s easy to visualize your frame in context. Framebridge places your print in a virtual room so you can see how it will look in real life, which is helpful for visual learners. And if you choose Framebridge&#;s gallery-wall-planning function, you can upload over a dozen images at once into its layout tool, to see how they&#;ll look all together.
Framebridge has genuinely great customer service. When I used the site&#;s chat function, within seconds I was greeted by either a real person or a very convincing AI, giving me clear answers to my questions.
Likewise, using the text-support function, I received prompt, humanlike help.
This service answers its emails in under 24 hours and takes calls Monday through Friday. When I called, I had a wait time of under 3 minutes before being connected with a real (and friendly) human, who was knowledgeable and helpful in answering my questions. Framebridge also has 28 stores scattered around the country, if you want to visit in person.
Framebridge&#;s &#;100% happiness guarantee&#; covers one year of design dissatisfaction. You may not need it: In my experience, the website is straightforward enough that it&#;s hard to mess up what you want, and it produces a high-quality product.
Only one Wirecutter staffer has had an issue with Framebridge, and the company resolved it readily: Her ornament photos had faded over two years; after she reported this complaint via , Framebridge mailed her a replacement along with an apology.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTLevel Frames has an easy-to-use website, and it offers premium UV-glazing options for delicate artwork or photos hung in sunny rooms. However, it lacks our top pick&#;s frame variety of frame styles.
Level Frames has plenty of customizations and add-ons to make your perfect frame, and it offers no-nonsense explanations, so you can decide what that frame should be.
It explains its customization options. Level Frames offers some additional customizations, like acrylic glaze with higher UV protection. This could have made ordering confusing, but instead the company offers helpful definitions for terms that lay people may not be familiar with.
For example, while selecting between its two paper-type options, if you use your mouse to hover over the word lustre, the site helpfully offers a definition (&#;slightly glossy with a subtle, pearl-like texture; great for portraits, and images with vibrant colors and crisp images&#;); this helps distinguish the lustre option from the other option, &#;matte&#; (&#;flat, texturized finish with little to no glare; it can produce a more artistic look, and works very well for black and white photos.&#;)
And while Level Frames offers only eight frame styles (in 19 different colors), it does give you a few width options for each one. You can also buy profile samples for $5, so you can see your frame material before you order.
It offers extra sun protection. Most online framing services offer glaze with partial UV protection, but in direct sunlight, or with enough time, some photos will still fade. Professional frame shops have several glazes available to combat this, depending on the material of your art and where you&#;ll be hanging it.
Level Frames does not offer quite the same sophistication as a brick-and-mortar shop, but it does at least offer three additional glazes for an additional cost (depending on the size of your frame): UV protection (99% filtration); non-glare UV protection (99% filtration, plus a matte finish); and optium museum (extra-clear viewing, anti-scratch, and anti-static, plus 99% filtration).
It comes with a tree (kind of). Level Frames maintains a partnership with the National Forest Foundation and plants a tree for every frame purchased. I just think that&#;s nice.
If you want a very specific frame, and you aren&#;t easily overwhelmed: You might like AmericanFrame. It was by far the most customizable frame service that I tried.
AmericanFrame is geared toward more-advanced users, so if you&#;re an artist or a collector, it&#;s a great one to try. It has near-endless options for mat color and material, frame styles, and paper type, and it&#;s one of the few companies that offer multiple glaze options for different UV protections and reflective qualities. You can also order your frame unjoined, if you want to save money and put it together yourself.
And this is the only online framing service I tested that offers non-rectangular mat board cut-out shapes and several types of mounting boards.
But some people may find the website confusing to navigate. There&#;s a function that lets you hover over some unfamiliar terms (like &#;Hahnemuhle Photo Rag&#;). However, the definition that popped up onscreen appeared cut off on my screen (after some fiddling I was able to zoom out and make the text appear, but it&#;s still clunky to use).
If you want lots of customization in an easy-to-use website: Simply Framed probably has the most customization options after AmericanFrame, but its website is much easier to use. It offers 10 types of photo paper, two mounting methods, and five different types of UV-protected acrylic. It&#;s also the only site that gives you a choice of hanging hardware type.
The only minor flaws are that it was a little pricier. Also, the photo print I received was a bit off in tone compared with the other images I received. If I hadn&#;t had the original photo, seven other identical printouts, and a firm knowledge of the color of darling Mia&#;s fur, I probably would be recommending it as a pick. It also doesn&#;t come with wall hooks/anchors, which both of our picks came with.
If you want a cheap frame, and you don&#;t need anything too specific: Consider Keepsake Frames. This was the least expensive of any service I tested (it came to just $62 for our 8-by-10-inch image, compared with $90 to $120 for the others).
But it still offers a decent variety of frame styles, looks great, and comes with a sturdy, rubber-coated hanging wire and felt pads. However, it&#;s also among the most limited in customization, with only white mat and pre-set frame sizes. Beyond the frame size, there are no other custom options once you upload your photo, so this service is best suited for someone who wants a very simple, straightforward design. Keepsake also has an app, which it seems to encourage using instead of the site, but we haven&#;t tested it yet.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTFramed & Matted is an excellent service. It has an easy-to-use website, and I received a well-crafted frame with a high-quality photo of Mia, our dog model, inside. My main complaint was its price: For a frame that looked as good as the rest, the total cost for a basic frame came to $119&#;the priciest among those I tested.
Frameology has an easy-to-navigate website, and, similar to Keepsake, it has pre-set frame sizes and white mat only&#;with little customization beyond the frame size and some basic mat-width options. It was a nearly perfect product except for some slight gapping between the photo and the mat. I likely wouldn&#;t have noticed this if it weren&#;t my job to maniacally scrutinize everything, but it is, and I did.
Artifact Uprising, a previous pick, delivers a sturdy, beautiful, and true-to-color frame. Yet its site was more confusing to navigate than most, and it was the second-priciest service, despite delivering a product that was nearly indistinguishable from our picks. It has very few customization options for the price, with only pre-set frame sizes to choose from, limited styles, and a handful of mat widths (only in white). It was also the only service I tested that required me to log in to customize a frame.
This article was edited by Daniela Gorny and Ben Frumin.
Dorie Chevlen
What I CoverI cover home decor, but I'm rarely stuck inside. I also write frequently about outdoor gear, personal technology, and health products for Wirecutter.
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Like a tube top for boob lights, Tulip Shades can hide an ugly ceiling fixture or soften overhead light in homes where replacing the fixture might not be an option.
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