Custom picture framing, built around the piece.
Best Framing has done custom picture framing in Costa Mesa, Orange County, since 2002. A photograph, a signed print, a jersey, a wedding gown, a diploma, a kimono, a 12-foot floater. Designed with you at the counter, then cut, joined, matted and glazed a few steps away.
What are you framing?
All you need is your art. It can be digital, physical, or still an idea. What it is decides how it gets built, so that is where the design starts.
A photograph
Digital photography, family snapshots, a print you bought as an investment. The store is completely acid-free, with museum-quality and UV-protective glazing. If the original is fragile or one of a kind, the print lab can scan it at up to 600 dpi first and frame the reproduction.
Art
Fine-art and conservation framing: acid-free materials throughout, and museum-quality or UV-protective glazing chosen with you for the piece. Limited-edition prints, watercolors, charcoals, pastels, stitchwork and needlepoints, oil on panel or canvas, acrylic artwork, and often children’s artwork too. Canvas is stretched in-house. Our designers walk you through mounting and presentation, paper or fabric matting, glazing and mounting hardware.
An object
Wedding gowns, sports jerseys, jackets, service pins and sashes, plaques and medals, ceramics, sea fans, just to name a few. Best Framing is known for creative solutions to framing 3‑D objects that might be impossible at other custom framing stores. Those are designed in person, so bring the object to the counter.
Something oversized
Framing over 48 × 96 presents many challenges the majority of frame shops are not equipped to handle. We have ample experience with gigantic pieces that many other stores have turned away: wedding gowns, kimonos, movie posters and large textiles.
A diploma to frame, or a frame to repair.
Some of what comes through the door is paper you earned, and some of it arrives already framed. Bring either one to the counter. No appointment required.
Diploma, certificate and document framing.
Designed at the counter like any other piece, with mats and glazing held up against the paper itself, in the same acid-free materials and glazing as the art.
Frame and glazing replacement.
Keep the piece and replace what is around it. A new frame, new glazing, or both, chosen at the counter with one of our designers.
Frame repairs and reframing.
Bring in a frame you already own for a repair, or have the piece inside it reframed. A new frame is designed with you at the counter and crafted by hand in our Costa Mesa warehouse, like every custom frame we make.
Designed at the counter, built in the shop.
Whether this is your first time custom framing or you are a frequent visitor, our team will help simplify the process for you and create that perfect design to honor your piece.
Bring the piece. Design it with us.
Frames, mats and glazing are held up against the piece at the counter rather than picked from swatches on a screen. Walk in during shop hours. No appointment required, though you are welcome to book one.
Chopped and joined by hand.
Every custom frame we make is individually crafted by hand in our Costa Mesa warehouse. When no catalog carries the profile, the moulding is milled in our own wood shop, then cut and joined on the production floor. German, our chop-and-join specialist, has been with Best Framing for over 20 years.
Matted, glazed, fitted.
Acid-free mats, the glazing you chose, the piece mounted and fitted, the backing paper on. Pickup at the showroom, or delivery and installation in and around Orange County.
Hundreds of corner samples, and a wood shop for the profiles that do not exist.
Typical custom framing has limitations related to size and finishes. If you are looking to match a particular finish, or you have an oversized piece, we can custom mill a moulding profile for you and have it hand finished to match your specifications.
Hold it against the piece.
Corner samples stacked floor to ceiling on both sides of the aisle, each one tagged with its profile number. Pale pine, walnut, black, gilt, carved. You choose it standing next to the thing it is going to hold.
When no catalog carries it, we mill it.
Raw lengths planed and profiled in our own wood shop, then hand finished to your specifications. It is what makes an odd finish or an oversized job possible in the first place.
The mat, cut by computer.
Two of the machines that decide how the inside of the frame behaves. Both sit on the production floor.
Multiple openings, lettering, shapes.
Set your design apart by adding some extra detail in the mat design. Multiple openings, lettering, shapes and art designs can all be programmed into the CNC machine to create that unique presentation you have been looking for.
Wrinkles are no fun.
Divots, waves or crinkles in suitable prints and posters can be flattened by drymount in our press to acid-free foamcore, so the piece looks crisp in the frame. We assess each piece first, and discuss conservation options for originals and collectible work.
There is more in a frame than paper.
Mirrors, memorabilia, and the pieces other shops turn away.
A mirror, framed to the room.
A custom mirror can make a small room feel larger, be that finishing element in a new bathroom, or add a leaning mirror to elevate the ceilings in a room. Bring us the overall dimensions of the space you would like to fill and we will help you select a frame for it. We provide the mirror. Quarter-inch glass, with or without a bevel, typically ready for pickup within two weeks. We do not have the ability to make round mirrors at this time.
We can frame anything, even 3‑D objects.
Sports, military and personal memorabilia. Jerseys, textiles, flags and garments, diplomas and documents, service pins, medals, ceramics. Shadow boxes and dimensional framing built around the object, so it is mounted rather than squashed. In person design consultation is required, since so many variables have to be taken into consideration.
Have an oversized piece? We make oversized frames.
What further sets us apart from other framing stores is our ability to design, create and build projects over 48 × 96, and large format multi-substrate flatbed printing in house. Kimonos, movie posters, large textiles, a 110 × 72 mirror, 12-foot floaters, with a van, custom wood crates and an install crew for what comes after.
Objects, textiles and paper, framed.
Six pieces that came through the shop in Costa Mesa.
Vintage swimsuitsThree matching white shadow boxes, garments floated, photographed before they left.
A wedding invitation suiteFloated on pale linen in an ornate antique-gold frame, the wax seal kept with the paper it came on.
Antique children’s garmentsA braided coat and an embroidered jacket, each in its own dark shadow box, on easels in the showroom.
Surf club pennantsTwo wide frames, pennants fanned and floated, hung as a pair on the same wall.
A patchwork textileStretched, mounted and set in a slim black frame, hung floor to ceiling height in a living room.
A stairwell gallery wallMixed mouldings, gilt beside black beside pale wood, hung salon style up the stairs.
Honest answers, up front.
Custom work is quoted in person. It is not the cheapest way to frame something, it is the way that gets it right.
What to bring
All you need is your art. It can be a digital, physical or potential idea, and then you contact us to execute your vision.
Appointments
Not required. Walk in Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, or Saturday 9am to 1pm. Booking is an option if you would rather hold a time with a designer.
Three-dimensional objects
In person design consultation is required for framing 3‑D objects, since so many variables must be taken into consideration when framing.
Glazing and materials
Museum-quality and UV-protective glazing. Our store is completely acid-free, mats included.
Returns, and if something is wrong
Everything is specially ordered and cut to size, so if there is an issue with your order, contact our team so we can review it and discuss the next steps.
Chosen with care
We focus on careful craftsmanship and thoughtful material choices, chosen for the piece and its condition.
From Yelp
“It’s not cheap just fyi; I had a print I bought as an investment and I wanted to protect it. It’s worth it.”
Chris K. · Costa Mesa · October 2025
YelpCustom picture framing, piece by piece.
What each one takes, the options, and the questions people ask at the counter.
Canvas stretching and framing
Canvas stretched in house, then floated, framed traditionally or hung as it is.
Conservation framing
Acid-free throughout, a build that can be undone, and glazing chosen for the piece.
Diploma and certificate framing
Diplomas, certificates and licenses, with acid-free mats and UV-protective glazing.
Jersey framing
Jerseys mounted to keep their shape, in a shadow box deep enough that nothing touches the glass.
Needlepoint and textile framing
Needlepoint, stitchwork, flags and garments, with paper or fabric mats.
Oversized framing
Past 48 by 96 inches, with moulding milled in our wood shop and a crew to hang it.
Picture frame repair and glass replacement
New glass, a repaired frame or a fresh reframe, for a frame you already own.
Shadow box framing
Medals, flags, gowns and keepsakes, in a box built deep enough for the object.
The questions people ask at the counter, answered.
From what can be framed and choosing the right glass to mounting jerseys, printing artwork and protecting the pieces that matter, we answer the questions our customers ask us every day.
- What can you actually frame?Photos, posters, diplomas, jerseys, kimonos, oversized art and mirrors: what a custom frame shop in Costa Mesa can take on, and what each one needs.Read Article
- Museum glass vs regular glass, and what the glass over your art is doingMuseum-quality and UV-protective glazing vs regular glass: what each does for your art, plus acid-free mats and conservation framing. From Costa Mesa.Read Article
How to frame a jersey, step by stepHow to frame a jersey: a shadow box deep enough that the glass never touches it, mounting that can be undone, a mat lined to its colors. From Costa Mesa.Read Article
Canvas, printed and stretched in the same buildingHow a canvas print is made and framed in one building: archival giclée, stretched in house, then hung as it is or set in a float frame. From Costa Mesa.Read Article
Custom framing, the questions people ask.
Can you frame a jersey or other 3-D object?
Yes. Jerseys, wedding gowns, jackets, service pins and sashes, plaques, medals and ceramics go into shadow boxes built around the object, so it is mounted rather than squashed. In-person design consultation is required for 3-D pieces, so bring the object to the counter.
What kind of glass do you use to protect framed art?
We offer museum-quality and UV-protective glazing, chosen with you for the piece. Our store is also completely acid-free, mats included, and the materials are chosen for the piece and its condition.
Can you frame something bigger than 48 × 96?
Yes. Framing over 48 × 96 presents challenges most frame shops are not equipped to handle, and we design, create and build projects over that size, from kimonos and movie posters to 12-foot floaters. When no catalog carries the profile, we mill the moulding in our own wood shop.
Can you repair my old frame or reframe the piece inside it?
Yes. Bring in a frame you already own for a repair, or have the piece inside it reframed. You can also keep the piece and replace just the frame, the glazing or both, chosen at the counter with one of our designers.
Can I walk in to design a custom frame?
Yes. Walk in Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm or Saturday 9am to 1pm and hold real frames, mats and glazing against your piece at the counter. No appointment required, though you are welcome to book one, and the work is quoted in person once we have seen the piece.
Still wondering? Come in and ask. No appointment required.
Print and frame what you love. Visit the showroom.
No appointment required.
- Call
- (949) 791-8780
- Hours
- Mon-Fri 10am-5pm
Sat 9am-1pm
Bring us the thing you love.
Walk in with it and talk it through with a designer. No appointment required, though you are welcome to book one.
1671 Placentia AvenueCosta Mesa, CA 92627
- Call(949) 791-8780
- HoursMon-Fri 10am-5pm · Sat 9am-1pm · Sun closed
- Talk to a designer nowStart a Video CallSomeone is on the floor Mon-Fri 10am-5pm and Sat 9am-1pm, Costa Mesa time
- Book an appointmentPick a time with a designerAppointments are optional. Walk-ins are welcome.