Challenges of reusing framed art

I found another frame/mat setup that I loved at Marshalls or some such place. The mat color was so perfect for a photo I had of our family at the beach, and I loved the detail around the inside. So I took it apart to reuse the frame and mat, just like I did over here at this tutorial post. But man, I think those art framers are on to me! This has gotten so much more difficult than it used to be when I started doing this 6-7 years ago.

You WILL leave this art in this frame.

I had the same kinds of challenges on this reframing job as I did the last time--hard piece of fiberboard backing nailed into the frame, strong double-stick tape holding the art to the mat, etc.  What, do they think people are just going to leave that stuff in there forever?  Who wants a high-quality mat-and-frame job?

I did pull the wood trim on the inside apart a little at the corner while removing the hummingbird picture, but for the most part using the box cutter delicately did the trick for getting the art out. Don't worry, it stuck right back together and you can't even tell.

The bigger problem was that after I had everything back where it belonged, I couldn't get those teeny little nails that hold the fiberboard in place to push down far enough. They were sticking up just enough that I know my wall would be mangled if I hung the picture that way. So when I tried to work them down further, oops, I broke the frame. Damnit! At least the glass didn't break. But of course we didn't have any superglue in the house that wasn't hard as a rock. As soon as I had some new superglue I was able to fix it so that you can't tell it broke unless you're looking for it. And I had a new solution for my persistent little nails:

My frame has warts!

Sticky felt pads. I found a sheet of these tiny furniture dots leftover in a drawer, so I stuck one to each place where a nail was popping out. I think I had to use a dozen of them or so. Crazy!

But here's the finished product, and I love it. I paid $19.99 for the framed art and $2.39 for the 12 x 18 enlargement, so pretty steep for my house, but I'm so happy with it that it's worth it!

The funny thing is, I even kind of liked the hummingbird art! But I can't resist covering my walls with family photos.