SUQUAMISH — Framing a picture or piece of art doesn’t just involve putting a piece of glass on top of the work and finishing it off with a fancy molding — if it’s done right, the frame becomes a part of the art itself.

Tim McHenry, owner of The Frame Station in Suquamish, is hoping to share that philosophy with his customers at his new shop on Augusta Avenue. He and his wife Estrella provide custom and ready-made framing services in their 1,900-square-foot space that includes two show rooms and a workshop.

“We can do them on the spot real quick,” he said about the ready-made frames, as he has an extremely wide selection of them available for people to choose from.

“(We) pretty much do anything that is frameable,” McHenry said of the business’ service custom framing.

From simple to ornate moldings, he has a variety for people to look through because everyone has different tastes — rustic, modern, traditional, antique.

“Almost anything — that’s why there is a selection,” he said.

When helping someone choose a frame, McHenry said he needs to know the person, the type of décor of the house and the type of frame they want — some people are eclectic and like different types of frames while others have a theme and want the same frame throughout their houses.

Not only does framing provide an aesthetic appeal to the work, it is also a smart move in preserving expensive or special pieces.

Using uniframes — sheets of Plexiglas or glass with metal clips — is one of the worst ways to frame pieces, he said, noting that dirt is attracted instantly to the static of the glass.

“Putting a $1,000 print in one of those frames makes it worth about $10,” McHenry said.

While metal frames tend to keep dirt and dust out better than a uniframe, they are still not the best frames. McHenry prefers to use wood.

When framing a picture, it’s more than just picking a pretty molding, McHenry explained. He has a variety of matting and glass options to choose from, such as suede and silk mats, as well museum and conservation quality glass.

He likes framing for its creative aspects. While his kids are artists and McHenry claims he is not, he does like to be creative.

“I have creativity in me but I’m not an artist. I’m a stick figure guy,” McHenry said with a chuckle.

The store’s slogan is “Quality framing at affordable prices,” which he keeps in mind when dealing with his products and customers.

There is a misconception that a framer creates his products from scratch, when in fact most framers order their moldings from a variety of companies, McHenry explained. Framers typically have moldings in stock and can be cut on the spot. If he has to order a molding, he tries to find the company with the best value and passes the savings along to his customers.

McHenry has been working in the industry for more than 20 years and said he finds framing an interesting way to help define a strong piece of work.

“I think that’s exciting about framing — to enhance a really good piece,” he said.