Best Frames for Pressed and Dried Flowers
A pressed flower is a few millimeters thick and almost weightless. Those two facts rule out the frame most people reach for and point straight at a float frame.
By Janet H. · Published
Use a float frame. The Americanflat Floating Frame holds the specimen between two panes of glazing with the edges left visible, which is the construction pressed botanicals were waiting for — the manufacturer lists pressed botanicals among its intended uses.
A standard frame presses the flower flat against a backing board under glazing with no air gap. For a sheet of paper that is correct. For dried plant material it crushes the shape you spent weeks preserving and traps moisture against the specimen.
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How these picks were chosen
We select on published specification — rated weight capacity, frame size compatibility, mounting method and materials — plus the durability patterns owners report at volume. We do not test these products ourselves. Read our full method.
Product photographs and prices come from Amazon and are refreshed daily; the date each price was fetched is shown beside it. Scene photographs are licensed stock images. Each link opens the product’s live listing, where the current photos, sizes and price are shown.
Quick picks
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Americanflat Floating Frame Double-glazed construction with the specimen's edges left visible, and pressed botanicals named among its intended uses. The right tool, not an adaptation of the wrong one. | Best overall | $14.99 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded · Price as of November 1, 2026 |
| 2 |  MCS Floating Frame The same double-glazed float mount, in a range that runs from small up to poster scale. The one to use when the arrangement is several specimens rather than one. | Best at larger sizes | |
| 3 |  Frametory Matted Picture Frame A standard frame with a removable ivory or white mat and real glass. The mat is the spacer, and the opaque backing gives a pale specimen a background to read against. | Best conventional route | $28.99 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded · Price as of November 1, 2026 |
| 4 |  Golden State Art Pre-Cut Mat Board Acid-free pre-cut mat with backing. Stacking two of these inside a frame you already own is the cheapest way to get clearance over a specimen without buying a shadow box. | Best spacer | $17.99 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded · Price as of November 1, 2026 |
| 5 |  Command Medium Picture Hanging Strips (17201) 3 lb per set and up to 12 lb per frame using four pairs, which covers a small double-glazed frame with margin. Use two pairs across the top so it cannot rotate out of level. | Best way to hang one |
Thickness decides everything
Dried botanicals come off the press in three broad thicknesses, and each one needs a different frame. Measure yours against the table before choosing anything.
| What you pressed | Roughly | Frame it in | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petals, ferns, leaves, pressed flat | Under 2 mm | Float frame, two panes of glazing | Nothing presses on the specimen and both sides are visible |
| Whole small flowers, stems, buds | 2 to 6 mm | Standard frame with a thick or double mat as a spacer | The mat holds the glazing clear of the specimen |
| Whole blooms, seed heads, a dried bouquet | Over 6 mm | Shadow box — an inch or more of clearance | Neither a mat nor a float frame has that depth |
| Loose petals arranged in a pattern | Under 2 mm, but they move | Float frame, laid out face up and closed carefully | Compression between the panes is what holds the arrangement |
Why a float frame is the right tool
A float frame sandwiches the subject between two sheets of glazing rather than laying it on a backing board. Three consequences follow, and all three suit a pressed flower.
The specimen appears to hang in the opening with no visible mount, which is the look everyone is after. Light passes through from behind, which is flattering to translucent petals and leaves in a way an opaque backing board is not. And the edges stay visible, so an irregular shape is not forced into a rectangular window.
The trade-off is that the specimen is held by compression, so a float frame should be laid flat while it is assembled and turned upright only once it is closed. The full comparison of this construction against the alternatives is in best floating frames, and what float mounting is explains the related technique for prints.
The mat-as-spacer route
If you want a conventional framed look rather than floating glass, the alternative is a standard frame with a mat thick enough to hold the glazing off the specimen. A single 4-ply mat gives roughly 1.5 mm of clearance; a double mat doubles it. For anything thicker than a pressed fern that is not enough, and the honest answer becomes a shadow box.
This route has one real advantage over a float frame: an opaque backing board gives the specimen a solid background, which makes a pale pressed flower read much more strongly than it does against a wall. Pick the route by what you are framing, not by price. How to mat a print covers cutting and stacking mats, and picture frame versus shadow box covers the point at which depth wins.
Where to hang it, and what fades
Pressed flowers fade. Not might — will. Plant pigments are not lightfast, and direct sun will take the color out of a pressed bloom in a season. This is not a frame problem and no glazing sold at this price point prevents it.
What you can control is placement. A wall that never takes direct sun, away from a south-facing window, slows the process by years rather than months. Humidity matters too: dried material reabsorbs moisture, and a bathroom or an unheated porch will mark it. Frames for a bathroom explains why that room defeats paper and plant material alike.
Hang height is the ordinary rule — center at about 57 inches from the floor. These frames are usually small, so group two or three rather than hanging one alone; how high to hang art covers the arithmetic for a group.
Hanging a float frame safely
A float frame is two panes of glazing, so it is heavier than its size suggests and it is glass on both faces. Hang it where it cannot be knocked, and over-specify the fixing rather than running close to the limit.
3M rates Command Medium Picture Hanging Strips at 3 lb per set and up to 12 lb per frame using four pairs, which covers a small double-glazed frame comfortably. Use two pairs across the top so it cannot rotate. Best picture hanging strips maps the sizes, and how much weight Command strips hold lists the published figures per size.
The picks in full
Each entry states what it is for, the specification that decides it, and who should skip it.
1. Best overall
Americanflat Floating Frame
Americanflat
Double-glazed construction with the specimen's edges left visible, and pressed botanicals named among its intended uses. The right tool, not an adaptation of the wrong one.
- Construction
- Print sits between two glazing panes — edges stay visible
- Sizes
- Standard sizes from small formats up
- Best for
- Deckle-edge prints, pressed botanicals, odd-size art
- Orientation
- Wall or tabletop
The spec that decides it: Print sits between two glazing panes; listed for deckle-edge prints, pressed botanicals and odd-size art.
Skip it if: Your specimen is thicker than a few millimeters — compression will damage it.
#ad How we’re funded · Price as of November 1, 2026
2. Best at larger sizes
MCS Floating Frame
MCS Industries
The same double-glazed float mount, in a range that runs from small up to poster scale. The one to use when the arrangement is several specimens rather than one.
- Construction
- Double-glazed float mount
- Sizes
- Small through poster-scale
- Best for
- Art where the paper edge is part of the look
- Orientation
- Wall or tabletop
The spec that decides it: Double-glazed float mount; sizes from small through poster-scale.
Skip it if: You are framing a single small sprig — a large float frame makes it look lost.
3. Best conventional route
Frametory Matted Picture Frame
Frametory
A standard frame with a removable ivory or white mat and real glass. The mat is the spacer, and the opaque backing gives a pale specimen a background to read against.
- Common openings
- Standard step-down sizes
- Mat
- Ivory or white, removable
- Glazing
- Real glass on many lines
- Orientation
- Wall or tabletop
The spec that decides it: Standard step-down sizes with a removable mat; real glass on many lines.
Skip it if: The specimen is thicker than about 2 mm — one mat will not clear it.
#ad How we’re funded · Price as of November 1, 2026
4. Best spacer
Golden State Art Pre-Cut Mat Board
Golden State Art
Acid-free pre-cut mat with backing. Stacking two of these inside a frame you already own is the cheapest way to get clearance over a specimen without buying a shadow box.
- Cut
- Pre-cut bevel opening, standard step-down sizes
- Material
- Acid-free board with backing and a clear sleeve on most packs
- Sizes
- Common pairs such as 11x14 matted to 8x10
- Packs
- Singles and multi-packs
The spec that decides it: Pre-cut bevel opening on acid-free board with backing; singles and multi-packs.
Skip it if: Your window is a non-standard shape — pre-cut mats come in stock openings only.
#ad How we’re funded · Price as of November 1, 2026
5. Best way to hang one
Command Medium Picture Hanging Strips (17201)
3M Command
3 lb per set and up to 12 lb per frame using four pairs, which covers a small double-glazed frame with margin. Use two pairs across the top so it cannot rotate out of level.
- Rated weight
- 3 lb per set (pair)
- Max per frame
- 12 lb using four pairs
- Wall types
- Painted drywall, finished wood, tile, metal, glass
- Removal
- Stretch-release tab
The spec that decides it: 3 lb per set; 12 lb maximum per frame using four pairs.
Skip it if: The wall is textured or unpainted — adhesive needs a smooth, sealed surface.
Common questions
What kind of frame is best for pressed flowers?
A float frame, which holds the specimen between two panes of glazing rather than pressing it onto a backing board. Nothing bears down on the petals, light passes through from behind, and an irregular outline is not forced into a rectangular window. For anything thicker than a few millimeters, a shadow box is the correct frame instead.
Can you put dried flowers in a normal picture frame?
Only with a spacer. A standard frame presses the glazing directly onto whatever is inside it, which crushes dried plant material and leaves no air gap. Adding a thick or double mat lifts the glazing clear — roughly 1.5 mm per 4-ply mat — which is enough for flat-pressed petals and ferns and not enough for whole blooms.
Should you glue pressed flowers to the backing?
No. Dried plant material is brittle, so a misplaced specimen cannot be repositioned once it is glued, and the adhesive discolors the surrounding board over time. Compression between two panes of glazing, or a mat window holding the specimen in place, is sufficient and reversible.
Do pressed flowers fade in a frame?
Yes. Plant pigments are not lightfast and direct sunlight removes the color within a season. No glazing at this price point prevents it. Placement is the control that works: a wall that never takes direct sun slows fading by years rather than months, and low, stable humidity keeps the material from reabsorbing moisture.
How do you hang a float frame without nails?
Adhesive strips, over-specified. A float frame is glazed on both faces so it weighs more than its size suggests. 3M rates Command Medium Picture Hanging Strips at 3 lb per set and up to 12 lb per frame using four pairs; use two pairs across the top rather than one so the frame cannot rotate out of level.
Sources for the figures on this page
Read next
- Best Floating Frames
Double-glazed float frames for paper, and recessed float frames for canvas — two different products with the same name.
- Picture Frame vs Shadow Box
Depth, mounting method, weight and hanging — what a shadow box does that a frame cannot, and when it is overkill.
- What Is Float Mounting?
Float mounting explained: what it is, how it differs from a mat and from a floating glass frame, and the three cases where it is genuinely the right call.
- How to Mat a Print
Working out the opening, choosing acid-free board, and the two mounting methods that do not damage the print.
- Best Matted Frames
Matted frames compared on border width, acid-free board and the step-down sizes each line covers.
- Mat Sizes for Standard Prints
The complete print size to mat opening to frame size matrix, with published border widths by artwork size.
- Best Picture Hanging Strips
Strip-by-strip weight ratings mapped to the frame sizes each one suits, from a 5x7 photo to a 24x36 poster frame.