Float Frame Original Painting on 16x20 Masonite Board

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QuinnFarley

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I have three oil paintings on 16x20 Masonite boards where the client ordered deep float frames with the standard art display of 1/4" in on all sides and 1/4" inset from flush. So, question, how would you non-destructively secure these masonite boards to wooden backers (for height) to bring the art up to 1/4" down from flush? I could glue them with superglue or wood glue, but that's destructive and permanent, and we all know better than doing that. I just don't know how to secure these heavy Masonite boards without glue.
 
Sorry, but I use wood glue and pine strainers. I don’t see the issue with glueing Masonite. If the artist uses such a medium, how can he/she complain about a glued strainer?

I’ve done these for two decades, and never had one come back.
 
You could use magnets or some type of metal fastener, but you will still be gluing something to the back of the masonite. Really heavy duty hook and loop might work, but that would be chancy and not pretty. Ted's right, gluing is the way it's done for a reason. If it makes you feel better, doing it this way doesn't reflect on your expertise. Artists routinely throw things at you that makes it impossible to do everything absolutely archivally.
 
If you wanna use hook and loop - skip the Velcro brand self adhesive. Won't last long. Use 3M's 3527 and 3526. I used to treat adhesives for United Air Lines in a prior life. Very aggressive and long lasting adhesive. 6 feet by 1 inch you'll have to pry it apart.
 
In this situation you have little choice but to glue battens to the back. OK, it 'alters' the painting's original
state but if the artist knew he wanted them floated then they should have done it before the work was executed. 😜
As far as devaluing the work I'd say it's a fine point. At least if you use screws into the battens to mount the work
then it is easily removable at any time.
 
By gluing proper strainers to the back you have now "cradled" the panel,
adding to the long term stability of the masonite and the artwork on it.
In most real world situations this is considered an improvement....
 
It’s not that different to float mounting something on paper, with hinges - adhesive needs applying to the back of the artwork just the same..

Velcro is a good idea as it makes access to that adhesive much easier should it ever need removing. It is that adhesive doing the work though, not the Velcro. I’d use normal Velcro dots, as many as required each side, but I’d back the adhesive up with staples in the frame and stronger adhesive on the back of the artwork.
 
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That's what I was thinking too, Jim. Seems to me that using dots, instead of a continuous bead or covering the face of the strainer with glue, gives access for removal, as Robo mentioned.
:cool: Rick
 
The difference between this type of a project and some sort of removable hinge with a work on paper is if/when the removable option fails on a piece of masonite, the painting crashes to the floor.

If you don't want to alter the original object, I don't think a float frame is appropriate. If the float frame look is the most important thing to the customer, I would permanently mount the masonite to a wood structure that can be screwed into place within the floater.
 
Corbin Dallas said:
The difference between this type of a project and some sort of removable hinge with a work on paper is if/when the removable option fails on a piece of masonite, the painting crashes to the floor.

If you don't want to alter the original object, I don't think a float frame is appropriate. If the float frame look is the most important thing to the customer, I would permanently mount the masonite to a wood structure that can be screwed into place within the floater.
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I made the comparison to float mounted work on paper but only to make the point that you deal with the back of the artwork in both cases.

i didn’t say the adhesive for the board should be reversible.
 
We run into this question every day. Our best answer is to build a wooden riser into the frame, and then on that surface, apply little pea-sized dots of silicone every few inches. Place the masonite painting onto the surface where you want it positioned, and set padded weights onto the painting. Let it sit 24 hours. If you ever need to remove the painting, simply slice the silicone with a razor blade and it will pop off.
 
Corbin Dallas said:
I have had silicone fail and the art fell and was damaged.
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There are always a variety of reasons why something could fail. We find that silicone offers excellent adhesion. There's the possibility that it didn't cure long enough, or that there weren't enough contact points, or perhaps it wasn't weighted down properly. There's also the possibility that an unsealed material, especially fibrous material like masonite, could expand and contract to such a degree from winter to summer months that it would force the contact points to separate due to extreme environmental changes. These are all very specific to whatever the scenario is, but by and large, if done properly, silicone absolutely works great! The primary reason for choosing silicone over a wood glue would be reversibility. Then again, this is all overthinking it. PVA glue would be fine as it was elsewhere suggested, but I just want to emphasize that silicone is no more susceptible to failure than any other adhesive, and it's a great choice for this specific scenario, and we recommend it to artists all over the country every day. Cheers!
 
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