How do we fabric wrap a matt?

mccaigwelles

Grumbler in Training
Joined
Dec 14, 2004
Posts
13
Loc
BROOKLYN, NY
Can anyone give us advice on how to fabric wrap a matt? We have to frame something extremely oversized and need to hide the splice in the matts with a fabric. Do we glue the fabric on? Or just stretch it over the matt board?
 
By the way, we are floating the artwork so it is not a matter of cutting any openings (thank goodness). It is just a matter of stretching one piece of fabric over the matt board. One website said I should use spray adhesive..hmmm......
 
Choices include (in my order of preference):
(a) fabric glue (e.g. Frank's)
(b) Fusion 4000
(c) Spray
 
Another idea would be to 3m-m77 sray the whole mat board, let the glue get tacke the you can move the material as needed. The take a clean iron no steam, and go over the whole area. It will activate the glue for a firm bond
 
For something oversize I'd go with heat-reactivated fabric glue (like Frank's) and iron the fabric onto the adhesive after it has dried. Gives you a LOT more working time to get the fabric straight. You'll just need a really huge ironing board!!!

Snappy - welcome to the Grumble!!!
 
I have used a product called WonderUnder-you can purchase this at fabric stores, have only used it on small stuff never anything really large.
It is a tissue like material that you place between mat and fabric and iron. I have even been able to cut openings on my Wizard!
 
Last year Diane Day at the PPFA helpline desk faxed me some very useful information on Fabric Wrapping mounts/mats and spacers

"HelpLine" Coordinator
Coordinates PPFA's technical "HelpLine" for framers. Monitors PPFA online exchange.
Phone (888) 542-4844, (804) 213-0112, FAX (804) 213-0212
E-mail helpline@ppfa.com

www.PPFA.com
 
A safe and inexpensive option is the use of artists' acrylic gloss medium as a heat activated
adhesive. It can be rolled onto the board and
when it is dry, the fabric can be ironed onto it.


Hugh
 
For Large floated objects, like a fabric piece, I have had the best luck not gluing the fabric. I make stretcher bars to fit inside the frame. The mounting base is foamcore with acid free mat mounted to its surface. This makes it rigid and it won't dent while you sew/attach the art. Glue the foamcore base to the stretcher bars. Then stretch the fabric over the bars like a canvas. The advantage is the fabric will never bubble up like it does with spray adhesive, and there is no mess or wrinkles like ironing with wet adhesives. Now you are ready to sew on a fabric piece. But if you are floating paper you need to glue down strips of matboard to the fabric base and then use hinges.
hope this helps!
 
To use the fabric over a mount, not mat, wouldn't it make sense to use fomecore instead of matboard? It's more stable and comes in 4'x8' sheets.

Or maybe I'm missing something here.
 
...doesn't anyone else use their vacuum press to do fabric-wrapped mats? Do it just as if you were drymounting a poster or something, but with fabric and an already cut matboard. Once you have it mounted to the front face of the matboard, use the tacking iron to wrap the fabric around the inside and outside edges of the matboard. This always results in a perfect, nonbubbled fabric-wrapped mat. (do a reverse bevel on the mat for a nice, crisp look.)
 
Bumpon,

I have used that method on occasion, but only if the fabric weave is “tight” enough.

Using Fusion 4000 with a coarse weave runs the risk of the adhesive oozing between the fibers and giving the finished work a glaze.
 
I've used it with a cold press and the glue that you use with the press. Experiment with all these ideas on a smaller scale and see which works best. I put it on a matboard but does make more sense to use foam.
 
OH... I guess I never really use anything but silk, so haven't run into that problem. Definitely good to know if anyone requests a coarse weave fabric...

Thanks!
 
oh, another thing... when designing a fabric wrapped mat, I like to use matboard behind the fabric that may make the fabric color more exactly match the color desired... like, say, using a darker ivory matboard to tone down an ivory fabric, or a bright white to lighten it.
 
Bumpon, were you in one of my advanced classes? Changing the color iridation is one of my favorite tricks.

Hugh, Last time I bought medium, it was twice as expensive as fabric adhesive. But, I guess it comes down to what you have in your back room and what you are comfortable using.

McCraigwelles, gator board comes 48x96 even up to 1/2" thick... are you going more oversized than that?
 
Thank you so much for your replies, what a big help! Yes, we are going more oversized than 48 x 96-- the piece is actually 61 1/2 x 82". So, we basically have to use two matt boards and cover the seam with some type of fabric. Thanks again, I'll do few experiments.
 
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