I hate foam boards

Create a Post
Miranda Smith

Miranda Smith

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
Joined
May 31, 2010
Posts
204
Loc
Perth, Western Australia
I am reaching the end of my tether with all foam boards. We have always tried to use the best quality brands and those that are more rigid, but I am tired of seeing the boards bow in towards the glazing all the time. We are using thicker boards and try to use coreflute (coroplast?) as much as possible.

I just find all foam boards, regardless of acid free/ zeolites/ etc to be an inferior product with regards to bowing. To stop the issues with bowing, humidity etc (and we do not live in a humid climate I may add), I am backing our foam boards with core flute, which helps but make the framing package thicker which is not always convenient.

I am not sure how other framers here deal with this, as it is standard practice here (in Perth) to have no backing or liners behind the foam board. - that is framers just adhere the photo/artwork etc to the foam board and that is also the frame backing.
But I am sooooo... frustrated.
We do not use foam board for originals or anything that is hinged but we use it for photos and reproduction prints. A lot of our work is large and valuable so I am now drymounting or hinging to aluminium and other substrates to get around these issues.

I suppose the good thing about this (and the growth in large format printing) is that it is forcing me to research other (better) products more suited to our clients' needs.

I only know of one good product (with an aluminium foil lining) and it is double the price of the others.

So if anyone knows ways to get around this issue,please put me out of my misery

Am I alone or do others have similar issues with foam boards?
 
Gator is stiffer, but not as acceptable (IMHO It may be personal about that
much unknown clay)

Personally, we go with mounting a sheet of 4-ply rag to the flute board.
If it's 3mm or 4mm flute... you can cross mount two sheets to form
a grid of the flutes for an even stiffer board.

As to the problem of bowing foam core.... the stuff bows towards the
side that has the highest moisture content (allows it to expand or makes
the paper swell).

Here in the rain-forest of Oregon, it bulges out the back -- away from
the glass..... or as some would joke... ad hock shadowboxing.

In Perth, I would have thought you have the same problem.... but then,
maybe your sails are set different due to everything being reverse.... :D
 
Foam centered board

Paper faced, foam centered boards owe their stiffenss to the counter tension of their paper coverings. When the outside of the frame is dry, they warp in, toward the glass. When the climate is wet, without, they will warp toward the wall. This is less likely to happen with Coroplast or Core-X.
Boards that have paper impregnated with urea formaldhyde (like Gator type boards) are likely to remain flat, but can give off formaldhyde.


Hugh
 
Hi Baer

If you say you mount a 4 ply to a flute board, do you mean just slip the flute board behind the 4 ply or literally attach the two together?

That sounds like a good solution.

Cheers

Michele
 
I'm fed up with Artcare foamboard in particular. One box 32 x 40, last year was warped in an 'S' shape when viewed towards the long side, straight out of the box. Hardly a local humidity problem, I assume.
The latest box has one end around 14 inches that has curled. If the offcuts (half a sheet) stands in my rack for a couple of days it cups along the short side so badly it is unusable. If left long enough I'm sure it would bend so far that the two opposite sides might meet. Wastage on this product is absurd.


As Hugh said, Gatorfoam has formaldehyde and I don't use it for that reason, although the cost is an issue. I would have to sell three of my grandchildren into slavery in order to buy one sheet!

Suppliers have dumped Mighty Core because it doesn't sell. My theory is that only a handful of framers know about it, so that and cost could be the reason. I'm not sure whether humidity has the same effect on it as regular foamboard.

Coreflute may be the only answer?
 
When I'm in a hurry kulu, I perimeter with ATG and roll thin
layers of Frank's Fabric Adhesive on both sides, wait a couple of
minutes and stick them together.... understand though... you are
putting moister in the frame job if you fit it that day...

Usually I prep a few days before, and it just sits along with everything
else until I book and hinge the art.. and either fit then or the next day.

When I'm not so "tear around the porch" busy... I just roll the glue
and stick it all under the heavy (3/8") sheet of glass and let it lay
there for the day. I trim the final sizes later.

Because we could never convince Megawoods to ship in our glue....
you can roll Artist medium gel, or another PVA.

I usually face the ugly Mauve/blue/green/sprinkle sweet saffron color
towards the fluteboard. (it's all duds/flaw/scrap - - but rag)
 
In the olden days, we used to counter mount, especially when wet mounting.

The theory (and the psysics) is the same for any kind of mount.

Miranda, try counter mounting using foam board and you will be pleased with the result. Sure it costs more, but so does mounting 4 ply to coroplast and using gator.
 
As Hugh points out, the foam board will tend to curl in the direction of the poster or whatever. I’ve found that by simply flipping the board over back side up, and placing it in the dry mount press for a minute or so will reduce the curling considerably.

If that is still not good enough, as Rob suggests, counter-mounting a piece of Kraft paper on the reverse side will generally get it flat enough for gum’mint work.

I haven’t done a cost comparison, but I’ll bet that a piece of dry mount tissue and Kraft paper on the back of the foam board would be a whole lot cheaper than stacking a sheet(s) of Coroplast or Polyflute behind it. Also, counter-mounting will keep the thickness of your frame package a whole lot thinner, too.
 
Create a Post
Back
Top