Mat Storage Question

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Terry Scidmore CPF

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Jul 5, 2001
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691
Loc
Seattle, WA 98168
Yesterday a customer drove through one of our walls and windows. Thankfully, no one was injured.
One "fatality" is our matboard storage unit. It was built many years ago and has worked well for us, but I have never worked with any other kind of storage. It is a vertical storage unit with 32 x 40 sheets on the bottom, 16 x 20 sheets in the next row up, 14 x 18 sheets in the next row, then 11 x 14, with 8 x 10 on the top. Our fallouts are cut down to size, labeled, priced and filed away. I am trying to plan ahead in case the unit cannot be repaired. I was hoping that other grumblers could share what kind of matboard storage they use and what they like or dislike about their own storage situations. Thanks for your help!
 
Sounds like it was pretty terrific system. We just have a two tier system with fall outs over the full sheets, pencil in the number and file by color and generally don't keep under 11 x 14.

Just one thought--make sure new one is not at ground level--even just one inch off the ground saves potential water damage---leaks, floods, runny bathrooms...
 
We have the same sort of setup and file by number. We once filed by color, but it was harder for us to find things since some colors blend into others. Number are numbers.
 
Terry,

What is it with drive-in frame shops? Gumby had the same thing happen not long ago. Glad nobody was hurt.

Here's a link to a "tips" post from a while back about a truly brilliant solution to the matboard storage problem. The author is clearly a man of vision.

Taming the Matboard Monster - Part 1 of 3

If the idea looks interesting and you have any questions, drop me a note.

BTW, part 2 had to do with organizing mat samples and part 3 is still in the "thinking stage."
 
Terry,
Sorry to hear about the drive-thru. Glad no one was hurt. We have had some close calls at our shop but none all the way through yet.

We have storage bins that are built under three different counters around the shop. We store the full sheets running long ways in. Partials that are 32" tall go back in the bins and anything smaller goes in a separate spot above one of our larger bins in the back room. All of them are stored in numerical order with the number written in the upper corner with pencil. Sometimes this system of small pieces gets cramped so I have been limiting how small to keep. The large system works good though, and our racks are also off the floor a couple of inches.

My question to anyone that stores suede mats is how in the world do you keep the small pieces from making a crease in a larger piece next to it in the rack and still keep them in numerical order? Someone surely has a simple answer.

Good luck
Mark
 
Great looking storage, Ron!
I checked out 'part one', where do I find 'part two'?
I'm looking to relocate my storage and have more scraps that full sheets. Guess I'll make a trip to HD and tilt my head as I walk down the shelving aisle.

:rolleyes:
 
Thanks, keiki. I looked for part 2 and it appears that may be in the "thinking stages" too. I took the pictures and uploaded them to the server, but that's as far as I got. I guess we'll get the whole story in annual installments.

BTW, even though I put very few scraps back in the rack (which is how it went from 24 feet to 6 feet of storage,) I intentionally cropped out the storage area under the workbench that the shelving sits on. It's absolutely stuffed with mat scraps. :(
 
Originally posted by markg1:
We have storage bins that are built under three different counters around the shop. We store the full sheets running long ways in.
Click to expand...
This is a great idea except when you're barely 5'2" tall (standing very straight, shoulders back, and head helt high!) Then I could almost rest my chin on the worktable. I love Ron's idea, but haven't complained about the lack of #2 or #3, as I know how busy Ron is with all the warping he has to do. But I am patiently waiting...

Betty
 
Markg1: do you get a thin piece of brown stuff when your suede mats are delivered? It's used to interleaf the boards as they come from the manufacturer. We save it and all other 1-ply stuffs. It's a pain in the neck to place it between pieces, but it does indeed save your scraps, no matter what their size. And....those scraps do come in handy! You can also use matboard plastic sacks or 32 x 40 pieces of old boards you don't want...like paper mats.
 
I do the same thing Merps Mom does. I don't have much room for matboard so I have to be very selective with what I do save. I save all suedes down to 11x14 and I sandwich them between those barrier sheets too. I just used two scraps this weekend for a 12x20 and it was all profit! You do have to protect the little pieces though.
 
Hey Mark,

This may not work for you but I have found that we tend to stack our matboards from left to right and from small to larger for fallouts. Whether horizontal or vertical, the smaller one imprints on the larger one to its right all the time.

How about stacking vertically from left to right, larger to smaller? That way the suede face of the smaller one (assuming that you don't have a whole lot of 9"x32" pieces or some other odd shape) will always be leaning against the back of the larger one. That way there will be few marks made in the suede of the adjacent board. This system has a few minor flaws but it will salvage more suede fallouts than it will ruin.

Try it.

Framerguy

P.S. Oops! I just reread your post and saw the "in numerical order" parameter which would not work. But there are much fewer suedes than rag mats and they are sort of unique in that they can be visibly recognized when looked for. You could still do this and simply look for that Marine Blue or that Bainbridge Tumbleweed by color identification when you need them. Plus you could keep Crescent fallouts separate from Bainbridge which are a little bit thinner than the Crescent boards.
 
OOOHHHHHH!!!!!! You people have the best ideas!!! Ron - your shelving idea solved another storage problem I have been meaning to get to "when I have time"! Thank you to all of you!
 
Betty,

The highest counter in the shop that I was refering to is 40 1/2" to the top and that is the front counter. My dad was not as tall as me and he left me with alot of head banging in the shop.
But I have to give him credit, He was the smartest man I ever knew.. The other hights are 38 1/4" and 37 1/4" to the top. I will show you a picture when I figure out how.. Mabe I need to get ahold of Ron and he will help me out.!

Thanks Framerguy, We figured out the smaller to larger thing but I just thought I'd throw out the keeping them in order thing to make things a little more complicated.. Those suede peices are much harder to justify getting rid of..My mom says I make things to complicated sometimes. I'm just glad I have this site to bouce ideas.
 
Mark, most of my worktables and counters are 30" tall, except the matcutting table which is 30 3/4" due to two sheets of 3/4" plywood on top to recess the matcutter into. (Then there's my caning table which is 24", but that's another business area.) Everything storage is a problem in my shop, but I've learned to live with stepstools and "gadgets"!

I'm not only short, I'm real short. My 15 year old son walked up to me Saturday night and laid his chin on my head! :rolleyes:

Betty
 
Somewhere along the way, someone suggested to use a steamer on the suede mats to get the marks out. It does work on most of the marks, thankfully :D

Storage is always a problem and I keep all of the suede/silk scraps down to 4" since I like to make a box or two. This makes good lining material and a few marks are easy to hide. My smallest mat scraps are stored in, of all things, cat litter buckets that are square. (I save these for storing water in case of hurricane here :eek: )
 
We use the steam from an old steam iron to get the marks out of suede. It almost always works and we didn't have to buy a steamer. It makes the mat look like brand new.
 
Do you steam the suede and brush it or just steam it? We use a clean tooth brush and just swirl it around on the creases. This works most of the time but sounds like mabe steaming is the way to go.

Thanks!
 
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