Matting separation

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DeonG

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Sep 22, 2021
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Newfoundland, Canada
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Sports Framing NL
Question. I recently did a large shadowbox with double matting but the matting separated on the bottom of the frame in a customers home. He brought it back to me so I could fix it. I had the shadowbox in my office in my home to fix and after about a week the matting went back together!

I used double sided ATG tape and framers glue. The shadowbox did not get wet or it wasn’t exposed to cold or very warm temperatures.

Any idea why this would have happened in the customers home ??
 
With both ATG and glue, the assumption is that things will hold together.
There may have been enough environmental change to cause this if the pieces were fitted fairly tightly.
That's all I have for now.
'Tis a puzzlement.
 
Whenever I do a double mat I put it under glass and heavy weights overnight. Seems to do the trick.
 
I too always weight glued double mats until the glue is well set. And use more than just a few dots. I do double sets in several evenly placed spaces along each edge. Like this..
: : : : :
: :
: :
: : : : :

I'd also suspect that a too tight fitting mat in combination with higher humidity in the customers home (an assumption ) could cause this.

It sounds like the mat expanded while at the customers home and contracted when returned to your place.
From my understanding of the cycle, a difference in high humidity to average or low humidity could do this.

If you are able to trim just a thin sliver (1/16" or so) off the mat and fit it and the backer with slightly "loose" framers points, it may allow for the contraction /expansion cycle to occur at the customers home without causing buckling/warping.

Was it hung in a basement, or on an exterior wall, or near a heat source, or a bathroom or kitchen?
Might be worth trying to test the humidity levels where they had the piece hanging.
They might just need to change the room environment, or hang it somewhere else.
 
DeonG said:
I had the shadowbox in my office in my home to fix and after about a week the matting went back together!
Click to expand...


This doesn’t sound right, it sounds like it fixed itself! Do you mean you re-did it and it was still fine a week later?

I don’t know what framers glue is, but if you’ve described what happened correctly, it sounds like something that doesn’t dry properly.
 
How close to the opening of the top mat did you put the ATG? If you don't put it close enough, the region of the mat between the ATG and the opening can swell enough for the mats to separate if the customer's home is humid enough.
 
If the piece was tight fitted*, as I mentioned prior, it would expand and buckle under a minor humidity increase.
It would also contract when moved back into a lower humidity environment.
Take it apart, trim 1/16" off the mat and put it back together.

Find out more about the wall it was hung on. Exterior walls will have more humidity than interior walls (with the exception of a plumbing wall with small leaks). Walls on the north side of the house, or in this case on the side facing the water, will have more humidity. Masonry walls will have more humidity than

* Not forced into the frame, but with no room for expansion.
 
Changes in humidity. A good reason to "Tape"seal" the glass/art/backing package and fit loosely. Glue rather than ATG. More permanent!
 
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