What makes Foamboard the most Preferred Substrate?

It is no surprise that foam boards have become so popular to use by people for both commercial

and domestic purposes. The fact that this material is so easily formed into shapes that can be

used for interior design and architectural models makes it very flexible and usable.

Foam boards or Foam core boards are made of a lightweight material that is easily cut and

commonly used for purposes such as mounting of prints and photographs and as backing in

picture frames. The structure of this substrate is made with sturdy layers ideally consisting of

three layers, an inner layer of polystyrene foam which is neatly placed between two layers of

semi-gloss and bleached white clay coated paper. To make it all the more suited to high-end

conservation framing, acid free foamboard is available.

Foam boards have become quite popular nowadays as an acceptable material for backing picture

frames, with archival-quality variants now provided by several manufacturers. The product is

great for use in screen printing, die cutting, mounting, framing and prototypes and is available in

various sizes for your specific requirements. Apart from that, you will find a variety of foam boards

including FomeCor, Acid-Free foam board, self-adhesive foam board and many other varieties.

You can get any foam board type of your choice with various options such as self-adhesive, also

called pressure sensitive or heat-activated coatings, which will make your task of mounting quite

easy.

Some foam boards such as the clay-coated foamcore do not accept certain types of paint and

some glues such as superglue, which is not suitable for bonding. Picking such products for binding

particular foam boards should be avoided as solvents used in some paints and glues can dissolve

the foam center causing weakness and breakdown of the structural integrity of the foamboard.

In the outer layers, if over saturated the fibers can be warped by the use of water-based glues

once it has dried. However, this problem can be countered by adhering a coat to the reverse side.

In any case, what works best is that double-sided adhesive sheets are used or by pre-coated self-

adhesive foamboard is picked, in the case that you want your prints and photographs to be to

dry mounted. Once you have mounted your photograph or print onto self-adhesive foamboard,

ensure that you allow the required healing time during which you place your mounted work flat

to avoid any warping related issues before you place the image in a picture frame. For temporary

mounting applications, it is best to use a plain foam board and then apply re-positionable spray

adhesive to either of the sides, be it the back of the image or the front side of the board.

Whether your ultimate purpose of employing the use of foam boards is to complete a picture

mounting or a craft project, foam boards will never disappoint you because of the sturdiness and

long lasting support they provide.