The mat board is the piece of your wooden photo frames that will support your picture. It's important to look at the good and bad sides of each of the three mat board types you can choose. By looking deeply into each, you can begin to determine which mat board will be right for you.
Acidic Pulp: Paper Matboard
Thanks to its wood pulp, paper matboarding has a high acid level. Most businesses will tell you their paper matboard is somehow acid free, but that's impossible whenever there's any quantity of wood pulp present. What these companies do is buffer the surface of their mat boarding, which reduces the acid levels for a time. In five years, that acid level will be through the roof once more -- this means that unless you don't mind risking serious damage to your paintings, it's best to use these matboards temporarily.
On the positive side, paper matboard is also cheap.
Archiving With Cost: Cotton Rag Matboard
The purified cotton rag matboard is ideal for keeping painting fresh and maintaining their beauty for years on end. Since it's lignin and acid free, there are no concerns like the paper matboard, but on the negative side this limits the colors you can choose from for the board. The cotton rag matboard is crafted from a series of dyed layered cotton boards, which produces a thick base that is uniform.
The problem with cotton rag matboard is its expensive price tag. For much less than a single cotton rag, you could pick up two paper matboards. The question you have to answer is whether you want something that will be permanent or something that will ruin itself in a few years.
Somewhere In Between: Alpha Cellulose Matboard
Matboarding of the alpha cellulose variety features wooden fibers which are doused with chemicals that will lower acid levels to safe quantities. The matboards themselves are nicely stable, and work great for archiving those paintings you need to keep permanently.
The alpha cellulose provides a medium level between the paper and the cotton rag, being cheap but not too cheap for conservation, and good for archiving but not perfect.
Using This Information
Do you want a matboard for art you purchased in the budget section of a dollar store? If that's the case, then you should definitely pick up a paper matboard, which will be cheap and hold up for about as long as you'll want something like that on your walls.
For your more important pieces, though, it's definitely worth the extra money to store your beautiful paintings for long term viewing. That extra cash will pay for itself by protecting the stuff you want to look at forever: the art that inspires you to dream on a daily basis.
Acidic Pulp: Paper Matboard
Thanks to its wood pulp, paper matboarding has a high acid level. Most businesses will tell you their paper matboard is somehow acid free, but that's impossible whenever there's any quantity of wood pulp present. What these companies do is buffer the surface of their mat boarding, which reduces the acid levels for a time. In five years, that acid level will be through the roof once more -- this means that unless you don't mind risking serious damage to your paintings, it's best to use these matboards temporarily.
On the positive side, paper matboard is also cheap.
Archiving With Cost: Cotton Rag Matboard
The purified cotton rag matboard is ideal for keeping painting fresh and maintaining their beauty for years on end. Since it's lignin and acid free, there are no concerns like the paper matboard, but on the negative side this limits the colors you can choose from for the board. The cotton rag matboard is crafted from a series of dyed layered cotton boards, which produces a thick base that is uniform.
The problem with cotton rag matboard is its expensive price tag. For much less than a single cotton rag, you could pick up two paper matboards. The question you have to answer is whether you want something that will be permanent or something that will ruin itself in a few years.
Somewhere In Between: Alpha Cellulose Matboard
Matboarding of the alpha cellulose variety features wooden fibers which are doused with chemicals that will lower acid levels to safe quantities. The matboards themselves are nicely stable, and work great for archiving those paintings you need to keep permanently.
The alpha cellulose provides a medium level between the paper and the cotton rag, being cheap but not too cheap for conservation, and good for archiving but not perfect.
Using This Information
Do you want a matboard for art you purchased in the budget section of a dollar store? If that's the case, then you should definitely pick up a paper matboard, which will be cheap and hold up for about as long as you'll want something like that on your walls.
For your more important pieces, though, it's definitely worth the extra money to store your beautiful paintings for long term viewing. That extra cash will pay for itself by protecting the stuff you want to look at forever: the art that inspires you to dream on a daily basis.
About the Author:
For centuries, artists have turned to wooden photo frames to showcase their best pieces. Classy, elegant -- two descriptions that have become synonymous with these natural works. Purchase a personalized photo frame and see for yourself what it can do for your gallery. Always purchase from realiable sites to ensure the quality you desire.
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