Foam Board

Foam boards, like mount-boards, are used for mounting and also as supports for professional presentation of artworks

. The major deference in the two boards is the make-up and thickness, which inevitably dictate the variations in their usage. Foam Boards, also known as Foam Core, derived its name from the fact that the lightweight boards sandwiched an equal-sized Styrofoam. Or you could say it is a piece of Styrofoam covered with cardboards on both sides to make foam-centred boards. The boards can be either plastic or paper, with foam centre, to prevent it from warping. The downside to the use of form board is that they cannot be archival or use to preserve work over long periods of time. This is due to the fact that the large part of it is made out of polystyrene that naturally decomposes over time.

However, the issue of longevity or work preservation is not a problem for certain creative professionals who use the foam boards more than anyone else. Graphic Designers uses foam boards mainly for presentation of works that are either destined for mass print production or digital/electronic distributions. Architects also uses the foam boards for constructing models of their final creations and if the models are to be kept, Architects have preservation coatings that they use to maintaining the models along with glass encasing to shield the models from atmospheric pressures that ages the boards.

Foam Boards are made into three different categories:

The Originals Foam Boards -

These are the original foam boards coated on the surface with acidic substances to improve its appearance in contrast to ordinary mount boards.

The Acid Free Foam Boards -

These are made as an alternative to the above coated foam boards. Offering a more environmentally friendly option that still has the thickness of the above.

The Super Thick Foam Boards -

These are basically the original foam boards but are much thicker than the original foam boards.

There are various techniques used in the process of mounting artworks or photos unto the Foam Boards. The Original technique involved laying the foam board out on the tabletop. The artwork/photo is then positioned on top of the foam board, preferably at the centre. An acid-free tape is attached to the artwork/photo at the right, left, top and bottom margins. The second technique is the process of using acid-free Corner self-adhesives.

Inserting the self-adhesive in all corners of the artwork/photo -

The artwork/photo, with self-adhesives at the back, is then attached to the foam board. The use of Corner self-adhesive is the technique most preferred by many, if not all, of the museums across the world. The Dry Mounting technique is the process of attaching artwork/photo permanently to the foam boards. With the foam board on the tabletop, the dry-mounting adhesive is applied on both the foam board and the artwork/photo. As appropriate pressure is applied to the foam board, high temperature is also introduced so that the adhesive can heat-up to create a bond between the artwork and the foam board.

Wet Mounting is basically the opposite of the dry mounting. This technique is employed, when the application of heat is not practical. Wet glue or an adhesive paste is applied instead to the foam board. The artwork/photo is then placed immediately on the foam board. Pressure is applied by using a large piece of glass over the foam board. A period of between 8 to 24 hours is required for the foam board to be completely dry. Another alternative to wet mounting is Spray Adhesive, which is applied to the artwork/photo and then placed carefully on a designated position on the foam board. Smoothing out from the centre ensures that the artwork/photo is evenly position on the foam board.

by: Mark Glendale

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