What is Foam Board?

Foam board consists of a thick inner core composed of polystyrene with clay coated papers on either side.  It is considered ideal for the mounting and backing of artwork.  It also acts as a light, sturdy substrate for creating stability in the frame.  More than 90% of frame jobs involving art on paper have foam board in them.

The clay coated surface papers of regular foam board are slightly acidic, albeit not nearly as acidic as their predecessor, corrugated cardboard, which was used widely in picture framing until foam board supplanted it in the early 1980’s.  The slight acidity of regular foam board is not considered an issue in most frame jobs involving easily reproducible art such as posters, digital prints, or open-ended editions of any kind.

For limited edition prints and original art acid free foamboard incorporates buffered surface papers.  It is commonly used in conservation and archival framing as performed by commercial frame shops.

The offgassing of foam board (the slow release of gas that was trapped in the material during manufacture) can be a concern for museums and others framing extremely valuable, long term art but is generally not considered significant enough to pose a threat for art designed to be hung for just a few generations.

Foam board can be difficult to cut without the proper tools.  Cutting foam board with a hand held box cutter or utility knife can result in tearing and gouging of the foam center.  Handheld foam board cutters perform well, as do mat cutting systems like the 750 Simplex Plus Mat Cutter, which as a tool for quickly measuring and cutting foam board has few peers. 

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