The Framers Forum

I’ve got a re-framing job to do - a printed map, approx 85 x 60cm. The paper map has been glued to a mountboard, which has been stuck to an undermount. A mountboard panel with an inset map, approx 37 x 29cm, has been stuck to the centre of the map (see drawing attached). So the picture actually consists of 3 layers of mountboard. There is no decorative mount and the customer doesn't want one as the map is matching another unmounted map.

It was previously framed against the glass. I was planning to use spacers to keep it away from the glass, but now that it’s no longer sandwiched between the glass and the backboard, it’s become quite badly bowed.

If I glue it to a piece of new mountboard to try and flatten it, I feel that over a period of time, that too would bow. So I’m wondering whether to fix it directly to a rigid MDF backboard, either with glue or double-sided tape.

I’ve tested whether the existing undermount could be removed but it doesn’t come away easily so I think I’d better leave it.

Any suggestions as to how best to deal with the bowing would be very welcome.

Rainbow wrote:It was previously framed against the glass.

Is it valuable? It sounds like as though it probably isn't - and if it once was then all this sandwiching has anyway likely made it worthless. Just reassemble the frame as it was before.

Not everything needs 'conservation' framing.

Thanks, James. It's not valuable in monetary terms but it's to go in a community building - the map was hand-drawn and printed a couple of decades ago by a member of the community and it would be expected to last for at least another few generations, if not forever, depending on how long forever is.

Use acrylic then.

Have you considered making and then print a new digital copy of the map?