Foam board backing board

[John]

When using a foam board as backing on a large piece I'm not happy about fixing it with staples, specially. as is often the case, it sits proud of the back. I feel that with time the staples will just pull through the flimsy foam.

Apart from covering the foam board with MDF. or some other more resilient material, and stapling through that, is there a way to securely fix this backing?

[osgood]

John,
I use a pneumatic tab gun and place the tabs about 2.5 to 3 inches apart. Don't fire them through the foamboard. Fire them on top of the foamboard then bend them down with something like a dowel.
Been doing that for about 15 years now.

[Not your average framer]

I've never liked the idea of staples in framing at all. I was trained in a workshop where they are used all the time. They created dust where they punch the the edge of the backing board. They look like a mass produced, or contract framing job and often leave a real mess when they have to be removed. They are of course far faster than points or tabs, but not nice to my mind.

I like the Fletcher's short "glazers" points, very neat to tape over and no damaged edges to boards, but maybe the longer "framers" points would be better on softer backing boards.
Cheers,
Mark

[markw]

flexible tabs - bent around the board - problem being the soft nature of foamcore - tabs will crush the board if pressed hard enough to get any real pressure on the board - I always use this method on hard backs - but wouldnt do so on foamcore. Lion sell thin brass plates that can be bent to allow for the protruding board - screwed into place, the large suface area of the plate accomodates the soft board surface giving a neat and practical finish

[osgood]

Mark,
As I said before I have been using tabs for about 15 years with great success. The proof is in the proverbial pudding. You can have any doubbts you like but it does work really well. Drop in some time and I'll give you a demo.
When the foamboard protrudes up to three quarters it's thickness out the back, a small plastic roller can be used at 45 degrees along the edge to squash it slightly to make a bevel on the edge. This makes taping the back (which is what most Aussie framers do) much neater.

[John]

Thank for the help guys.

Never thought of the roller, Ormond.
Do you use it in situ, or before placing the back into the frame?

[osgood]

John,
I use it before putting it into the frame. The tabs go in before putting the foamboard in too!

[kev@frames]

John,
I use it before putting it into the frame. The tabs go in before putting the foamboard in too!

we use one of those 40mm (inch and a half) hard wallpapering seam rollers to slim down the edges of foamcore and corricor/artbak and it seems to work very well 99% of the time.

when the boss is looking Tom and Al have even been known to use a straight edge to make it look particularly neat