The Framers Forum

We use PLK conservation or Simons Back10 for backing board, different companies seem to have different trade names for it. Basically it is the cardboard type with a water resistant coating on one side and a white acid free lining on the other.

Lately we have found that it is warping quite badly and is virtually unuseable on larger prints, we store it vertically but are now wondering if it should be stored flat. How do you store yours and has anybody found the same problem?

We realise it is supposed to be slightly bowed, but not undulating as it seems to be at the moment.

I use craft board similar but no conservation backing, which I buy by the pallet so it is stored flat. I also store all my mount board flat palleted or not.

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All my boards: mounting,mat, and backing - are stored vertically in their original shipping cartons (foam centered board, pressed paper boards, gator, polyfluted, plywood, hardboard). Cartons are for 25 - 50 - 100 depending on board.

Strange you should mention this Roger, this last week I have moved all my Simons Back10 to the shelves under the bench, as I have my Art-Bak board, Foamcore board and recently my Hotpress Stikiboard which is all "over the shop" after I stored it vertically a month or so ago I now have very little space to store work in progress.... how hum ..

We store all ours flat, on a pallet, in a dry environment.
Have you spoken to the manufacturer and see what they say. We've never had a problem with boards we use.

Everything vertical, thank you.

I use foam board as a backing and buy it in 60x40" size.

So, do I want a 'footprint' of 60x40 or 40x5? ..... Hmmmm, let me see!

In my experience this board and it's non-conservation version are just great. I stock and use both. I buy both of them by the box full and store them vertically in the box, which is longest side upright. I lean them up against the wall in my shop and I've never had any problems with this either of these boards.

The only things I can think of is: do you have any humidity or dampness problems in your premises, or are they stored too cloose to a source of heat?

Do you by any chance have a portable gas heater in the workshop?

We do all our framing on the first floor above the shop, and keep all the boards there as well. We tend to put new batches when they arrive on the landing of the first floor, so the heat will be rising from the shop floor I suppose. My thought is maybe they are slightly damp when they arrive and when they are drying out this cockling occurs?.

Like most of you space is a premium so upright is better for us, we did have the same problem with mdf as well, but lately that has been fine.

Sorry prospero forgot to mention the heating is not portable gas, we have gas central heating but no radiators anywhere near the boards, only one radiator on the first floor and that's in a different room.

I used to have an art shop and we once stocked up with a new range of watercolour paper and pads from winsor & newton. Every single sheet and pad cockled, all £2k worth!! however the Archer paper we stocked didn't. The explanation we were given was that when paper and board is manufactured it has a specific moisture content designed for the environment that it is to be sold into, so if it is being sold in a hot country it will have a different moisture content to that of this country. And that if the moisture content isn't in stasis with the enviroment it is stored in it will undulate. It may well be a batch which has got the wrong moisture content or the area in which you are storing it is damp or too dry.

Do you always have this problem or is it a one off and do you have the same problem with other stored board ie Mount board? I have got a pack of 25 sheets of Arqadia mount board which is undulating however the rest of the batch 125 sheets are all fine, same board same colour same batch.

Hope that helps.

I store my backing boards in photo storage boxes so they won't get damaged by moisture.