Thinking of changing many of my black mouldings to polymer

[Not your average framer]

I stock and use some very durable black mouldings with a smooth black surface coating on a regular basis, but they can chip when cut and if they do, then they need a little bit of fixing with a black wax based filler. This works quite well, but it takes time and even sometimes can create unexpected wastage, if the chip is too big and I need to cut a replcement length of moulding.

Unfortunately my experiences with different varieties of smooth finished black moulding have not always been ideal. Some finishes can be quite soft and mark too easily, some can have inconsistent wood quality leading to wastage, while others can chip when cut on a Morso. So I'm looking for an easy solution and thinking of changing many of my stock of basic black mouldings to polymer mouldings.

I already stock some polymer mouldings, but I'm thinking of offering polymer mouldings as my normal stock for smooth finished black mouldings and not using my existing smooth black gesso coated mouldings in the future.

My thinking is to simplify the work process, save time and avoid touching up corners ever again.

Is this sound thinking, or do I need to reconsider?

Has anyone else done this?

What are the pros and cons?

Thanks in anticipation.
Mark

[An Old Master]

Where plain black is required, I've been using mainly gloss polymer for a few years now, but wasn't happy with the quality until the superior versions, like Minerva and Polcore came along. They're slightly susceptible to fine scratching, but as long as you take care they're fine.

[stcstc]

i dont use a lot of polymer but have used a couple of blacks, one with a dlight brushed texture and one smooth

i have still found on occasion the need for minor touchups on them too

my most popular moulding would be a wood open grain paint finished black and a white, i find they need way less touchup, and generally a waterbased marker solves any issues

in my small experience of polymers, i find they take longer to use, which out weighs the purchase cost benefit, so i dont offer them much at all

[Not your average framer]

That's what I was thinking, but they are certainly more prone to opening at the corners as the wedges are inserted. Also for larger items such as posters, I tend to use a heavier backing board such as Brittania's CombCor, which is 5mm thick. This is to stiffen the whole package and give more support to the frame and the glass.

I don't have any objections to CombCor, it's good stuff and I keep it in stock, because in is useful to have around, but the added price is not always good when customers are working to a restricted budget and I don't want to lower my profit margin.

Also for larger frames, the mitres can easily be broken if not handled very carefully until the glass and backing are in place.

[Graysalchemy]

I use either aquadia 51716700 black or the centrado eqivalent (though you need to but 100m to get decent price. i also use 150167000 for a narrow black. they all cut well for me. I don't like polymer much and tend not to use it even for commercial jobs as it isn't much cheaper than wood and it isn't as robust.

[stcstc]

the one i use is

453000167

which is cheap as chips really, i can buy it about 15% cheaper locally but not quite as good quality

[Not your average framer]

Hi Stcstc,

Yes, I would agree. They probably do take longer to use, but I would like to permenantly get away from the hassles of chipped gesso in the future.

Like you, I also like the better looking open grain painted wood mouldings. In my locality there are some very old homes which are commonly hundreds of years old. Many are little cottages, or barn conversions, so naturnal wood grain in combination with painted, aged and distressed finishes are very popular.

There were some interesting new mouldings with interesting open wood grain finishes from Simons at the spring fair this year. I ordered some very promising samples and after the show, when I needed to order a batch of bare wood mouldings, I ordered a few lengths of some of the new Somerset range. I think you may find they are worth checking out! There are three different colours, which are very nice, but I'll be adding a few different finishes of my own as well, to try and increase customer interest.

Recently, I have been selling more modern shapes of painted wood mouldings than I usually do and I'm planning on displaying more of these in my shop, as this seems to be becoming "where it's at" for many customers. Modern moulding styles in a more natural, non-manufactured look and feel are being increasingly popular with many customers and this is becoming increasingly significant for me at this time.

I'm re-thinking the mouldings which I will stock in future as I usually do at this time of year. I suspect that the storm damage around here may make life more difficult this year, so I need some particularly unresistable stock and mouldings to help make the most of whatever may be ahead.

Handfinished framing and cleaning and restoration work has really made a big difference, so far in an otherwise not very exciting winter. I'm looking particularly keenly at our budget end work as I think that some well thought out changes in this area could sharpen things up a little and hopefully do us a bit of good.

[Graysalchemy]

i use 453167000 as well, bought a box by mistake lasted me a good year

[Not your average framer]

Thanks guys! I think that I need to find a catalogue and check out some of these numbers.

[stcstc]

box lasted you a year

i go through a couple of boxes a month i reckon lol

[Kwik Picture Framing]

We use alot of black polymer, and artcore moulding, its good quality, cheap and easy to cut.

[DCS]

We have gone through three boxes of Black Polcore since December, One 28mm & two 40mm. Sells easily, cuts easily and joins easily.

[Not your average framer]

That's kind of what I was thinking!

[Graysalchemy]

stc said "I go through a couple of boxes a month I reckon lol"

I try and use something more expensive

[stcstc]

yea well i am a cheapskate

[An Old Master]

You heard it here first folks!

[stcstc]

nah have said it way more times elsewhere

[Graysalchemy]

I agree

He has and he is

[An Old Master]

Sorry, it's the first time I'd heard it, but thanks for the confirmation.

[prospero]

A lot of black wood mouldings look like plastic so why not use plastic.

I haven't used a smooth black moulding for years. If I want a thin black moulding I grab a bit of ash. Painting it black takes less time than filling in chippy corners.