Mounting a Large Piece

[littlestar framer]

I need to mount a large (45x65) acrylic on 140# watercolor paper. It has 2 coats of gesso and layers of acrylic, matte medium and graphite making it fairly heavy. It can either be mounted to something a 1/4" smaller all around, or 1" larger to sort of "frame" it. Any suggestions as to what it should be mounted to and how to apply it? Thanks, Twinkle

[JFeig]

I would suggest hinging the art to a smaller sheet of 4 ply mat board. Use wheat paste and mulberry paper hinges. For a piece that size you might need 6-8 hinges along the top edge and 2-3 loose hinges on the sides and bottom edges. The key to a proper hinge is to feather the edges (tear and don't cut) and to let the hinges dry properly under weights before attempting to go any further. There is no need for linen tape.

The 4 ply board can be more agressively attached to a fabric backing or a mat board with PVA or other adhesive.

[prospero]

Hi and Welcome littlestar.

Wouldn't it be great if artists would give tiny thought to how the their work is going to be presented before they start. An old method of mounting large works on paper is to fix them to canvas and put on stretcher bars. But this should be done before the painting is done, giving the paper time to normalise with the atmos.
You could try the same method using unprimed canvas and starch paste (or diluted PVA ). It would have to be placed under even pressure for at least 24hrs. Then fix to stretchers. You would have to be very gentle with the tension - just enough to hold it flat without actually stretching it. You could just glue it to a board, but apart from the extra weight, boards warp.