The Framers Forum

Since plexiglass is inert and ph neutral, are there any reasons why not to use it as a mounting board? Basically with enough thickness it could double as a backing board also.
I have seen art face mounted to it, but what about using it this way?
Basically one would hinge the photographs to slightly smaller museum boards for float mounting effect then glue those to the plexiglas with ATG tape for example. Or even just hinge directly onto the plexi.
So the simple frame would be reduced to the top glazing, the spacers, and the plexiglas as mounting/backing board.
Transparent might look interesting, but they also come in all sorts of colors including white or black (though not sure if the colored ones are ph stable)

Thank you for your time!

I can see your reasoning and on the face of it it seems a good idea. But it does have a touch of 'reinventing the wheel'.

I can think of a few drawbacks and it's not something a conventional framer would consider, not the least on the basis of cost.


I will be interested to see what others think.

Well that's just it, the cost, it would actually be much cheaper. Well at least for me in my location. So I thought ok cheaper, check, less layers to worry about, check...now all I need to know if it's conservation.

Unfortunately, you would need to hinge directly onto the plexiglass with a fairly strong self adhesive tape to get a reliable bond to the plexiglass and that does not sound much like conservation framing to me. Also being able to look through the plexiglass at the rear of the frame to see the hinging materials does not strike me as a really smart looking presentation for the rear of a frame from a prestigious framer.

Also added to that, I don't much like plexiglass in the first place. Don't you think that a nicely finished brown backing board, finish with a really nice brown sealing tape create the impression that most discerning customer are expecting? Sorry, not for me thanks.

Not your average framer wrote:
Don't you think that a nicely finished brown backing board, finish with a really nice brown sealing tape create the impression that most discerning customer are expecting? .

Imagine a black metal frame with a black plexi backing, wouldn't that look modern and sophisticated.

I have used plexi (clear) as backing in situations where you need to see the contents of the frame, i.e. cigarette card backs.
Using it as the undermount and hinging to it is another matter.

Well, I do have to admit that I like black backing boards, but I'm not sure whether glossy black would look right, or not. Plexiglass sounds a bit expensive compared to normal backing materials. I know some framers used foam board as backing boards and you can get black foam board, which generally cost more than the normal white variety.