Properly Preserving Your Projects Using Matboard

When you're matting and framing one of your photographs, a print or other flat piece of art, the value of the item should be taken into consideration. In addition, you should consider whether the finished piece will be used for decoration or if you might also want to preserve it because it has historic or intrinsic value.

 Fortunately, if you're framing something for use as a part of your home decor, you have a variety of choices for matting. Mats come in a wide selection of colors and materials, and can feature textures created by suede, velvet or fabric. Choosing an outer mat that is complimented by a mat that features a different color or texture, or making selective decorative cuts on the outer edge of the matting can provide you with a piece of art with a completely unique style.

 Although these approaches may make your selected art look great, they may also compromise your ability to preserve the piece and can lead to damage over time. This is why you need to understand and consider the value of the piece to be matted and framed before choosing the materials and style of your display. Matting should be chosen based on it's ability to preserve and protect when using it to frame a valuable piece of art. Material used to make the matboard should be acid-free, lignin-free and has an inherently neutral balance of acidity and alkalinity. Keep in mind that a mat that has a neutral pH should not simply be buffered to make it neutral.

Acid mat burn is characterized by yellow or brown staining that begin to develop on the edges of the piece, where the mat lays on the art. If this is combined with a backing on the piece that is acidic, the stains can migrate throughout the piece of art. The damage caused by mat burn isn't limited to discoloration either, because it also makes the art's paper brittle and prone to additional damage, easy ripping and general decomposition.