Foam board

Karen Potje <kpotje [at] cca__qc__ca> writes

>I have been asked by our exhibition design department to find a
>rigid, light-weight opaque panel that can be used to form the front
>wall of a large vitrine which will have windows cut in it for
>viewing the objects. ...
>...
>What we need, I think, is a material similar to Gator board (which I
>been told may release formaldehyde).

You might wish to investigate a material called Coroplast.  A
polyethylene corrugated panel considered safe for use in museum
settings.  I'm not sure how well it will take paint.  Talk with the
people at Cadillac Plastics 1-800-488-8211).  It's cutable with a
knife and could be laminated for strength.  Also investigate
exterior grade MDF and MDO boards.  Exterior grade products are
usually free of formaldehyde.  They will be a bit more difficult to
cut but much stronger and more rigid, will accept paint readily.  A
template could be made for your windows and the openings could be
cut quickly with a router.

George Cannon
Preparator
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
607-254-4617


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 14:18
               Distributed: Thursday, September 14, 2000
                       Message Id: cdl-14-18-004
                                  ***