WHAT IS A MUSEUM QUALITY MAT?

There are two kinds of mats that are considered to be archival. The first is alpha cellulose board which is a natural cellulose board that has been chemically altered, cleaned and buffered to remain stable and safe for artwork. Alpha cellulose board comes in a wide range of colors. Most alpha cellulose boards have a bright white core.

The other type of conservation board is rag board. Rag board is made from 100% cotton. Acid and lignin-free, it is stable, safe and strong. Rag board has been used for generations with great success to protect artwork in museums and fine collections. Traditionally, rag board was available in a few shades of white and grey, but today rag boards are available with a huge variety of surface colors, having white or cream cores.

WHAT WE HAVE

• RISING MUSEUM MATBOARD
  
• CRESCENT MUSEUM RAG MAT
  
• BAINBRIDGE ALPHAMAT
  

  Rising Museum Matboard: Our very best 100% rag board, Rising Museum Matboard is available in 12 colors. This board is fully four ply thick. (Some of the colors are available in 8 ply as well.) It is dense and strong with no impurities. We count on it for good clean sharp bevels, smooth finish and a strong, somewhat rigid structure that isn't likely to warp or bend in the frame. It costs more than some of the others, but since we know we can trust it, this is the board we use for most of our museum mounting.

  Crescent Museum Rag Mat: A beautiful line of solid rag mats with an incredible range of surface colors. There are deep blues and greens, rich reds, yellows and purples, and plenty of pastel shades as well as the traditional whites, off whites and greys. It is this extensive color range that has persuaded so many people to choose rag mats for their framing. 15 years ago, if you wanted a colored mat on your picture, you had to choose between color and quality. Now you can have both with Crescent's Museum Rag Mats. The Crescent 1500 and 1600 series mats have white cores, while the 1700's have antique cream cores that settle more comfortably onto dark and antique papers.

  Bainbridge Alphamat: Bainbridge has made a technological breakthrough with their new ARTCARE line of mats. Embedded in the boards are micro chambers that trap pollutants which can cause damage to artwork. In this way, these boards help to extend the life of the artwork. This technology is being used to reformulate the way Bainbridge produces the entire Alphamat line. Photographs respond well to this MicroChamber Technology which prevents accelerated yellowing. These mats are acid and lignin-free and are buffered to maintain an alkaline pH. Creative Framing uses Alphamat Artcare boards for mounting photographs.

  (Please note that this site is for your information only – we hope that one day we will be able to provide you with the ability to order online. As of now, we can only cater to our in-store clients. We are however always more than happy to answer any questions you may have, so if you would like, give us a call at (434)-295-5426 or e-mail us at mail@artboxvirginia.com !)

  updated-6-29-2009