The mat board is the piece of your wooden photo frames that will support your picture. It’s important to look at the good and bad sides of each of the three mat board types you can choose. By looking deeply into each, you can begin to determine which mat board will be right for you.

Problematic But Cheap: Paper Matboard

Essentially crafted from wood pulp, paper matboard is well known for its acidic traits. Though some companies say they are acid free, this is not actually true — if there is wood pulp involved, there will naturally be acid. What companies mean when they say this is that they’ve buffered the pulp so the acid level is less on the surface, but in five years or so that acid count will bounce back and damage your picture — paper matboard is really only good to store things on a temporary basis.

On the positive side, paper matboard is also cheap.

Archiving With Cost: Cotton Rag Matboard

If you’re looking for something to keep great paintings perfect for the long haul, then cotton rag is what you need. The colors of the matboard are limited due to being acid and lignin free, but this is also what keeps the pH levels so low. Cotton rag matboard is essentially a bunch of layered cotton boards, which creates a nice and thick base, and since it’s dyed it looks like one piece.

The problem with cotton rag matboard is its expensive price tag. For much less than a single cotton rag, you could pick up two paper matboards. The question you have to answer is whether you want something that will be permanent or something that will ruin itself in a few years.

Wood Fiber Crafted: Alpha Cellulose Matboard

Matboarding of the alpha cellulose variety features wooden fibers which are doused with chemicals that will lower acid levels to safe quantities. The matboards themselves are nicely stable, and work great for archiving those paintings you need to keep permanently.

The price is manageable as well, which makes this matboard a nice choice for those not wanting to spend too much money, but willing to blow enough to keep their materials safe for the foreseeable future.

Using This Information

How important is keeping a low price when it comes to the safety of your art? It’s perfectly acceptable to go cheap and pick up a paper matboard for art you’re not crazy about, or paintings you can see yourself getting rid of in a few years.

If you’d rather archive a piece that means a lot to you, that inspires you, then alpha cellulose or cotton rag matboard will handle the job. Though you’ll be spending more cash, over time that extra money will pay off in the form of an intact, gorgeous piece of art.

Artists and collectors have used wooden photo frames for centuries to keep their art pieces, and the result has always been a mixture of elegance and practical use. Why setlle for less when you can purchase wooden picture frames and see for yourself? Make sure you get the best quality by purchasing one from a site you are familiar with.