Conservation Mat Board is an excellent archival mat board. It is a less expensive alternative to our wide range of 100% Cotton Museum Boards. Our Conservation Mat Board is made from a highly refined alpha-cellulose pulp that is made from stringently purified wood fiber, and is therefore more economical to manufacture than 100% Cotton Museum Board, yet it carries with it the same stable, acid-free, long-lasting archival properties as our Cotton Museum Board.
We offer the conservation board in one color. Pearl White Conservation Mat Board has a slightly warmer tonality than our Bright White Museum Board. It is similar to Antique White Museum Board, yet with less of a yellow tint. The look, feel, and cutting characteristics are very similar to mat boards made from cotton pulp, and it maintains a similar lustrous surface.
The best way to determine if our Conservation Mat Board is right for you is to order our Mat Board Sample Kit, as it will allow you to make the perfect choice when it comes to the right color, thickness and material for your particular needs.
Purified wood pulp paper, such as that used in the manufacture of our Conservation Mat Board, has a long history of being safe to use with paper artwork, photographs, documents and collectibles.
This high-quality board is acid- and lignin-free, and is buffered with calcium carbonate. This ensures protection from the destructive effects of potential “acid migration” from the matted work or from environmental pollutants that might cause the pH of the mat board to decrease – become more acidic, that is – with age.
No optical brightening agents, which can cause mat boards to change color over time, are used in the manufacture of Archival Methods’ Mat Board.
Conservation Mat Board: The Specs
Archival Methods’ Conservation Mat Board comes in both 2-ply and 4-ply thicknesses, and in many standard pre-cut sizes.
We can also custom-cut this fine mat board to any size you might need. Don’t see the size you need? Order the next size up and we’ll cut the package down at no extra charge. During check out you can specify that you want board, paper, or acrylic sheets cut to a custom size under Special Instructions in the Payment section.
In a nutshell, here’s what our Conservation Mat Board is all about:
• it is made from high-quality alpha-cellulose pulp from purified wood fiber
• 2-ply board measures in at a 30-point thickness (approximately 1/32’’)
• 4-ply board measures in at a 60-point thickness (approximately 1/16’’)
• the single ply sheets are laminated together using an all-natural starch adhesive
• all boards are acid-free / buffered with a 2-3% calcium carbonate alkaline reserve / with a pH of 9 ±0.5
• alkaline sizing is used for both internal and external sizing / no alum is used in the manufacturing process
• all color dyes are light-fast and non-bleeding
• this high-quality mat board will not degrade or cause harm to mounted or matted artwork
If you’re looking for a high-quality acid-free mat board with similar archival characteristics of 100% Cotton Museum Board, please consider Archival Methods’ fine Conservation Mat Board. It’s available in the sizes and thicknesses you need – including custom sizes – and can be ordered in packages of uncut board or selected in any custom mat cutting you would like us to perform for you.
And by the way, we would be happy to cut any sort of professional-quality acid-free mat you would like.
White mat boards have small tonal shifts in color that cannot be reproduced accurately on computer screens, as each monitor will display colors differently depending on its calibration. To make the best selection regarding the color of the mat board you wish to use – including our Conservation Mat Board – it is best to evaluate a mat board sample and your artwork together under the same lighting conditions. Order our Mat Board Sample Kit to see our full range of colors and thicknesses available.
Updated: April 2022
Contact Us
If you have any additional questions on preserving your collections, or would you like more information on any of our museum-quality archival storage and presentation materials, please contact us here at Archival Methods. We’re always there to help with any archiving, storage, or presentation questions you may have.
