I recently came across an intriguing product available from an artists’ support manufacturer based in the UK: A cradled wood painting panel of typical readymade construction (plywood front with strips of wood glued to make the cradle), but these also included an aluminum frame attached to the back inside the cradle. My question is whether this aluminum frame would actually be helpful in preventing warping as well as preventing stresses on the painting surface, or not, or worse yet lead to even more longterm problems than would be posed by a typical wood panel? (When working on wood panels now, I always mount a piece linen over the surface with ph neutral PVA before painting, in case that changes any considerations regarding stability of the paint layers.)Aesthetically I like the idea of these better than a wood cradled ACM panel, since all of the material on the exposed sides would be wood rather than a combination of wood, aluminum, and plastic. They’re also a bit less expensive than the cradled ACM panels available, but quite a bit more expensive than most available cradled wood panels. Shipping would also be pricey, since only this UK company appears to make the product and I’m based in the US.
Hi Koo,
Thanks for the quick response!
“the materials will move (or, in the case of aluminum, not move) at varying rates, which creates tension between the materials; that stress has to go somewhere, and it can end up in the paint film and cause it to crack.”
That’s where my mind was going as well, re: possibly having more longterm issues than an all wood panel.
Here are the products, they make two types.
https://www.artistsurfaces.co.uk/product-page/test-wooden-panel-length-20cm
https://www.artistsurfaces.co.uk/product-page/studio-wooden-panel-length-20cm
Thanks for your thoughts Koo! I’ll give that support preparation a try on my next batch of small panels.
It’s difficult to predict the stability of a panel because it’s dependent on so many factors (panel size, number of layers of ground/paint/etc. on each dimension, environmental factors, etc.). With that caveat in mind, I’m not generally a fan of panels made from several, very different materials (such as wood and aluminum) – the materials will move (or, in the case of aluminum, not move) at varying rates, which creates tension between the materials; that stress has to go somewhere, and it can end up in the paint film and cause it to crack.
Another recent posts discusses this issue; see https://www.artcons.udel.edu/mitra/forums/question?QID=11096
Can you provide a link to the product? If I could see it I’d understand it better and perhaps could comment more effectively.
Koo Schadler
I looked them up, it’s hard to say if they’re a good idea or not. I think it’s better to attach aluminum to plywood than to solid wood (plywood is generally more stable); still, I’d stay away from adhering such different materials to each other. A fairly stable option is a thick-as-you-can-manage (¾ to 1″), high quailty, plywood panel with cloth on the facing, sides and back coated with housepaint to prevent moisture from entering in. Not a perfect solution, but there are none.
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