Dibond Panels

[Richard Monro]

After spending time with Sharon Knettell's thread on archival polyester supports I started doing a lot of research for my next project which is a 30x56 painting. Finally I decided what were going to be the decisive properties of this largish support.

1 - hydrophobic if at all possible (except for the paint surface)
2 - archival by which I mean it does not lose support strength or sag with time.
3 - good adhesion properties for acrylic paints (the medium I am forced to work with because of reactions to almost all oil paints)
4 - mold resistant
5 - light weight, but structurally strong

Thermal expansion properties were not a consideration as most paintings (except during shipping) reside in a pretty controlled temperature environment.

I finally settled on metal sided panels. Stainless steel by Reynobond was my first choice, but after second thoughts felt it violated criteria number 5.

Dibond panels finally rose to first choice, but the polyester surface on the aluminum poses a question concerning criteria 3. I wish to work directly on the panel's baked polyester surface. Since polyester canvas takes paint so well, what about a baked polyester surface?

What has been your experiences? Thanks

[Allan Rahbek]

Originally Posted by Richard Monro

Dibond panels finally rose to first choice, but the polyester surface on the aluminum poses a question concerning criteria 3. I wish to work directly on the panel's baked polyester surface. Since polyester canvas takes paint so well, what about a baked polyester surface?

What has been your experiences? Thanks

Richard,
You could mount the polyester canvas onto the sanded polyester surface.
Use the water based glue meant for flooring linoleum, that worked fine for me when I made some small panels from Masonite and canvas.

[Richard Monro]

Allan,

Thanks for the suggestion. However, my goal is to work directly on the panel like old masters did on wood panels. I have talked to Golden Paints and they recommend a 1:2 mixture of GAC100 with gesso as a primer. None the less my question is, Can one paint directly on the baked polyester surface? Will the paint adhere well like it does on poly canvas?

[Allan Rahbek]

You could also mount a thin Masonite onto the Dibond, that would give you the option of priming with acrylic gesso.

[Richard Bingham]

Modern polyester coatings are pretty much inert. The only problem you'll encounter with the "factory finish" on Dibond panels is adhesion of subsequent paint films. I'd recommend thoroughly scuffing the surface with a fine scotchbrite pad and simply settling in to begin painting.

Naturally, if you're really interested in "archival permanence", I'd recommend that you perform some short-term tests to your own satisfaction. I would not think an acrylic coating would be a good interface between Dibond and oil paint.

Other than the similar chemistry, there's really no correlation between polyester textiles and polyester coatings . . . rather the way that acrylic artists' colors, acrylic fiber and acrylic sheet (plexiglas) are quite dissimilar substances.

[Richard Monro]

Richard,

Thanks for the reminder about archival permanence. I was so focused on the fact that sign painters letter directly to the surface that I was overlooking this weightier issue.

Museum curators consider Dibond panels as archival and it fulfills all of my other criteria. Yet despite my searching, I have been unable to find any information concerning direct paint adhesion properties. I guess I will go with Golden's recommendations about applying a GAC100/gesso ground first.