Experience with "Solid Ground" polymer panels

[Richard Monro]

Hudson Highland (www.hudsonhighland.com) makes wood and "Solid Ground" polymer, archival panels for fine art use. Has anyone had any experience with the polymer panels? I work exclusively in acrylics and suspect such polymers panels might have merit, especially for those of us who are interested in the longevity of our art work. Looking forward to your comments.

[Linda Brandon]

Hi Richard, and welcome to the Forum!

I found your link very interesting and I'm going to check this out with some of my technically astute artist friends. I found the claim that this ground resists UVA damage to be especially interesting.

There is some discussion on the Forum about ABS painting grounds (ABS = acrylonitritile, butadiene and styrene) but I'm going to ask Chuck if he can come on and explain how this differs from the polyvinyl polymer resins (containing calcium carbonate and titanium dioxide) found in these Solid Ground products. I'm personally interested in all archieval studies performed on plastic grounds.

[Richard Monro]

Thanks to all for your input. I have followed up on all your suggested links. I have also contacted Hudson Highlands and asked if they can supply ASTM or other testing data to support their claims for the Solid Ground panels. I will post any data if it comes in.

Sharon, there is a solvent used for joining PVC pipes that forms an very strong. welded bond between two pieces of PVC. I suspect it will work well to mount the panel to a plexiglass box.. However, once mounted it is there to stay. Perhaps solvent welding mounting tabs to the back of the polymer panel and then mechanically attaching them to the box might be a better solution. HH claims to make surfaces specifically for pastels, but I would suggest trying out a sample before committing to a big piece. Weight will always be an issue, but it should be on a par with cradled wood panels of similar size.