Hi All,
any suggestion on how to float mount a print without using anything that might damage its back?
What material do you use to keep it floated?
Thanks

Depends on size but Habitat do some good ones and you can change the background colour

Deionised water dude. No minerals in it.

There are some really good earlier theads on this if you do some searching. I'd recommending finding those, very helpful to me personally.

But as iamzero indicates, the consensus is Japanese paper hinges with wheat paste starch made with di water.

I have several new prints I would like to get framed, I'd like to ask for some opinions on float mounting versus matt framing of prints.
I'm leaning towards float mounting all my prints for the following reasons, some of them have some value and although I would like to think I would hang on to them forever that is not always possible. Tastes change as do financial situations and therefore there may be a time I will want to sell.

We often see on this forum when a seller is looking to sell or trade a print that has a mount covering some portion of the paper, potential buyers ask "can you take it out the frame?". I myself have shied away from prints that are matt mounted as i've had concern regarding the condition. If a print is framed and has part of the print covered the by a matt frame then isn't the potential to have some discoloration between the exposed print and the covered print. What is the likely hood of having discoloration even if the print is framed using uv glass or plexi?

There is a gallery in my town specializes in modern art, Lichenstein, Warhol, Hirst, Banksy, J, Johns etc and will only float mount its prints. I'd be interested to hear thoughts on float mounting versus covering the print with a mount. Whats the potential for damage and what their views are.

Buyers are going to want to inspect it out of the frame regardless. They'd want to see the back, and how it's mounted (e.g., tape vs Japanese paper hinges etc).

I prefer a float with any work that has unique or decked edges. You'd want to show that off. Floats can sometimes get wavy, but that's never bothered me. It is something you'd avoid with a matted print though.

A real proper framer will be able to use either method and preserve your art to conservation standard. Problems of discoloration from matting can be reduced using UV glass and keeping the work out of direct sunlight.

...woooah there a minute. I happen to think that deckled edges are special, especially if they are genuinely deckled and not just torn. They reveal the mold making process of the paper to some extent. The deckle part itself is thin organic in form and light. The papers edge peters out gently rather than coming to an abrupt stop. It is not suited to all prints, but when it is, they're awesome.

are the deckled edges on todays prints machine made to appear deckled or is the paper produced that way on a deckle to begin with?

Covered this a few times but will repeat because improper framing and or mounting can be a killer and often is. For me there are two acceptable ways to frame a print:

1) Archival corners - These corners hold the print in place with zero adhesives at all. I always use this method when I want to mat. The mat covers the corners and and I have it raised up off of the print (using a second thicker or double layer mat offset behind it) so there is zero contact. As mentioned, even archival mats can cause unwanted damage to prints when in contact with the print over extended periods of time including denting, impression of the mat edge on the print and very often discoloration from black or colored mats.

2) Paper or Japanese Hinges: This is how I have most of my prints framed and as most already know involves a archival paper hinge using wheat or rice paste to fasten the print to the hinge which can be mounted directly to board backing or threaded through a slot in the board and fastened to the back of it for easier removal.

I'd also be very cautious of the term "Floating" as it has many meanings to different framers and for this reason the term should just not be used unless you and your framer have a complete understanding of their definition of "floating". For many framers this involves raising the print off of the mounting board or backing using several adhesive posts. In almost every instance I have seen this, the adhesives were NOT archival or fully reversible and resulted in damage, not to mention deforming the print from the non uniform posts raising the print in selected spots and not over the entire back of the print area. There are many ways to avoid this but just require a bit more work. One is to have the actual mount board inset from the print area a bit and then have this raised up and mounted to your desired color backing. For me personally I just use the method above in step #2 and have the hinges on the upper portion of the print so it hangs a bit over the backing and still gives a slight "floating" effect.

Note: Lineco makes a few water based and pressure sensitive mounting products that are also archival and fully reversible. I know a few top people using these as well and have had no issues.

With all the processes above I always use Tru Vue Optium Museum Acrylic which protects 99% of UV and drastically reduces glare and reflections. If the Museum is over the budget I'd go with the Optium Acrylic or an equivalent that gives at least 93% protection or if glass doesn't worry you, the Optium Conservation Clear Glass.

Great info!  Is there a rule of thumb on what should be floated? Does larger prints work well with floating?

Thanks!

Gorgeous framing example.

If your pieces are 1k+ in value and can be floated properly, always go with the float. Sure, buyers may want to inspect it out of the frame, but most will be satisfied with an inspection of the whole piece floated. If you wanna be extra careful, you can keep the receipt from your framer to provide documentation of proper framing.

Personally, I always go for the float when the piece is an investment, but if you wanna go hog wild on some matting that's perfectly ok to. I love a crazy frame/mat combination, and if I need to sell a piece I can always have it removed before the sale.

Has anyone had any luck with diy float mounting? I'm trying my first on the new Faile 150 print and am currently waiting for the wheatpasted japanese paper hinges to dry. The bottom of the print has a fair amount of curl and I'm now wondering what you do if it doesn't even flatten, from days of having books on top of it. Does a typical float mounted print have a bottom that curls upward? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

I never get anything framed for at least a few months...letting the paper fibres 'relax' naturally is a must. I did rush one once and after a month or so framed, ends curled upwards quite drastically...

House humidity/heat/cold also has an effect sometimes on float mounting!