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Sealing MDF

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With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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Agree with Stephen - you can certainly seal the back of the board if you'd like to, or buy the sort of frame which has its own backing board (which is quite likely to be MDF anyway).  It would be an extra protection against the possibility of damp penetration (and don't forget the edges of the board).  But fumes from MDF or hardboard are only a problem if you're cutting them in the case of MDF, or in the manufacturing process in the case of hardboard.  It's always advisable to wear a mask and eye protection if you're cutting any wood-based product, but once cut and framed your paintings won't hurt you.  

John Mccloskey

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A couple of months ago I wanted to tackle an acrylic landscape larger than I would normally paint. I used 6mm MDF 4ft by 2ft.  I sealed both sides and the edges meticulously with several coats of acrylic primer/undercoat. I worked my shed which naturally has a degree of moisture in the air - not being hermetically sealed! I enjoyed the painting process and was pleased with the result. One day however I noticed that the whole board had warped resulting in a curve along its length. I tried to rectify the problem by Gorilla gluing strips of timber on the back edges and weighting the board down flat for a couple of days. This reduced the curve somewhat but still not to my satisfaction. I did post it on the gallery and some wag advised me to say the twist in the board was my intention all along! Anyway it was a learning process and I am now using hardboard coated with white plastic on one side and well primed on the other. This after taking advice from a local professional artist.  Needless to say my 4 by 2 sits forlornly in the garage waiting to be transported to the local waste disposal centre when better times arrive! 
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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A bit late now, but that size of board, especially 6mm, required battening.  Anything thicker than 6mm would of course have been very heavy, which is why MDF isn't an ideal choice for large paintings. Hardboard warps as well - almost anything will at that sort of scale; even stretched canvas needs extra battening, usually in X's across the length of the stretchers: and even then, it can still warp, especially if not framed.  There are alternatives - some artists use a honeycombed aluminium support, which has to be professionally made, not a home construction job, because the priming has got to be exactly right or problems ensue: I've never tried this - and if you find a supplier, and take a look at the cost, you'll understand why. I don't paint on this scale - well; very, very rarely - and I wonder if we have any artists on here who do, and can advise how they've dealt with the problems? 

Alan Bickley

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Well of course anything left in a damp environment, such as a shed, will inevitably lead to problems, particularly at that size, as Robert has already pointed out! Although I don’t work at large sizes so much these days, when I have done, I’ve tended to opt for stretched canvas. I’ve got several 1000x1200mm finished paintings hanging on my wall, as I recall they are W&N and well constructed with substantial stretcher bars, extremely rigid in fact, and have still remained square and true after a fair few years. Forget MDF at large sizes, it’s not fit for purpose, that’s in any environment! Look at Hockney’s huge canvases which he produced his ‘A Bigger Picture’ series, all painted on stretched canvas. Be guided by the professionals every time, I do... Too late now of course, but worth thinking about in future!
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