Thread: S2S tempered masonite/hardboard in Australia

This guy (recollect his name as Rob, but that may be wrong) - About Us | Australian Door Cards - imports a hardboard product for his vehicle door card business. I don't know the specification of the material, but like you he was unable to source the quality of product that he needed in Australia. A stable, tempered product was important to him, as it is to you.

Originally Posted by aldav

This guy (recollect his name as Rob, but that may be wrong) - About Us | Australian Door Cards - imports a hardboard product for his vehicle door card business.

I checked his site - he doesn't seem to use the S2S masonite - the pictures show it has a rough side.

Not available in Australia to the best of my knowledge. We used to run the ruff side through a sander for a couple of our customers.

What a great idea. I have previously used ordinary masonite and tried to seal the back. There's so much extra surface area and it's like a sponge.

Yes, the rough side is a sponge. Even the smooth side is very absorbent. I have never seen hardboard smooth both sides. I was going to suggest gluing two pieces together so you have the two smooth faces but that will be almost 10mm thick and starting to be heavy and expensive (twice the cost plus glue and time). I would go with Rustynail's suggestion as your best best, but there may be a limitation on the width depending on who has a large (>600mm say) belt sander and what your requirements are exactly.

Regards
Paul

PS: If you glued two sheets together you would be able to use thinner sheet material such as is used for underlay, but I don't know if this is available in a tempered product. If you were using oil based paint it may not be an issue.

Years ago a company I worked for making doors, used tempered masonite/hardboard we sealed the back with PVA via a paint roller seemed to work well.

Originally Posted by bcp

Does anyone know where I can get this in Australia?

S2S = smooth both sides. Tempered = treated for moisture resistance.

I can get 4.8mm tempered masonite but only smooth on one side. I want to use it for oil painting panels for art. As often happens it seems to be available in USA, but can't find it here. I would prefer the 3mm but I'll take what I can get.

Must be my woodworking background - much prefer painting on wood than canvas. Stability is really important both in terms of expansion/contraction, susceptibility moisture and chemically so it doesn't interfere with paints over time. I

Have you also asked this question in art circles and art forums?

I am sure you are not the only artist in Australia who prefers to paint on panels.

Secondly, why do you need a smooth obverse side. I presume you are not going to paint both sides. Is it just presentation?

Laminex stopped supplying this material about 20 years ago in Australia. What i can remember about it the most was its weight.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Have you also asked this question in art circles and art forums?

I am sure you are not the only artist in Australia who prefers to paint on panels.

Secondly, why do you need a smooth obverse side. I presume you are not going to paint both sides. Is it just presentation?

Yes, but the available boards are smaller than I use. And you do pay a premium!

It's purely for conservation reasons. Paintings that last are all about chemistry and movement and moisture and UV and temperature changes... The smooth surface on the back is much easier to seal and avoid moisture absorption. A bit more pH neutral PVA or similar will solve it. They make the S2S in the US but I've kind of settled that it isn't worth the effort here. A couple of good suggestions above for addressing it.