What is block mounting?
Block mounting (also known as display mounting) is the process of fixing a picture to a ridged backing board made from a variety of products. These include wooden MDF boards, foam core boards or polyurethane boards, all of which are available under several brand names. Block mount boards tend to be 10mm to 20mm thick.
Although the method is a comparatively inexpensive way to display pictures on your wall, it has lost popularity over the years for a number of reasons related to final quality.
Limitations of block mounting
The downside to block mounted artwork is the lack of quality in the final product. Block mounts will usually feature edges that can look unfinished or faded (especially in cases where the MDF boards absorb the black stain).
Block mounts can also leave the corner of the artwork unprotected and at great risk of damage. If there is eventual damage, the artwork is often unrepairable.
Lastly, MDF board-based block mounts tend to absorb moisture, causing them to swell and bend, even in mildly humid conditions. Find out more about minimising risks and protecting your artwork here.
Our cost-effective solution
Unlike all our other products and services, we are unable to offer a lifetime guarantee on block mounts. As a result, we no longer offer block mounting for this reason.
In place of this, our recommendation is to mount your poster or artwork using a foam core board (preferably laminated before you bring it to us) and framed with a narrow frame.
If your poster is in a standard size you can choose from our Everyday frame range which start from $79 for an A4 size frame, up to a large 70 x 100cm empty frame for $179. These frames are built using the same high-quality materials as our custom frames and can be easily fitted up yourself. If your poster is slightly larger than a standard size, we are more than happy to trim it to fit one of our frames.