How do you guys keep mat board, mount board, form core board clean and flat?

[tkamiya]

This is more of a question to guys/gals who don't have dedicated lab/office/workspace for supplies.

I am starting to accumulate quite a bit of my framing/mounting supplies because Mark from Framedestinations keeps having sale/specials that I cannot resist. (he is evil I TELL YOU! ) The challenge is, I need to keep these supplies clean, flat, free of warp, and free of any kind of damage. Right now, they are in big bags, in a flat box, and under my bed.

Does anyone in APUG land with limited space have any unique solution to storing these supplies? If so, I'd like to know what you do. For your information, I buy them in FULL size which is 32x40.

Thanks.

[ROL]

My FULL sizes (not from FD) are 60x40, stored vertically in their boxes in my "garage" and spare room. Everything always comes out just fine. Under the bed seems as good a place as any, as long as it's dry.

[MartinP]

I make far more prints than I mount or sell, so I tend to buy only as much material as I need for some specific purpose and have a minimal 'stock'. This is only practical as I'm lucky enough to have a well stocked art-supply shop within cycling distance. I carry the boards back home (yes, on my bike, and when it isn't raining or very windy) in my very large portfolio-case. Unused boards live in the case, except when I'm using it to transport mounted work obviously.

Offcuts and "other" bits and pieces are wrapped in a clean dust-sheet, inside a huge flat cardboard box which once held a table-top. This lies horizontally, coincidentally also under the bed, on top of storage boxes. Under the bed might be the largest undisturbed area in small apartments ?!

Keeping the board completely flat seems to be achievable only when it is stored horizontally and leaning a mounting board against walls quickly gives a slight curl unfortunately. You could look at (clean) painters dust-sheets for protection of whatever large box you can find, but my solution is pretty much the same as yours I think.

[ken472]

You need a flat file

[tkamiya]

You need a flat file

Do you care to explain that one? "A flat file?"

[Roger Thoms]

I use flat files for mat board and flat artwork. Found mine used on Craigslist.

Here's link to a YouTube video that will explain what flat files are.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Qb5lM...%3DQb5lM2XGLuw

Roger

[tkamiya]

Oh.... I see.... Thanks.

I've seen those but never knew what they were called. Unfortunately, I don't have a space for something like this.

[ozphoto]

I keep mine under the bed, wrapped in the large sheets of paper they packaged them in when I purchased. And if not the bed, under the couch in the living room - its against a wall and rarely gets moved, so they're pretty safe.

[Ross Chambers]

Time for a poll:-)

Under the bed, too. Seems to be the choice of many

[MattKing]

Under the bed seems as good a place as any, as long as it's dry.

If it is not dry under your bed, it seems to me that you have problems that are a lot more important than keeping your matting supplies clean and flat.