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Canvas Coatings - What do you like?

H

henry_domke

Guest
I sell large canvas prints that go in busy commercial spaces. To help protect them from abrasion and from the cleaning crew I apply a protective coating.

The coating is applied with an HVLP Gun as the canvases hang vertically in a dedicated spray booth.

Initially I used Glamour II Veneer but did not like the hassle of mixing it and the way it clumped up in the container.

I switched to using Eco Print Shield by PremierArt but it was unavailable for a long time so I switched to ClearShield Type C Satin.

The ClearShield coating is easy to apply, but it is much thinner and I wonder about how much protection it offers.

I don't like the glare of a gloss finish so I'm printing on "Epson Exhibition Canvas Matte" with my Epson 11880 printer.

Do you have any other suggestions for a canvas coating?
 

Greg Lockrey

New member
I actually use a heat laminate. Personal preference is gloss but matte works fine too. My canvas is Epson's Matte and I can vary the sheen with the laminates. GBC is the brand of laminate I prefer and it's applied with a dry mount press at 200 degree F for 3-5 minutes. It is so durable that one of my clients made book covers out of it.
 
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kdphotography

Well-known member
....
Initially I used Glamour II Veneer but did not like the hassle of mixing it and the way it clumped up in the container.

....
If you're getting clumping with Glamour II, maybe you have a bad batch? I've never had clumping with GII. I've had good experiences with hvlp spraying with GII once I found the right mixing ratio, using very warm water in the dilution.

Have you tried Breathing Color's Timeless? No mixing required, but more expensive than Glamour II.

ken
 

DougDolde

Well-known member
I am still using Timeless applied with a foam roller. But I do have a Dry Tac Vacuum Press which will also do laminating. Gotta try that.

As far as canvas itself goes, I had been a Breathing Color Lyve user until I recently tried HP Professional Matte Canvas in my HP Z5200. It's pretty good and I just bought a 42" x 50' roll for $145.35 shipped from Beach Audio on Ebay. By comparison Lyve costs $100 more shipped and that is for a 40' roll. So you get 25% more canvas for $100 less.
 

DougDolde

Well-known member
Well I just tried a laminate on my canvas prints. Success on the first try using Drytac's Artshield Mattex. It has a very slight satin look but is not reflective. My first piece was a 20x60 panorama and I am very satisfied with the result. I used my Drytac HGP360 vacuum heat press which makes it very easy to do.

I think this will be the end of using Breathing Color Timeless Matte. The laminate is more durable than just a liquid coating. I've had a couple varnished pieces get damaged in galleries due to mishandling. The ink can get knocked off if something hard bangs into the print.

This is an iPhone snap of the framed piece so it doesn't look as good as the real thing; seems to have lost some contrast especially on the left side. Uneven lighting.

Here's a good tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q4sZm_ntfk&index=1&list=PL1Xksf_a3TvuhRuDwS8AYa0SCeT5h9N9u


ALABAMA_HILLS.jpg
 

DougDolde

Well-known member
A new method for me is to coat with Liquitex Acrylic Matte Gel. You can thin it with 20% water but it's still a bit think. No matter just apply as evenly as you can with a paintbrush or foam roller for big prints. I do it post wrap
 
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