PVC Foam board is a highly sturdy and lightweight foam board made for a variety of indoor and outdoor applications. PVC stands for Polyvinyl Chloride, a popular synthetic plastic polymer widely used in the market. PVC boards are also labeled as expanded, moderately expanded, or cellular PVC and are some of the leading non-toxic thermoplastic materials in the market.

Polyvinyl Chloride is made by the processing of polymerizing the monomer form of vinyl chloride (abbr. VCM). This is done through a process called suspension polymerization. As a result, a mixture is formed and expanded PVC is a highly strong, durable, and long-lasting material due to the polymer and closed-cell structure as well as its chemical composition.

There are two types of PVC material: rigid and flexible. Rigid PVC boards are ideal for more solid and durable applications such as frames and piping, whereas flexible PVC is ideal for insulation applications such as roofing and flooring. Manufacturers and brands have developed their own PVC foam boards with varying finishes and textures. Known PVC Foam boards in the market include Celtec, Veranda (Cellular PVC), Versatex (Cellular PVC), and Sintra (Expanded, Moderately-Expanded PVC).

SUMMARY

Applications/Usage	Properties of PVC Foam Boards	How to order PVC?
Both exterior and interior applications of PVC	Characteristics/Specifications: Thicknesses, Colours, Standard Sizes, and Weight	Our services & supplies.Click here to order.

PVC foam boards are known to be versatile which allows them to be suitable for both exterior and interior applications. Because of their lightweight, rigid, and highly resistant properties, they are ideal for a number of different usages. ACPs are commonly used (but not limited) for the following applications:

• As a substrate for painting and mounting
• POP displays, signage, signboards, store displays, and labelling
• Support for furniture and cabinets
• Wall and flooring insulation
• Wall panels for construction, offices building
• Can be used for decor and interior use
• Prop and art design and 3D display
• Replacement for wood
• Kitchen and home improvement
• Window displays and siding
• Cables, wiring, and piping
• Chemical and mechanical applications

Characteristics/Specifications
Expanded PVC has qualities and features that make them a top substrate choice in the industry. PVC boards are known for (but not limited to) the following properties:

1. PVC foam boards are known to be moisture and corrosion resistant which means that it will not corrode or fade over the life of its application. PVC boards are also waterproof. This makes the material highly resistant to water absorption.


2. PVC foam boards are fire-retardant and have self extinguishing properties. Since PVC boards are made of thermoplastic material, they are highly thermal and do have a point in which they turn malleable and start to soften at 149 degrees fahrenheit. PVC foam material is designed in which it cannot be flammable. In addition, PVC has insulating properties.


3. PVC is highly resistant to a number of elements and chemicals. In addition to being fire and moisture resistant, PVC foam boards are manufactured to be resistant to insects, mold, mildew, scratches, cracks, weather, noise, acid, and most chemicals and toxins.


4. PVC foam boards are easily processed and work well with a number of different conventional, carpentry/wood, and commercial tools. In addition, PVC is easy to work with and is malleable enough to be cut, bent, shaped, and is not easily deformed due to lack of water absorption.


5. PVC foam boards are an ideal alternative or replacement option to other substrates and composites such as aluminum, wood, clay, metal (in certain applications) and other foam boards. In addition, they are cost effective in comparison to other composite materials because they are often and easily manufactured.


6. PVC is ideal material to print, emboss, laminate, and paint onto. Furthermore, PVC boards do not require any additional priming, coating, or polishing.

PVC Foam boards are most commonly sold in black and white, but manufacturers now offer a wide variety coloured PVC foam boards such as blue, yellow, red, range, green, beige/tan, and grey/silver. In addition, PVC foam boards come in a range of textures and finishes with the most common being a smooth, matte, and glossy finishes, or ridge/wavy texture.

Currently in the market, PVC boards come in a range of thicknesses with some of the thinnest foam boards as thin as 1mm (approx. 0.04") to 45 mm (approx. 1.77"). Different thicknesses and densities can work better than others for different applications. In terms of density, PVCs can vary between 3 lbs/ft² to 25 lbs/ft².

Depending on the manufacturer or brand, PVCs can be cut to almost any custom size or may be supplied in standard/stock sizes (will vary based on manufacturer). PVCs can be sold in custom sizes and can be custom cut as small as 4x4" squares. PVCs can be sold in full panel sheets and can come in sizes as large as 4'x8' (48x96") and 6'x10' (72x120"). Standard sizes in the market include 2x4' (24x48"), 4'x8' (48x96"), 5'x10' (60x120").

PVC boards come in a range of thicknesses.

To order custom size board. Please use the "Price Calculator" on right panel for more details on pricing and available media types.

1. We use and sells Sintra panels made by the leading brand manufacturer 3A Composites. They have been touted as the leading PVC board for more than 30 years. 3A composites manufacture a collection of Sintra boards with varying finishes, thicknesses, and density for different applications. Sintra boards range in thickness from 1mm-6mm and are usually made with a low gloss, satin finish.


2. For most of our board mounting services (fine art mounting and dry mounting) as well as our custom cut boards, we offer Sintra panels in black white and either 3mm or 6mm thicknesses. As mentioned above, Sintra PVC panels have self extinguishing properties and hold a Class A fire rating for panels of 3mm or less.


3. Sintra panels are known for everyday, medium-term application life however, 3A composites does offer other products in the Sintra collection that range from short to long-term application life. PVC panels are ideal for fabrication methods such as: cold mounting, digital and screen printing, painting, cutting, and routing.


4. We offer custom PVC panels that are the perfect mounting substrates for fine art prints. You can order any custom fine art print on any of our coated, photographic, or fine art papers and have it mounted onto Sintra to provide structure and base to your custom print with the option for lamination. Sintra boards provide a solid structure and strong base for propping artwork and lamination.


5. For dry mounting posters, prints, and photographs, we also provides PVC as a substrate option. Dry mounting is done by heating Shellac tissue to adhere the print onto the Sintra panel. This technique is used as an alternative to using a wet adhesive to mount the poster or photograph.


6. We also offers custom-cut PVC foam boards. We can custom cut PVC panels for as small as 4"x4" square and up to 96"x48" which is a full 4x8' panel sheet. We can guarantee a cutting accuracy of up to 1/8 of an inch. For usage, we find that PVC panels are suitable for both interior and exterior uses and works well for applications such as signage, window displays, exhibits, and large art displays.

This article outlines the different backing boards available, and also provides some information about their alternate use as mounting boards.

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