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I have a 50" x 36" laminated poster that has a propensity to curl. One copy of it curled so much that it bent the foamcore on which it was mounted. I decided to mount a different copy of it on a wood frame that I built. (The frame has four verticals and two horizontals, and is made of 3/4" square-cross-section sections of wood.) The frame is slightly smaller in both dimensions than the laminated poster. I would like to glue the poster to this frame, and hang the frame on the wall.

My question is what sort of glue to use that will bond the surface of the laminate (without damaging it) to the wood. I don't know what kind of plastic the laminate is made from.

UPDATE

Here is a picture of the frame overlaid on the poster (map). Obviously I plan to attach it to the rear :-)

enter image description here

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I would have the poster mounted to a substrate before attaching it to the frame. foamcore is a good choice if the poster is not valuable. Acid free materials are worth the extra money if they are in contact with the poster. If you mount the paper poster to the wood frame it will never look very good. It will show the frame elements through the paper and the glue will cause differential shrinkage and buckling. If this is just a digital print that could be replaced this is what I would do; mount the poster to foamcore with spray adhesive taking care to avoid wrinkles. Mount the foamcore to your wood frame with double stick foam tape around the entire frame including cross pieces. This will keep the poster from showing the frame members though the paper and will Make an attractive presentation for a year or two. If you value the poster as an artwork, it is irreplaceable, have it done by a professional framer with good materials.

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  • The poster (a map) is laminated in plastic.
    – Gene Golovchinsky
    Dec 9, 2012 at 7:14
  • I added a picture of the frame and the map
    – Gene Golovchinsky
    Dec 9, 2012 at 7:38
  • I still think double stick foam tape is the way to go. Sticks well to most anything except grease or dust. Rolling the poster backward and leaving it for some days would help. Put it in a tube if you can so the corners will be uncurled also. If no tube then try wrapping it with something larger that will hold the corners down, otherwise they will stay curled when the rest is flat.
    – Tim Quinn
    Dec 11, 2012 at 10:25
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If this poster has potential value either sentimental or monetary I would reccomend framing it like you would a photograph. Based on the size I would use lexan /plexiglass to cover it. The problem with using glue is the wood will expand and contract with humidity changes, the poster will stay the same size. This will result in buckles when the wood shrinks or the adhesive will pull away as the wood expands.

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3M, and others make a photo mount contact cement. This is a spray on product. Spray both the poster and the mounting board, wait a couple of minutes and attach the two together and roll out any wrinkles. Nice thing about photo mount is that you can usually remove the picture years later without destroying it. Also, roll the poster back on itself, opposite to the way it has been rolled. let it stand for a day. This will help flatten it and make it easier to mount.

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  • this poster is already laminated, and had been rolled into a tube for storage; it's now got a mind of its own
    – Gene Golovchinsky
    Dec 10, 2012 at 1:13
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My best trick.... laminate only one side of the map, and leave the other side paper. Paper glues very well to a wood piece with even elmers glue. So the back is well stuck to the wood (not a frame, but a flat piece) and the lamination protects the front. So if you have the resolve to make yet another "different copy", laminate it with a second map sized sheet. You can cut at the edges and the back lamination will fall away (with the second sheet). then you glue it to the wood.

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