Ampersand is committed, foremost, to supporting artists in their creative process by providing surfaces that are not only a joy to paint and create on, but that will also withstand the test of time. Ampersand’s commitment to quality and archival principles led us to engineer the only archival sealed panels on the market today. Artists using the full range of panels from Claybord to Gessobord to the Artist Panel can be ensured that we have taken every step to ensure quality and performance. Ampersand’s passion is panel painting and we are passionate about our products.
​Taken from the Ampersand website

AMPERSAND GESSOBORD

AMPERSAND PASTELBORD

The History of Ampersand

About the founders of the Ampersand panels, how they are made and the company vision.
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The Archiva-seal Advantage

What makes the Ampersand boards different to other brands? Find out what the Archiva-seal is and how it provides peace of mind for your art.

how Ampersand encausticbord came to be

Elaine Salazar, President and CEO of Ampersand, along with Richard Frumess from R&F Handmade Paints share how they developed Encausticbord together.

Panel Material and Craftsmanship

A 3-minute video discussing the advantages of the Ampersand boards and see how they are made.
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Acid Free & Archival panels

Made with conservator quality wood materials and sealing processes, no other panel on the market protects an artist’s work like an Ampersand panel.  Ampersand has developed the most advanced formula for sealing wood to ensure that the painting grounds and your artwork remain acid free over time. Every coated Museum Series panel is protected by our proprietary Archiva-Seal barrier technology that prevents support induced discoloration and makes Ampersand panels truly archival. 
Only Ampersand uses Archiva-Seal technology for sealing wood correctly. Look for the Archiva-Seal logo on every coated Ampersand Museum Panel and only Ampersand uses true high density hardboard made from US-grown renewable and FSC Certified Aspen wood fibers. Ampersand brand Hardbord is made without formaldehyde or harmful VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) unlike other hardboards and MDF boards.  Further, no one else constructs their cradle support frames using 13-ply birch plywood. All Ampersand painting grounds are archival and non-yellowing. Ampersand Museum Series panels are fully made and handcrafted in the USA. Ampersand guarantees that every panel will be of consistent quality from one painting to the next.

Animal & Environmentally Friendly products

No Animal Testing

No animal testing is done on site or by any of the raw materials suppliers they use – which are very few – or, in their facility in China or the raw materials used overseas. They manufacture all the Museum Series products in the US (Buda, Texas) and the Value Series products in a dedicated facility in China.

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No Animal Derivatives

Both the Archival-Seal™ product and all of the coatings they manufacture do not incorporate the use of any animal-based products. They only use water-based paints suspended in acrylic polymers derived from plant sources. The white pigments used, calcium carbonate for example, contain some fossils from pre-history, but they don’t consider them animal based given the natural and distant origins of the source.

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Excellent Sustainability

Only Ampersand™ uses true high-density hardboard made from US-grown and renewable Aspen wood fibers. Gessobord is archival, eco-friendly and formaldehyde-free. They use a completely green manufacturing process that protects the natural environment with no harmful chemicals used.