Foamed PVC (Maxi-T)

Foamed PVC, sold here as Maxi-T board, is a closed cell PVC foam sheeting with a hardened outer surface. That skin is what makes it so useful. You get a board that is light and easy to work like timber, but with a smooth, dense face that prints beautifully, takes paint and vinyl, and holds up in both interior and exterior situations. Foam PVC board is regularly substituted for timber in signage, lettering, shelving, caravan and boat panels and display work.

Key properties

• Lightweight yet rigid
• Impact resistant
• Non-toxic
• Self extinguishing
• Chemical resistant
• Good insulation with low heat transmission
• Designed for digital printing
• Easily bonded, formed, screwed and nailed
• Router cuts cleanly with sharp edges

Applications

• Indoor and outdoor signage
• Exhibition and display boards
• Cut out lettering and shaped signage
• Wall cladding and wet area linings
• Point of sale and retail display
• Shelving and light duty joinery
• Caravan, boat and vehicle interior panels
• Models, prototypes and prop building

Why foam PVC instead of timber or MDF

The main reason is water. Foam PVC will not rot, swell, delaminate or grow mould, so it can go into bathrooms, marine interiors, commercial kitchens and outdoor signage where an MDF or ply board would eventually fail. It is also considerably lighter, which matters for large signs, ceiling hung displays and caravan fit-outs where every kilogram counts. Add in that it takes screws and nails without splitting and routs to a clean edge, and it usually works out to be the easier material to build with as well as the more durable one.

Working with foam PVC

Foam PVC cuts with ordinary woodworking tools, a fine tooth blade on a table saw or a sharp knife for thinner sheets. It bonds well with PVC solvent cement and most contact and structural adhesives. It can be heat formed to gentle curves with a strip heater, and it accepts screws directly, though pilot holes give a neater result in the thinner grades. Allow for thermal movement on long exterior runs and fix accordingly.

Sizes, thicknesses and colours

• Colours: black and white, with others available on request
• Sheet size: 1220mm x 2440mm
• Sheet thickness: 2mm, 3mm, 5mm, 6mm and 10mm
• Available thicknesses may vary depending on colour
• Cut to size available

Choosing a thickness

The 2mm and 3mm sheets suit flat mounted signage, panel facings and printing where the board is fully supported. 5mm and 6mm are the general purpose thicknesses for freestanding signage, display boards and cut out lettering. The 10mm board is the one for shelving, structural display pieces and anything that needs to hold an edge fixing or take a load.

Ordering from Associated Plastics

Associated Plastics has been supplying and machining foam PVC for Tasmanian signwriters, shopfitters and boat builders since 1979, and we ship Australia-wide. We stock Maxi-T in Hobart and cut it to size in house, and our CNC router can produce shaped panels, cut out lettering and profiled signage straight from your artwork. Send us your sizes, thickness and quantity and we will confirm what is in stock and what needs to be ordered in.