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Foamex board is the go-to for signs that live indoors: menus, door signs, reception panels, welcome boards and counter cards. It’s foamed PVC, a rigid plastic sheet packed with tiny sealed air pockets, so it’s light to carry, easy to fix and has a smooth white face that prints photos and fine text crisply. Its one real weakness is heat. Keep it indoors or somewhere sheltered and it behaves beautifully; leave a big one in full sun for months and it can bow.
What Foamex board actually is #
Foamex started out as a trade name and ended up as the everyday word for the material. You’ll also see it sold as PVC foam board or foam PVC. Same stuff. Cut an edge and you see solid white all the way through, with no flutes or channels, so the sides look tidy even up close.
Four things make people like it:
- It’s light. Much lighter than aluminium composite of the same size, so a smaller sign can go up on sticky pads on a smooth wall.
- It’s smooth. Photos, logos and small type come out sharp.
- It cuts and drills cleanly. Holes and shaped edges look finished.
- It shrugs off water. A splash in a kitchen or washroom won’t soak in.
Jobs it does best #
- Workplaces. Meeting room names, the sign on the office door, visitor information by the lift. Our indoor business signs are made in 3 mm or 5 mm.
- Places that serve food. The printed menu board page offers Foamex at 3 or 5 mm, from A3 up to A1. Menu living on the pavement? The same page swaps to 3 mm Dibond.
- Tills and tabletops. Foamex strut cards at A4 or A3, either orientation, with a strut fixed behind so they stand up unaided. A scratch resistant gloss varnish can be added.
- Weddings and parties. The board at the venue door, the table plan, the easel display. See our wedding welcome sign boards.
- Safety signs indoors, from kitchen notices to plant room warnings.
Choosing a Foamex board thickness #
The simple rule: the bigger the board, the thicker it needs to be to stay flat. Here’s how the three thicknesses feel in the hand.
| Thickness | In the hand | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 3 mm | Like very stiff card that refuses to fold | Door signs, notices, wall signs up to around A2 fixed flat |
| 5 mm | A proper solid panel | Menus, larger wall signs, easel boards, anything handled a lot |
| 10 mm | A chunky block with real weight to the look | Freestanding displays, reception panels, signs that need presence |
All three are available on our main Foamex boards page. The fixed-size A1 Foamex boards and A2 boards come in 3 mm and 5 mm, and there’s a dedicated page for A3 Foamex boards too.
A worked example
Say you run a cafe and want an A1 menu (594 × 841 mm) that hangs on the wall behind the counter and gets wiped down every day. A1 is big enough that 3 mm could look a little soft, and it gets handled, so 5 mm with lamination is the sensible pick. A small A4 toilet door sign, on the other hand, is perfectly happy at 3 mm.
Sizes and lead times #
Stock sizes run from A4 (210 × 297 mm) through A3, A2 and A1 up to A0 (841 × 1189 mm). Custom sizes go from 100 mm up to 2440 × 1220 mm, which is a full 8 ft × 4 ft sheet. Boards bigger than A0 add a one-off £15 to delivery.
Foamex dispatches in 2 working days on express, 3 on standard and 5 on saver, counted from when your order and artwork are confirmed. It’s made to order and dispatched from the UK. Mainland delivery is £7.95, or free on orders of £100 or more after discounts.
Extras worth ticking #
- Lamination, gloss or matt on one side. Worth it wherever a sign gets touched, wiped or knocked: kitchens, corridors, menus.
- Drilling, either the top corners or all four, ready for screws or cable ties.
- Profile cutting, where the board is cut to the outline of your design. Handy for logos and shaped signs.
- Double-sided printing, for hanging signs and boards seen from both directions.
Putting Foamex board up #
What’s behind the sign decides how it goes up:
- Glass, a door, or a smooth painted wall. Foam pads or mounting tape hold a 3 or 5 mm board happily. Wipe the surface clean before sticking.
- Plasterboard, render or brick. Get the corners drilled when you order, then screw through them with a washer under each head. The washer spreads the load so the screw head doesn’t sink into the foam. Don’t overtighten, or you’ll dimple the face.
- A smarter finish. Stand-off fixings, the little metal caps that hold a sign slightly off the wall, go through drilled corners. We don’t sell them, but sign suppliers and hardware shops do.
- Indoor railings. Cable ties through drilled holes.
Our guide to mounting a sign on a wall covers drilling and spacing in more detail.
Where it lets you down #
PVC foam softens as it warms up. A large board in strong sun, or glued tight against a surface that gets hot, can bow over time. That’s why Foamex board is best treated as an indoor and sheltered material that copes with short spells outside. If you do use it outdoors or somewhere warm, leave a little room for movement and don’t glue a big board rigidly flat.
It’s also the wrong pick for:
- Signs that sit in full sun for the long haul.
- Anywhere vehicles might clip it.
- Large outdoor boards held only along one edge.
For a few weeks outside on a tight budget, Correx is lighter and cheaper; see Correx signs. For years outside, Dibond is the one; see Dibond signs. The Foamex, Dibond or Correx guide puts all three side by side.
When the sign’s done #
Foamex is PVC, and most household recycling collections won’t take it. Ask your council or local recycling centre what they accept; Recycle Now has a locator for your area.
Still weighing it up? Tell us the size, where it’ll go and what it’s fixed to, and we’ll suggest a thickness. Drop us a line through the contact form and we’ll tell you honestly whether Foamex board is right for the job.