Bookcloth Backing – Polycotton 100gsm

Reversible Bookcloth Backing – Polycotton 100gsm

Turn your favourite fabrics into beautiful handmade book cloth with our Reversible Bookcloth Backing.

This lightweight 100gsm polycotton fabric has been specially prepared and stiffened for use as a backing layer when creating book cloth. Its fine, closely woven construction provides additional stability to decorative fabric while helping to create a protective layer between the outer fabric and the adhesive used to attach your finished book cloth to board.

Unlike untreated backing fabrics, this material arrives prepared and ready to use, saving you the additional step of preparing and stiffening the backing yourself.

Why use a backing?

Many attractive cotton fabrics are not designed specifically for bookbinding. Applying adhesive directly to an unbacked fabric can allow moisture or adhesive to penetrate the weave and potentially become visible on the finished surface.

Adding a lightweight backing helps stabilise the outer fabric and provides an additional layer between your decorative cloth and bookbinding adhesive.

This allows you to transform suitable fabrics into your own custom book cloth for hardcover books, journals, albums, notebooks, boxes and other covering projects.

Cellulose-Based & Reversible Treatment

Our backing is prepared using a cellulose-derived, water-reversible stiffening treatment rather than a permanent plastic coating.

The treatment gives the lightweight fabric additional body and makes it easier to handle during the bookcloth-making process while retaining flexibility.

The reversible nature of the treatment also means that it can be softened again with controlled moisture if necessary. Cellulose-based materials of this type have a long history of use in book and paper conservation where removability is desirable. Canada

Product Specifications

Material: Polycotton
Fabric weight: Approx. 100gsm before preparation
Width: Approx. 150cm
Construction: Woven fabric
Finish: Prepared and stiffened
Treatment: Cellulose-derived and water-reversible
Colour: White
Application: Bookcloth backing
Sold: Per running metre

Because the material is prepared by us, slight variations in stiffness or appearance may occur between batches.

How to use it

Use the prepared backing behind your chosen decorative fabric when creating handmade book cloth. Cut the backing slightly larger than the area required, bond it evenly to the reverse of your chosen fabric using your preferred bookcloth-making method, allow it to dry thoroughly, and then trim your finished cloth as required.

We always recommend making a small test piece first, particularly when using very light-coloured, loosely woven, delicate or unfamiliar fabrics.

Once backed, your finished book cloth can be used to cover greyboard/chipboard for case-bound books, journals, photo albums, boxes and other bookbinding projects.

Sold by the metre

The backing is approximately 150cm wide, giving bookbinders a generous usable area from each running metre.

1 metre = approximately 100 × 150cm
2 metres = approximately 200 × 150cm