Embossed consolidated man-made boards - prepd. by wetting board with ammonium hydroxide before embossing

In forming a decorative board by depositing fibres onto a surface to form a fibrous mat and compressing this into a consolidated board, improvement comprises wetting the surface of the consolidated board with NH4OH and then embossing at >=400 degrees F/>=1000 psi. Process affords a board which maintains a high degree of design fidelity over prolonged periods of time, and very little spring-back occurs. In addn., method is suitable for reshaping damaged or rejected consolidated man-made boards. In an example, hardboard was wetted with 5N-NH2OH and embossed for 30 sec. at 550 degrees/1000 psi to give a product with a permanent sharp reproduction of the embossing plate design.