Can you frame a canvas painting yourself? Yes, absolutely! Framing a canvas painting yourself is a rewarding process that can save you money and allow you to customize the look of your artwork. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from selecting the right frame to securely hanging your finished piece.
Why Frame Your Canvas Painting?
Framing a canvas painting does more than just make it look finished; it serves several important purposes. A frame protects the artwork from dust, dirt, and damage. It can also enhance the visual appeal of the painting, complementing its colors and style. For those interested in framing art professionally or as a hobby, understanding the basics of canvas framing is essential.
Protection for Your Artwork
The canvas itself can be susceptible to environmental factors. A frame acts as a barrier against:
- Dust and Grime: Prevents particles from settling on the canvas surface.
- Physical Damage: Offers a buffer against accidental bumps and scratches.
- UV Rays: Some frames and matting materials can offer UV protection, preventing colors from fading over time.
Enhancing Aesthetics
A well-chosen frame can elevate the entire piece. It can:
- Complement Colors: A frame’s color can highlight or contrast with the painting’s palette.
- Define the Artwork: A frame visually separates the artwork from its surroundings, drawing the viewer’s eye.
- Match Decor: You can choose a frame that seamlessly integrates with your room’s interior design.
Types of Canvas Framing
There are several popular ways to frame a canvas painting, each offering a distinct look and feel.
Traditional Framing
This involves using a standard picture frame with a mat and glass. While common for framed prints, it’s less typical for stretched canvases unless the canvas is removed from its stretcher bars.
Stretched Canvas Framing
This is the most common method for framing a canvas painting as it’s often displayed today. The canvas is stretched taut over wooden stretcher bars and then framed.
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Gallery Wrap Canvas: This popular style involves wrapping the canvas around the edges of the stretcher bars, creating a clean, borderless look. This often uses a floating frame canvas, which we’ll discuss next.
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Floating Frame Canvas: This is a contemporary and stylish option. The canvas appears to float within the frame, with a small gap between the canvas edge and the frame’s inner edge. This gap is typically filled by the depth of the stretcher bars, creating a shadow effect.
Canvas Framing Supplies: What You’ll Need
Gathering the right canvas framing supplies is crucial for a successful project. The specific items will depend on the framing method you choose.
For Stretched Canvas Framing (including Floating Frames):
- Canvas Painting: The artwork you want to frame.
- Wooden Stretcher Bars: These are the wooden frames onto which the canvas is stretched. You can buy pre-made stretcher bars or make a stretcher bar frame yourself.
- Canvas Corners (Stretcher Bar Wedges): Small wooden wedges that fit into the corners of the stretcher bars. Tapping these in tightens the canvas.
- Staple Gun and Staples: A heavy-duty staple gun is essential for securing the canvas to the stretcher bars. Pneumatic staple guns are ideal for professional results, but a good manual staple gun can work for smaller projects.
- Hammer or Mallet: For tapping in the canvas corners.
- Measuring Tape: To measure your canvas and stretcher bars.
- Utility Knife or Scissors: For trimming excess canvas.
- Frame: This could be a pre-made canvas floater frame or materials to build your own.
- Mounting Hardware: D-rings, screws, and wire for hanging a canvas painting.
- Optional: Gesso (if you need to prepare bare canvas), artist tape.
For Traditional Framing (if removing canvas from stretcher bars):
- Canvas Painting: Removed from its stretcher bars.
- Picture Frame: Sized appropriately for your canvas.
- Mat Board: Acid-free material to create a border around the canvas.
- Glass or Plexiglass: For protection.
- Foam Core or Backing Board: To support the canvas and mat.
- Framing Tape or Archival Tape: For securing the artwork.
- Point Driver or Glazier Points: To secure the backing and artwork in the frame.
- Frame Saw and Vice (if building your own frame): For cutting and joining frame molding.
- Corner Clamps or Framing Joiner: To hold frame corners while glue dries.
- Wood Glue: For joining frame corners.
- Mounting Hardware: D-rings, screws, and wire.
How to Frame a Stretched Canvas: A Step-by-Step Guide
This is the most common and accessible method for home artists and collectors. We’ll focus on creating a gallery wrap canvas look, which is perfect for floating frame canvas styles.
Step 1: Preparing Your Canvas
First, ensure your canvas is properly stretched. If it’s not already on stretcher bars, this is a crucial first step.
How to Make a Stretcher Bar Frame and Stretch Canvas
- Select Stretcher Bars: Choose wooden stretcher bars that are the correct size for your canvas. If your canvas is larger than standard sizes, you may need to join multiple bars to create a larger frame. Ensure the bars are straight and free of knots that could snag the canvas. For larger or heavier canvases, consider using “braced” stretcher bars, which have a brace across the middle for added stability.
- Assemble the Frame: Slide the ends of the stretcher bars together to form a rectangle or square. The beveled edge of the stretcher bar should face upwards, away from the canvas.
- Check for Squareness: Use a measuring tape to measure the diagonals of the assembled frame. The measurements should be identical. If they’re not, gently adjust the frame until it’s square.
- Prepare the Canvas: Lay your canvas face down on a clean, flat surface. Place the assembled stretcher bars onto the back of the canvas, centered. Leave enough excess canvas around the edges to wrap securely around the bars – typically 2-3 inches on each side.
- Begin Stapling: Start by stapling one side of the canvas to the center of one stretcher bar. Then, pull the canvas taut across to the opposite side and staple it to the center of that bar. This initial tension is key.
- Stretch and Staple: Work your way around the canvas, pulling the fabric taut from one side to the opposite side, stapling every few inches. Alternate sides to ensure even tension.
- Create Folded Corners (for Gallery Wrap): This is where the magic of a gallery wrap canvas happens. For each corner:
- Fold the excess canvas at one edge towards the center.
- Then, fold the excess canvas at the adjacent edge over the first fold, creating a neat, pleat-like corner.
- Pull the fabric taut and staple it securely to the back of the stretcher bar.
- You may need to adjust and re-fold a few times to get a clean, professional look.
- Tension Adjustment: Once all sides are stapled, check the front of the canvas for any slack. If there are loose areas, you can carefully remove a few staples from the back, re-stretch that section of the canvas, and re-staple.
- Use Canvas Corners (Wedges): For extra tightness and a professional finish, gently tap the canvas corners into the pre-cut slots at each corner of the stretcher bar frame using a hammer or mallet. This will further stretch the canvas.
Step 2: Selecting and Preparing Your Frame
Choosing a Floating Frame Canvas
A floating frame canvas is a popular choice for stretched canvases. It creates a modern, gallery-like appearance. These frames have an inner lip or “rabbet” that the canvas rests against, leaving a small, visible gap between the canvas edge and the frame itself.
- Sizing: Floating frames are typically sold with specific interior dimensions that match common canvas sizes (e.g., 8×10, 11×14, 16×20 inches). Ensure the interior opening of the frame is slightly larger than your canvas dimensions (usually by about 1/4 inch total, or 1/8 inch on each side) to allow for the floating effect.
- Depth: The depth of the floating frame should match or be slightly deeper than the depth of your stretcher bars. This allows the canvas to sit flush or slightly recessed within the frame.
- Material and Finish: Floating frames come in various materials like wood (in many finishes) and metal. Choose a style that complements your artwork and decor.
Preparing a Pre-made Floating Frame
Most pre-made floating frames come ready to use. You’ll typically need to:
- Remove the Backing: Open the frame and remove any protective backing or inserts.
- Inspect: Check for any damage or imperfections.
Building Your Own Floating Frame
If you can’t find a pre-made frame in the right size or style, you can build your own. This involves:
- Cutting Molding: Purchase frame molding. You’ll need to cut four pieces. The length of each piece will depend on the size of your canvas and the width of the molding. For a floating frame, you’ll be creating a box around the canvas. The inside dimensions of this box should be slightly larger than your canvas (e.g., canvas is 16×20, frame interior is 16.25 x 20.25).
- Creating the Inner Lip: You’ll need to create a small inner lip on the back of the frame pieces to hold the canvas. This can be done by routing a groove or by attaching a thin strip of wood (like a quarter-round) to the back of the frame pieces.
- Assembling the Frame: Cut the molding at 45-degree angles for the corners. Use wood glue and corner clamps or a framing joiner to assemble the frame. Allow the glue to dry completely.
- Reinforcing Corners: For added strength, you can use small screws or staples on the outside of the frame corners.
Step 3: Assembling the Framed Canvas
Once your canvas is stretched and your frame is ready, it’s time to put them together.
Attaching the Canvas to the Floating Frame
- Position the Canvas: Place the canvas face down on a clean surface. Carefully place the floating frame face down over the canvas, aligning the canvas within the frame’s opening. Ensure the desired gap is even on all sides.
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Secure the Canvas: Using your staple gun for canvas or small screws, secure the back edge of the canvas (where it wraps around the stretcher bars) to the inner lip of the floating frame. Work your way around the entire frame, stapling or screwing at intervals. Be careful not to staple through the front of the frame or into the visible canvas.
- Staple Gun Technique: Aim to staple just the canvas edge onto the frame’s inner lip. You can also use small screws if your frame and canvas depth allow.
- Screw Technique: Pre-drill small pilot holes in the frame’s inner lip and the stretcher bar, then drive in short screws.
Step 4: Adding Hanging Hardware
The final step before hanging a canvas painting is to attach the necessary hardware.
- Choose Hardware: For stretched canvases, D-rings and picture wire are commonly used. You can also use sawtooth hangers for smaller, lighter pieces.
- Placement: For D-rings, screw them into the sides of the stretcher bars, about one-third of the way down from the top edge. Ensure they are at the same height on both sides.
- Attach Wire: Thread picture wire through the D-rings and twist the ends securely. Leave a little slack in the wire; it should form a slight V-shape when pulled upwards, allowing the painting to hang flush against the wall.
Traditional Framing for Canvas: A Different Approach
While less common for modern stretched canvases, you might have a canvas that has been removed from its stretcher bars, or you might prefer a more traditional framed look. This method involves creating a mat and securing the canvas within a standard picture frame.
Step 1: Preparing the Canvas
If your canvas is still on stretcher bars, you will need to carefully remove it.
- Remove Staples: Using a staple remover or a flathead screwdriver and pliers, carefully remove all staples from the back of the stretcher bars.
- Peel Away Canvas: Gently peel the canvas away from the stretcher bars, working your way around.
Step 2: Designing the Mat and Frame
- Sizing the Mat:
- Opening Size: The opening in the mat should be slightly smaller than your canvas (e.g., 1/4 inch smaller on all sides) so that the canvas edge is covered, hiding the raw edges.
- Mat Width: The mat width is a design choice. Wider mats can create a more formal look, while narrower mats are more contemporary. Ensure the top and side margins are equal, and the bottom margin is often slightly wider for visual balance.
- Frame Selection: Choose a frame that complements the artwork. Consider the color, style, and width of the frame molding.
- Glass or Plexiglass: Decide whether to use glass or plexiglass. Plexiglass is lighter and less prone to breakage but can scratch more easily.
Step 3: Assembling the Framed Piece
- Mounting the Canvas to the Mat:
- Lay the mat board face down.
- Center your canvas face up on the mat.
- Using acid-free framing tape, gently secure the edges of the canvas to the back of the mat board.
- Creating the Mat Package:
- Place the glass or plexiglass into the frame.
- Lay the matted artwork face down onto the glass.
- Place a piece of acid-free foam core or backing board over the mat.
- Securing the Package:
- Use a point driver or glazier points to secure the backing board and the matted artwork within the frame. Insert points around the perimeter of the backing board, pushing them into the frame’s rabbet to hold everything in place.
- Sealing the Back:
- Use framing tape to seal the edges of the backing board to the frame, preventing dust from entering.
Step 4: Adding Hanging Hardware
Similar to stretched canvases, attach D-rings and wire to the sides of the frame for hanging.
Tips for Framing Success
- Work on a Clean Surface: Protect your artwork from dust and accidental marks by working on a clean, flat surface.
- Handle with Care: Always handle your canvas by the edges to avoid smudging the paint.
- Test Fit: Before permanently attaching anything, test fit your canvas in the frame to ensure everything aligns correctly.
- Even Tension is Key: For stretched canvases, consistent tension is vital for a smooth, professional look.
- Consider Professional Help: If you have a very valuable or delicate piece, or if you’re unsure about any step, consider consulting a professional framer.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Do I need glass for a stretched canvas?
A1: No, for stretched canvases, especially gallery wrap canvas styles, glass is generally not used. The canvas is meant to be viewed without a reflective surface. The frame itself provides protection.
Q2: How much space should there be in a floating frame canvas?
A2: The gap in a floating frame canvas is typically around 1/4 inch. This creates the visual effect of the canvas floating within the frame.
Q3: Can I reuse old stretcher bars?
A3: You can reuse old wooden stretcher bars if they are still straight and sturdy. However, if they are warped or damaged, it’s best to get new ones.
Q4: What is the best way to staple a canvas?
A4: Use a staple gun for canvas with staples that are long enough to securely grip the canvas and wood. For a gallery wrap canvas, ensure staples are placed consistently and pull the canvas taut before each staple.
Q5: How do I clean a framed canvas?
A5: For a stretched canvas without glass, gently dust with a soft brush or a dry microfiber cloth. Avoid using any liquids or cleaning agents, as these can damage the paint.
Q6: Can I frame a very large canvas?
A6: Yes, large canvases can be framed. For very large pieces, you may need braced stretcher bars for support and a heavy-duty staple gun for canvas. If building a frame, consider using thicker molding and reinforcing corners well. For hanging a canvas painting that is large and heavy, ensure you use appropriate wall anchors and mounting hardware.
Q7: What are canvas corners used for?
A7: Canvas corners, also known as stretcher bar wedges, are small wooden pieces inserted into the corners of assembled stretcher bars after the canvas is stretched. Tapping them in expands the frame slightly, increasing the tension of the canvas for a tighter, more professional finish.
By following these steps and tips, you can successfully frame your canvas paintings, enhancing their beauty and preserving them for years to come. Happy framing!