Stretched canvas framing. Anyone know how?

[lurker172602]

Remember my painting that I thought was lost? Well, now I need to remount it. It is an oil painting on canvas and I would like it to be a "stretched canvas".
Any advice how to go about this? There are lots of clips on YouTube etc so I'm looking for personal experience.

I'm all for taking it to the framers for them to do it, but himself thinks we should be able to do it ourselves. *sigh*

[Anonymous]

its NOT that difficult.

[cmcoins2000]

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@lurker172602 wrote:
About 1.5 x1.0m. "Heavy" oil on canvas. umm, what else do you need?

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Not what I need.

About what you need.

Take a stretcher - ie: the 'frame'.

Given the size - struts could be a go.

Oh just email

Miss the obvious - all the dots.

m.a.g.ic.2007...@big....pond.....com

[cmcoins2000]

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@paintsew007 wrote:

Lurker. Don't do it yourself.....please! no. no.     no.

At least take your painted canvas into a reputable framers first, ask their advice and get a quote.

IM expert O.....you will certainly cause damage if you now attempt to stretch your canvas. Damage to both canvas and paint.

Canvases are carefully stretched, primed etc before having painting applied.

Your painting was not done on a pre-stretched canvas.....and now you want to stretch it?      no!!

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Why not.

They do it with restorations - because they have to - to save the work.

[cmcoins2000]

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@youcandoityoucandoityoucandoit wrote:

Go to an art supply store and buy a staple gun, also a pair of canvas pliers- these are different to other pliers because they grip the canvas with a flat, wide head. Buy a wooden support frame.

Put the painting face down onto a towel on a sturdy table, so as to not damage the face of the painting.

Staple once in the middle of one side, at the back of the frame- and then repeat in the middle of the opposite side. What I mean, is, lets say the edges of the frame are north/south, east/west move from North to South then from East to West. At the beginning, you dont need to stretch the canvas much, but you might need to redo the original first couple of staples as the tension increases.

Repeat this for the other edges of the painting. Keep working- North/South East/West, stapling from the middle, out from the middle, to the corners, making sure you are keeping all the tension even- this is the tricky thing.

When you get to the corners, you need to fold the canvas so that you can staple it and keep it flat. When you buy the frame, you can also buy-or it may come with the frame, small wedges of wood that can be gently pushed into the sides of the frame so that it opens a tiny bit and increases the tension of the canvas..

Good Luck!! 
PS- Im pretty sure utube has these instructions...

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This has has almost got it.

[cmcoins2000]

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@*julia*2010 wrote:

its NOT that difficult.

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Obviously has done restoration & re-stretching.

Go Girl.

[cmcoins2000]

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@youcandoityoucandoityoucandoit wrote:

Go to an art supply store and buy a staple gun, also a pair of canvas pliers- these are different to other pliers because they grip the canvas with a flat, wide head. Buy a wooden support frame.

Put the painting face down onto a towel on a sturdy table, so as to not damage the face of the painting.

Staple once in the middle of one side, at the back of the frame- and then repeat in the middle of the opposite side. What I mean, is, lets say the edges of the frame are north/south, east/west move from North to South then from East to West. At the beginning, you dont need to stretch the canvas much, but you might need to redo the original first couple of staples as the tension increases.

Repeat this for the other edges of the painting. Keep working- North/South East/West, stapling from the middle, out from the middle, to the corners, making sure you are keeping all the tension even- this is the tricky thing.

When you get to the corners, you need to fold the canvas so that you can staple it and keep it flat. When you buy the frame, you can also buy-or it may come with the frame, small wedges of wood that can be gently pushed into the sides of the frame so that it opens a tiny bit and increases the tension of the canvas..

Good Luck!! 
PS- Im pretty sure utube has these instructions...

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What he means is to 'stretch' a canvas - begin in the centre of each side & work to the corners.

[lurker172602]

Not tonight. I may email you later. Thanks.

[i-need-a-martini]

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@lurker172602 wrote:
With respect, have you actually done it this way?
That is what my instinct and googling suggests, BUT, I have often found reality and you tube to be quite different 🙂

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That is pretty much the way to stretch a canvas.

Your problem is that it is an already painted canvas and oils are particularly difficult to restretch because it will crack.

You need to actually heat the painting so that it is more pliable. Preferably in a room with a heater overnight so that it is a slow warm up. Don't put it in front of the heater though as this will crack the oil.

Just before you are ready to start, spray the back of the canvas with water to give the fabric itself some stretch.Then you staple north to south, east to west as was suggested. I would then leave the painting another 24 hours in a warm room before doing the corners. If you can find canvas pliers I would seriously recommend this as it will mean you won't have scalloping occur in the stretch.

The other problem is that your instinct will be to pull the canvas tight. This is fine with a blank canvas but you can't do this with an oil painting. Leave it loose and then back fill the back with spacers in the corners of your painting.

But on saying all of the above, I would take it to a framers to get it done professionally!

[cherry*135]

paints: Your painting was not done on a pre-stretched canvas.....and now you want to stretch it?      no!

Good point there, the you tube videos were blank canvas.

While it may be done on already painted canvas for restorations - the people doing that would know what they are doing, not first timers.

By the time you buy a frame, staple gun and canvas stretcher (which will be only used once?) it would be sensible to get a quote from a framer and decide from there.

[youcandoityoucandoityoucandoit]

Sorry about that,had to eat..Also, had to laugh re google and reality!! know what you mean!

So, yep, I have done it this way, too many times to count and my partner is a painter and he does it this way as well.

I meant to add, you could practice on another piece of fabric first..

Always start with the longer sides first, start in the middle, and move methodically back and forth, and also from the first staple, left and right..

For example 1500 X 100cm. Start with the 1500 northside, Staple at 750, then staple the other 1500 southside at 750.

Then go the 100 eastside, staple 50 and then the other 100 westside, staple at 50. Ie start in the middle of the frame.

Return to the 1500 northside, staple at 700, and staple at 800. Repeat on the southside.

Return to the eastside and staple at 40 and then staple at 60. Repeat on the westside.

Keep turning and returning back and forth...working towards the corners, gently using the pliers to evenly pull the canvas over the frame.

Hope this helps!! 

By the way, the original painting may have already been stretched onto a support before painting it- its quite unusual to paint on unstretched canvas- particularly if you are going to the expense of using oil paint..but it could have been rolled up?

Can you see any staple marks on the edges?