Canvas Stretching

 

Whether it is an original canvas painting, tapestry, quilt, giclée print on canvas, batik, or almost any textile, at Incurable Collector we custom size stretchers made in-house.

Using designed stretcher bars made from kiln-dried pine, we build a custom frame for your piece, over which we carefully and evenly stretch your artwork. The materials and techniques we use ensure that once your canvas is stretched it is resistant to sagging that can be caused by warping of lesser quality stretcher frames or improper tension when stretching. Canvas stretching also plays a key role in ensuring your artwork does not sustain damage or cracking from being rolled up for extended periods of time. Incurable Collector owner Jose Alexandre has been stretching for over 40 years.

CUSTOM CANVAS STRETCHING, HOW IT WORKS?

Whether you have an original canvas painting, tapestry, batik, giclée print on canvas or almost any textile one of the best ways to display it to its full potential may be to have it stretched.

Stretching a textile results in a beautiful, ready to display art piece that can be displayed as is or framed in a picture or canvas floater frame.

STRETCHING YOUR CANVAS ON A WOODEN, STRETCHER BAR FRAME

Your rolled canvas will be laid over a kiln-dried pine stretcher bar frame, stretched tightly, and stapled to the back. Stretcher bars are available in a variety of widths -the larger the dimensions of your canvas, the wider the frame must be to support the final weight without bowing or breaking. However support braces can be applied to strengthen even large canvases on thinner stretcher bars if needed.

Stretcher bars come in many different depths as well. Generally, larger canvases look good on thicker frames, while smaller canvases look better on thinner frames, but this is definitely a design choice and is dependent on the artwork and personal vision.

In some cases, however, your selection may be limited by your canvas.

There must be enough surrounding, blank or unneeded canvas that is not going to show on the front to wrap around the stretcher bar frame to the back. For instance, if you have only 1" of excess canvas on each side, there is too little canvas to wrap all the way around on a 2” .

The more excess canvas around your artwork, the better. Too much  won’t show once the piece is mounted on the stretcher bar frame, but if there's not enough, more cannot be added on. Please keep in mind that in some cases there are other options like raising your canvas.

Once you have determined the depth you want, we will build a custom frame especially for your canvas to support and display for generations.

Stretcher bars range from 3/4" to 3" in depth

FRAME YOUR STRETCHED CANVAS

After we have stretched your artwork, hardware and wire is attached to  the back and it is ready for display. Many customers choose to display their wrapped canvas this way.

There is also the option to have your canvas framed. Incurable Collector offers a wide selection of picture frame mouldings and canvas floater frames.

Your framing decision may depend on what the wrapped edges of your canvas look like. If you had enough painted canvas to wrap around the stretcher bars, chances are your edges look neat and finished. If, however, the natural, unpainted canvas is showing on the sides of the piece, we can apply a fabric tape to hide this unfinished part. This can result in a display-ready artwork, or you may choose to conceal the edges behind a frame.

If you decide to go with a regular picture frame, you will most likely need a stretcher bar frame at a shallow depth. We offer a 1/2" bar for this, which fits within the short rabbet on most picture frames without causing your frame to stick out awkwardly from the wall. Since the canvas will be secured within the wood frame, in this case it is not a problem to mount even a large canvas on such slender bars. Note: Generally, a framed canvas will not have a clear glass or acrylic cover. If you like the appearance of a mat, consider selecting a linen liner.

If you prefer the smoothly curved, gallery wrapped edge of your unframed canvas, but still want some type of border, we recommend selecting a canvas floater frame. Instead of sitting on top of your canvas, these frames lie behind, with a slight gap (usually 1/4") between the frame and the canvas to create a "floating" effect. We have a large selection of floater frames that will suit your canvas or can raise your canvas to achieve the desired depth.

A gold frame gives this piece a classic look

Simple lines create a modern effect

CANVAS ART IN EVERY STYLE YOU CAN IMAGINE

There are a few possibilities for a gallery wrapped, stretched canvas.With many textiles though there are also endless possibilities of custom framing under glass. 

At Incurable Collector we are glad to pass our framing knowledge and show all possible framing options. Our manufacturers offer an unmatched selection of custom framing options and are constantly updating new artisan designs.

A giclée printing stretched and ready for display.

Giclée printing stretched and framed in a classic gold finish.

Simple floater frames are not just for modern art and can create a clean and classic effect.