How to Frame a Canvas Painting Unstretched: A DIY Guide

Many artists have become used to working on pre-stretched canvases, and although this is perfect, painting on an unstretched custom canvas still has its appeal.

It becomes more complex, however, when considering how to frame an unstretched canvas painting.

You don't have to panic, though, because we'll show you how to do it today. We would also look at other framing options that you might be interested in.

Painting on Unstretched Canvas

Before we go much further, let us mention some of the advantages of painting on unstretched canvas and give you some pointers on how to paint on unstretched canvas.

Benefits

Here are the top three benefits of painting on unstretched canvas that can persuade you to give it a try:

Affordable

Unstretched canvas is usually considerably less costly than stretched canvas. On that point, working on an unstretched canvas is not an excuse to avoid priming. That is why, if possible, we recommend purchasing a pre-primed item. Nonetheless, it would not be prohibitively expensive.

Freedom

Let's face it: stretching and priming take a lot of time and commitment. It can be expensive to buy one at a supermarket, so it's no surprise that some of us are hesitant to paint on one.

We're afraid of messing things up because of the money we've invested in it. However, you will discover that there is no such weight on unstretched canvas. In reality, in our experience, painting on one is more fun, and as a result, we end up with better works and have more freedom to communicate our artistic ideas.

We hope you have a similarly liberating experience.

Portable

It's simply inconvenient to lug around a spread canvas. It can be challenging for artists who specialize in landscape painting or who love painting outside. 

Is it essential to limit yourself to painting in a small studio? No, not at all. Instead, use an unstretched canvas.

It is due to the ease with which you can tape them to a lightweight panel. We're confident that those who love painting on unstretched canvases, like us, have their motives in addition to the ones mentioned above. 

Important Tips

Here are few helpful hints to bear in mind:

Always Leave a Margin

Allow a two-inch margin all over your intended painting location. It would leave you with a large amount of free canvas space to extend and tie around the wooden frames later.

These lines would be more helpful if you marked them with paper. This way, you'll have a straight line between where you should and shouldn't paint.

Choose the Right Painting Panel

To work from, you can choose from several different painting panels. There are aluminum and linen options, but the ones we choose are sanded oak. They're flat, sleek, and lightweight.

With these pointers in mind, you can begin painting right away!

How to Frame an Unstretched Canvas Painting by Yourself

When you're finished drawing, you're usually ready to spread the canvas and frame your art. Although we will show you how to do it yourself in a moment, we also suggest that you take your work to a professional framer instead, particularly if:

• You've never done it before, and you're unfamiliar with the equipment you'll need, and you've built a precious item that you don't want to spoil with a few missteps and tests.
• Though, there is a learning curve to extending and framing unstretched canvas.

If you're willing to take the chance, here's a guide to help you:

What You Need

1. The completed work
2. Pencil
3. 11 wooden stubs
4. Staples and a staple gun
5. A measuring tape and a ruler
6. Hammer with Nails
7. Glue for wood
8. Saw
9. Your selected frame

Steps to Follow

Measure and Outline

Using a measuring tape, measure the sides of the canvas. You should miss this movie if you followed our advice about labeling the margins with tape and leaving two inches of space all over. Flip the painting over and use your ruler to trace the drawn section. It will act as a guideline later on while you're positioning your stretching frame.

Cut and Assemble

Start cutting down your lumber pieces based on the dimensions of your painted surface and margin area. Make a 45-degree angle with their ends. After that, put the frame together by connecting the 45-degree angles. Use wood glue to secure them, and then solder the angles together after the glue has dried to support the frame even further. Using the penciled outline as a reference, place your frame on top of your flipped drawing.

Stretch

You are now able to stretch. Begin the stretching process by softly pulling on the longer side's center. Pull it over the stretcher frame and staple it in place. Do the same on the opposing side.

Things to Remember

Remember that pre-primed canvases are more difficult to spread than unprimed canvases, so they have less give.

That is understandable. Don't put that pressure on the canvas. It is sufficient to get all of the ripples gone and the surface smooth and taut.

Furthermore, excessive stretching can break or ruin your painted surface, especially for oil paintings, but acrylic paintings can crack as well.

Older paintings are often more vulnerable to cracking. Finally, stretching a painting exposes it to frequent handling, so proceed with caution to avoid any injury.

Staple and Frame

Return to the first side of the painting and staple 1.5 inches out from the first staple, near the top of the painting. Do the same thing 1.5 inches below it. You will also have three staples in the center of the painting on the one hand.

Rep on the opposite side before you hit the painting's corners. Fold in the first hand, as if wrapping a gift or a paperback, and staple it. Rep this process for the remaining three corners.

Pull the top of the canvas over the stretcher bar and staple it in the center, followed by the bottom of the canvas. Staple 1.5 inches away from both sides of the first staple, much as we did on the sides of your drawing.

You should now have three staples at the top of your frame. Repeat on the bottom of the frame before you get to the corners. Finish the stretching by securing each corner with a staple.

You are now free to frame your job. If you were very patient, you should have landed a smooth job free of ripples and cracks. However, as previously said, it is common for beginners to perform less-than-perfect work the first few times.

Call me Jen Hensey, a writer and blogger of LifeStyleConvo & UrbanHouses, who worked as a full-time content creator. A writer by day and reader by night.