Stretcher frame for oil painting 36 inches x 24 inches

Please note that stretcher frames have to be sent in a seperate parcel to any purchase of oil paintings. This is to avoid the oil painting getting damaged by the wooden frame peices during transit.

How to stretch an Oil Painting on canvas.

In order to put an oil painting on canvas into a frame, if it is not already stretched, then it needs to be put onto a stretcher frame.

Putting a canvas onto stretchers is quite straightforward and anyone can do it provided they exercise a bit of care. You will need a stretcher frame which is made up from four pieces of specially machined wood with eight wooden wedges for tensioning the corners. The only tools you require are a staple gun, hammer and a tape measure. If you have stretching pliers, these help but they are not essential.

The four stretcher bars that make up the frame are slotted together to make up the stretcher frame.

Once the stretcher frame is assembled, you need to ensure that it is true and square. The easiest way to do this is to measure across the diagonals and tap the corners as necessary until the measurements of both diagonals are the same.

Place the canvas over the stretcher frame ensuring the painted image is positioned correctly. Please not that most paintings have been painted a little bit oversize to ensure that no white canvas will show on the front. Once you are satisfied with the position of the canvas, put one staple in the centre of the longest side on the edge of the stretcher bar.

Carefully turn the whole assembly round through 180 degrees and grip the opposite edge of the canvas and pull it tight over the frame, and put another staple in the centre of the edge of this stretcher bar.

Now turn the assembly round through 90 degrees and gently pull the canvas over the edge of this stretcher bar and secure as before with one staple in the centre of the edge. Again stretch the canvas tightly over the opposite stretcher bar and secure with another single staple in the centre.

Working out from the centre of each side pull the canvas tightly over the stretcher bar and secure with another staple each side of the centre staple. Keep turning the whole assemble round doing the same to each side adding single staples until you get within 3 inches of the corner of the stretcher frame.

Fold the canvas around the corner of the Stretcher frame as neatly as you can and secure with a staple on the back.

Repeat this for the other three corners and then staple the excess canvas along the back of the frame to keep everything tidy.

Finally, insert two of the wooden wedges into the slots in each corner and tap gently with the hammer to put a bit of tension on the corners. Do not overtighten the corners with the wedges, as this can cause cracking of the painted surface in those corners. Also, when tapping the wedges in, try to avoid hitting the back of the canvas with the hammer.

The stretching is now complete and the painting is now ready to put into the decorative frame of your choice.