Stretching A Canvas

This has to be properly done to display Oil Paintings, Giclee Prints on Canvas or other Canvas Media. If the canvas is too tight, the image could be damaged and the stretch board could bend and if it’s not stretched enough then you will have waves or bubbles where the canvas is loosely pulled. There are typically three different methods to stretch your canvas which would be applicable to either a canvas transfer, a print on canvas or an original oil on canvas.

The first method is called “Standard Stretching” where the whole image is carefully shown on the front and none of it on the sides. The staples are placed on the sides of the piece. This method is usually used when a frame is added to the piece for a cleaner display and to enhance the beauty of the art.

Museum Stretching

The whole image is displayed on the front of the piece with the plain white canvas showing on the sides. The staples are placed on the back of the stretch board and do not show. In some cases the artist prefers the sides to be painted black and in other cases the artist may prefer painting it with a color that is complementary to the colors in the painting itself. We treat the sides to the owner’s specifications in order to stay faithful with the artist’s intentions.

Gallery Stretching

Just as the “Museum Stretching”, the staples are placed on the back of the stretch board but the edges of the image are wrapped around the sides. The plain white canvas does not show. Both the “Gallery” and the “Museum Stretching” could be hung with or without a frame. However, if you use the “Gallery Stretching” and a frame, the image on the sides will be lost.

At Wade Maxx, we cut our own stretch boards at the exact sizes of the artwork, depending on the stretching technique you select. We have stretching boards with different thicknesses for small and large size canvas. We also offer special frames destined specifically to stretched artwork.