I want to stretch a canvas myself – how do I go about it?
Here we explain step by step how to stretch a painted, rolled canvas onto a stretcher frame yourself.
What you need
- 4 stretcher bars and cross braces if needed
- Staple gun with suitable staples
- Rubber mallet
- Canvas pliers (optional)
Ordering the right stretcher bars
1. Determine the size
- Measure the painted area of your canvas and the unpainted margin for wrapping round.
- Enter both values in our Canvas Stretching Calculator. It shows you the right stretcher frame size.
2. Allow for extra fabric
- Standard bars: 5–6 cm of fabric overlap per side
- XXL bars: 7–8 cm of fabric overlap per side. At 4 cm, XXL bars are twice as deep as standard bars – so you need more fabric per side to wrap round.
3. Choose the bar length
- Standard bars: Order four Standard stretcher bars, each 10–12 cm shorter than the total size of the canvas.
- XXL bars: For our XXL bars , we recommend a difference of 14–16 cm. Because XXL bars are deeper, more length has to be deducted.
4. Check stability (cross brace)
- For larger sizes, a cross brace (also called a “centre bar”) provides extra stability.
- From a side length of around 80 cm, we generally recommend using a cross brace. Use our Stretcher Frame Calculator for this.
Assembling the stretcher frame & stretching the canvas
5. Assemble the frame
- Slot the bars together at the corners
- Align the frame at right angles
- Carefully tap the joints together with the rubber mallet
- The raised lip (rounded edge) faces upwards
- Insert the cross brace in the centre, if you are using one
▶ External video (in German): assembling a stretcher frame
6. Stretch the canvas
- Place the canvas face down on a clean surface
- Position the frame centrally on the canvas
- First staple the middle of one long side
- Then the opposite side
- Then the two short sides
- Make sure the tension is even
▶ External video (in German): stretching a canvas correctly
7. Fold the corners & insert the wedges
- Fold the corners neatly inwards and staple them
- Insert the wedges with the bevelled side facing the frame
- Carefully tap the wedges in with the mallet
Two wedges per bar are already included.