Picture Frames: Updated

A few years back, I found a site that occasionally had a really good deal on canvas prints. The only downside was that they were unstretched and just shipped rolled up. To have someone stretch it can cost up to $50-100, so I decided to learn how to do it myself.

Having limited tools and space (living in a two-bedroom apartment with no garage), I bought a miter saw box and through a lot of trial and error, eventually figured out how to build the stretcher bars, stretch the canvas, and even how to make a floating frame that would still show off the image that was wrapped around the side of the stretcher bars (called a gallery wrap).

Over the years, I did about six of these, for our own home and for family. Earlier this year, there was another deal on canvas prints, and I decided to offer my services at cost to family. The deal extended all the way up to very large 20x30 prints (my previous max was 18x24). I ended up ordering six canvases.

Over the course of several weeks, I measured, cut, glued, stretched, stapled, stained, and mounted the canvases.

Frames after the first coat of stain

First stretched canvas

Here are the finished products - please ignore the bathtub in the background - the bathroom has the best light. The last one is the one I did for our family.