How To Change The Finish And Frame A Canvas Print

Have you ever seen a really pretty piece of canvas art in one of your favorite home store that you love, except for the weird finish on it? Or you’re undecided on how you feel about the look of the unframed canvas?

I used to adamantly oppose mass produced art, but I’ve mellowed on this subject over the years because filling a home with original pieces of art or limited edition, signed prints is not exactly feasible for all of us, and finding unusual pieces that fit your budget and speak to your soul at antique and thrift stores can be quite daunting.

If we find something beautiful, feel a connection to it and it’s within our budget then who cares if it’s a reproduction from “Marshall’s Boutique” instead of an original piece. I’d like to think that a few “low” pieces will give me or my clients the budget to splurge now and again on a one-of-a-kind or more special pieces. But “low” doesn’t have to mean kitschy or tacky.

Lately I have seen so many pretty canvas-type pictures, but I just do not get the WEIRD, NOT-FOOLING ANYONE, CHEAP, AWFUL finishes.

Take this picture below:  there was something about it that I was really drawn to and I thought it would be perfect for clients who have a LOT of blank walls to fill. Some of the places that are special to them are by the ocean, the colors would work really well in their home, and it would inexpensively fill up a very large blank space.

…but OH – the finish on it vexed me so.

Building up the layers gives the finished product a much more natural look, gives dimension in the right places and tones down the original finish. I left the picture on my coffee table one Sunday and every few hours I would stop by and add a bit more here and there as the applications dried.

To really finish off a canvas print and give it a more high end look, build a simple frame for it.

First, measure the width of the side of the stretched canvas and then find a moulding that is at least as wide or wider. (1/2″ x 1 1/2″ screen moulding worked for this piece.)

When you are choosing your moulding, make sure to check for warping. Study the pieces to make sure they are straight.

If you don’t have a power saw this kind of moulding is a piece of cake to cut with a hand held saw and miter box.

With all your cuts made, take the moulding outside and spray paint to desired color. The inside edge of your frame will be visible so make sure to paint it. I wanted the front of my frame to be gold and the outer side and inside edge to be black for a little definition, so I first coated all pieces in black and added the gold later.

To join the frame around the picture, put a bit a wood glue on the ends of the side pieces and place them flush with the sides of the picture, then fit the top and bottom on.

To make the corners join really well, I used a band clamp (which you can find at a hardware store for around $10). The band clamp comes with corner braces that you place on each corner, then place the band around the frame and tighten with the clamp. Make sure the corner pieces are flush with each other and wipe away any glue that squeezes out.

Once you have a nail in each corner you can remove the band clamp and add another nail on each side for stability.

Are you coming to the Best of the Nest party tomorrow? I sure hope so!! We are welcoming another very fun Guest of the Nest so stop by with your favorite project from the month of March and join the party! I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve been up to!