Houston’s Canvas Framing and Stretching Experts

Fastframe Houston can handle all your canvas display needs. We can stretch all sizes either using a basic ‘stretch’ or ‘gallery wrap’ which are explained below. Our design associates can help you choose from the types of frames that work best for your project’s size, depth and, of course, to compliment the style and color of your artwork and the intended display setting. As with all our work, we use only top quality stretcher bar and other framing materials.

Stretching vs. Framing

The terminology used with regard to ‘stretching’ and/or ‘framing’ a canvas can be quite confusing however. The term stretching refers to stretching onto wood bars (stretcher bars) so that it can be hung or framed. The confusion is understandable as another way to explain this is to stretch the canvas onto a ‘frame’ (the stretcher bars), which is certainly true, but does not differentiate stretching versus framing. When we talk about framing a canvas, we are referring to putting a decorative frame around an already stretched canvas.

Types of Canvas Stretching

Additionally, there are a couple different types of stretches. One is simply called a stretch, the other is a gallery wrap. Generally, we use a stretch when the canvas is going to then be framed. Typically, we use thinner stretcher bars and the canvas is stapled to the side of the bars and can be seen if a frame is not put around it. A stretch is about half the cost of a gallery wrap.
The gallery wrap is generally for canvases which a customer wants to hang, but with no outer frame (a ‘floater frame’ exception is explained below). We use a much thicker stretcher bar and staple the canvas around and in the back so no attachments can be seen once the artwork is hung. A key consideration here is that there needs to be enough material “outside” of the image to stretch around the bars. We need at least 1 ½ inches, 2 inches is better. If there is not enough material to do this, you will lose some of the image when using a gallery wrap. This is not always a problem and sometimes can look quite good.

Floater Framings

Another instance when you want to use a gallery wrap, and a very common one today, is when you are going to frame  stretched canvas using a ‘floater’ frame. This is a very modern, contemporary way to frame. The canvas is mounted inside a wooden frame, leaving a small space or ‘reveal’, to create the illusion that the piece is “floating” within the frame. A couple of examples of floater frames are below. Because of the reveal, you do not want to be able to see the staples as you can with a basic canvas stretch.
A couple other notes: Although glass or plexi-glass is typically used to protect artwork from moisture and UV rays that cause fading, for the great majority of canvas art this is not a concern, nor is it recommended as the material needs to “breathe.”  Note there are some print-to-canvas applications which, depending on the quality of the printer, may fade and glass may need to be considered.

Restretching

Finally, we often ‘re-stretch’ older or poorly stretched canvases before framing because they have become terribly out-of-square either due to age or poor quality stretcher bar material or workmanship.  It should be noted that in some cases we cannot safely re-stretch works. Most of the time this is due to aging and the material growing delicate and fragile, but occasionally, the original stretch was done so poorly that we cannot safely remove the original from the stretcher bar without potentially damaging the piece.  Our framing professionals can tell upon examination if your canvas(es) can be safely re-stretched or not.

The following images are  floater frames (yes, canvases, not posters!) – while the beauty of this technique doesn’t always translate in photographs as well as it does in person, note the close up of the corner of Iron Man piece.  You can see that there is space between the golden frame and the canvas – and that the artwork appears to be ‘floating.’