What it takes to make a great stretcher...

With the help of our conservator and professional artist customers we have developed what are considered by many the best keyable canvas stretcher frames available.  Some of the key features of our designs are:

• Eight unique profiles in a variety of configurations to suit most canvas stretching applications
• Made of straight-grained, kiln dried, clear white pine for exceptional strength and stability
• Deep slope or “fall” on the front face avoids unwanted canvas contact
• Finger-jointed clear pine used for long bars and braces to maintain straightness of frame
• Precision tongue & groove joints ensure a perfect friction fit and rigid, square corners
• Cross braces are mortised and tenoned for strength and a superb fit, with hidden keys
• Hardwood keys ridged so they grip firmly in the grooves
• Long rounded radiuses protect canvas at the edges
• Clear instructions provided to ensure easy assembly
• Guaranteed flat & rigid frames designed to support a well tensioned canvas without warping

Choose from 8 stretcher profiles.

We carry 8 unique stretcher profiles that have been developed to meet a wide range of needs. Small or large, we can provide you with the right stretcher bar and brace designs to support your art work. Below is a brief description of our 8 main profiles from which over 90% of our custom stretchers are made.

Basic Profile

Our smallest and most economical profile, the basic bar is ideal for small canvas sizes ranging from 6" to 36" (15 cm to 90 cm).

Standard Profile

A very popular profile used for small & medium canvas sizes ranging from 12" to 72" (30 cm to 180 cm) . This profile used along with our 1/2" x 3" braces provides very strong and stable support for canvases.

Professional Profile

This thicker profile provides extra fall and more space between the canvas and stretcher frame. This feature is ideal for larger canvases and where more agressive painting techniques are used. The heavier 1-1/8" (2.9 cm) thickness of the Professional bar makes it a popular stretcher for use in Gallery Wrap (frameless) display of art. This profile is commonly used for canvases ranging in size from 10" to 84 " (25 cm to 210 cm).

Heavy Duty Basic Profile

This 1-5/8" thick bar is our most popular and economical stretcher profile used for Gallery Wrap (frameless) display of art. The laminated design produces a very reliable, straight and stable support frame for canvases. With braces, the HD Basic profile is suitable for canvases up to 72" (180 cm) in dimension.

Heavy Duty Standard Profile

This is our most commonly used large format stretcher profile. We recommend this strong and straight laminated profile for canvas sizes ranging from 72" to 120" (180 cm to 300 cm). Heavier 3/4" x 3" keyed braces are used with this profile to provide the necessary frame support. Stretchers over 96" (240 cm) are often made in one or two sections which are assembled with flush mounted bolts. This makes it possible to ship large frames by courier and also allows for the folding of paintings for easier transportation once stretched.

Heavy Duty Professional Profile

This 2-1/4" thick stretcher profile is often used for large paintings that are to be diplayed Gallery Wrap style. The thicker profile also provides extra "set-back" space between the canvas and stretcher components, a feature favoured by artists who like to press hard on the canvas when applying paint. The laminated profile and heavy duty bracing provide a very strong and stable framework to support canvases up to 150" (380 cm) in dimension.

Extra Thick "L-shaped'' Profile

This L-shaped stretcher design was developed for artists wanting extra thick frames. We custom make these stretchers in thicknesses ranging from 2" to 6" (5 cm to 15 cm). The "L" shape creates a lightweight yet strong and straight stretcher.

Extra Heavy Duty Standard Profile

For building stretchers over 120" (300 cm) in length, we use a 2-3/8" x 3" (6 cm x 7.6 cm) 3-ply laminated bar with 1" x 3" extra heavy duty braces to provide the necessary structural strength to support a well tensioned canvas. This extra heavy duty design is suitable for frames up to 20 feet (6 metres) in dimension.