You might think choosing a canvas is as simple as knowing the finished size you want.  There are actually a lot of different factors that go into selecting the right canvas or stretcher frame for a particular purpose.

Our guide will walk you through everything you need to consider.

What do I need to consider when choosing stretcher bars for my canvas art?

How much bracing is required?

Our guide will assist you to make that decision.

How do you stretch a canvas?

Watch as Bob Nadon of Upper Canada Stretchers shares tips and best practices for stretching cotton or linen canvas on a stretcher frame.

Step-by-step instructions are also pictured below.

You’ve bought a beautiful painting while on vacation or had a favourite photograph printed on canvas… but now, how do you get it ready for your wall?

Here are a few questions and options to lead you through how to stretch and finish it to get it looking its best.

Priming a raw canvas ensures smooth paint adhesion, prevents fabric absorption, and protects the canvas from deterioration and discoloration.

This guide will walk you through the process of how to prepare a canvas for painting, using acrylic gesso.

Stretching round and oval canvases require a specific technique.

Round canvases require evenly tensioning the fabric in a circular pattern to avoid wrinkles and ensure uniform tautness, unlike the straightforward stretching over rectangular or square frames.

Our keyable stretcher frames allow for easy adjustment of canvas tension, ensuring your artwork remains taut and smooth over time.

You’ve purchased a giclee print or even had one made of your own work – giclees are beautiful but they can be easily damaged if you don’t know how to properly handle and care for them. 

You’ve purchased a giclee print or even had one made of your own work – giclees are beautiful but they can be easily damaged if you don’t know how to properly handle and care for them. 

Digital prints on canvas share a number of benefits with more traditionally framed photos, but have additional advantages of their own.

Here we consider the main benefits of using digital photographs in this way.

What are the differences between linen and cotton canvas and which one is best for your usage?

This article looks at many of their differences and similarities so you can make that decision.

Step by step instructions (in both video and written format) showing how to put together a canvas stretcher frame, with and without braces, including how to install the canvas corner wedges/canvas keys.

Plus, see the downloadable instruction sheet.

Step by step instructions on how to assemble an Upper Canada Stretchers’ Gallery Stretcher Frame, including using the unique single-key-per-corner design to easily stretch your photo print or painting drum tight in minutes.

Upper Canada Stretchers’ Universal Braces can be used to strengthen any existing frame or replace a broken brace without having to remove the canvas from the frame.

Step-by-step directions on how to assemble aluminum stretcher frames from UCS with or without braces.

Step-by-step directions on how to assemble floating frames for paintings using dovetail keys.

Step-by-step instructions on how to assemble large round strainer frames from Upper Canada Stretchers.

Find step-by-step instructions on how to install them here!

Here are some of the features that help make Upper Canada Stretchers some of the best and most trusted canvas stretcher bars in North America and keep our clients coming back again and again.

We don’t take the word “quality” lightly. That’s why we make sure our stretchers are made with the highest standards.

The larger the canvas, the more important it is to have it supported by a professionally made stretcher.

For a large work to last over time, it needs a foundation that is light, strong, and skillfully constructed – qualities unlikely to be supplied by anyone other than experts.

Step-by-step instructions on how to assemble large round strainer frames from Upper Canada Stretchers.

Watch in rapid-motion as artist, Forrest Formsma, paints the entirety of his 11’x24′ canvas mural, “Hope Around the Bend”, which is then disassembled for shipping, then restretched and installed at the IU Health Saxony Hospital in Fishers, Indiana.

Upper Canada Stretchers addresses the unique needs of high-end artists, conservators, museums, and galleries with premium, customizable art supports that enable them to bring their creative visions to life.