Category: Picture Frames

Mounting A Loose Canvas Painting to Board

5/9/2023

Here is how to get your painting on loose canvas ready to display on a wall. First, paint your painting in a common frame size. Then apply YES Paste to the back of your painting and to a board of firm substrate, and press the two together. Let dry, trim, and you are ready to frame. Here are the details:

Important to know before you begin your painting: If you paint on loose, primed canvas, make sure your painting is a common size if you intend to also frame it. Here are some common frame sizes, but new sizes are being added all the time, search around.

Below I am using the example of an 8"x 10" painting. Notice that the painting is painted on a piece of loose canvas that is larger than the painting era. Then, once your 8" x 10" dimensions are draw on the canvas, notice that the painting is actually painted 1/8" to 1/4" beyond the boundary of the painting's area. This is for trimming later.

After you have finished painting your picture and it is dry, use a pushpin to poke a hole in each corner of the 8" x 10" era. (Not the corner of the trim era)

Next, turn the painting over to the back side. Find the holes you poked through the canvas. Then, draw a line between the holes. The box drawn will match the boundary of the painting on the other side.

Apply 'YES Paste' to the back side.
YES Paste is acid-free. So if the board is not acid-free already, the YES Paste will form an acid-free layer.

Make sure you push to paste into the fabric so there are no air pockets. You can either cut your own board, or many art supply stores have cut board available. Apply the YES Past to both the canvas and board. Follow the instructions on the jar. Align the board to your boundary line and press the board firmly to the back of the canvas.

Make sure the board you use is thin and firm. If it is too thick, it will not fit in a frame.

Press the board firmly so it is snuggly in place. Then flip it over to the front and press out any bubbles if there are any. Then gently, turn the painting to the back side again and make sure the board has not slid out of position. If it has, nudge it back into position.

Next, place something heavy on the board to keep it pressed for 24 hour. In my example I used books. Important: while the paste is still wet, use a palette knife, or any sharp-edged instrument, and remove any excessive paste that may have squished out with the weight on it. If this paste is allowed to harden, if will be very difficult to trim later.

Another important reason to keep the weight on for 24 hours is that YES Paste is water soluble and could warp your painting if it is not held flat until it dries.

After the YES Paste has dried completely, using a utility knife, trim off the excessive loose canvas from the board.

Your canvas painting is now mounted on board:

Cradled Board
The same can be done on "cradled" board. Cradled boards are deeper, but the process is the same.

Using a Prefabricated Frame
If you intend to fit your mounted painting into a prefabricated frame, remove the glass and mat that comes with the frame. They will not be needed. And, in general, you do not put glass over an oil painting. It doesn't need the protection, and the glare of glass makes viewing the painting difficult.

Floating the Painting
If you wish to hang your mounted painting without a frame, you can make it "float" off the wall:

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Mounting A Loose Canvas Painting to Board

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