How to Restore a Tightly Rolled-Up Canvas

Steam tightly rolled canvas to unroll it and remove wrinkles.

Canvas is frequently rolled for storage and transportation. A tightly-rolled canvas will not sit flat; it will keep rolling up without special treatment. The canvas must be flattened before it's stretched over a wooden frame. This method can be used on newly painted works, too, but do not attempt this method on a very old or very valuable painting. Old or valuable works must be taken to a professional art conservator or an art restoration expert.

Things You'll Need

• Paintbrush
• Card table
• Clean sheet
• Humidifier
• Space heater
• 4 heavy books (or similar weights)
• Garment steamer

Instructions

1. Brush off dust and dirt particles using a large, clean paintbrush. Hold the roll vertically and unroll it gradually. Brush off dust working from the top toward the bottom.

2. Place a card table inside a small room, like a bathroom or a small bedroom.

3. Place a clean sheet on top of the card table and put the rolled canvas on top of the sheet.

4. Place a humidifier inside the room and turn it on "High." Ensure that the humidifier's water tanks are filled.

5. Place a space heater inside the room. It must be situated at least 10 feet from all combustible items. Turn it on "Low" heat.

6. Close the door to the room and allow the canvas to sit in the warm, humid environment for six hours.

7. Unroll the canvas and place a heavy book (or weight) on each of the four corners.

8. Steam the canvas with a garment steamer and leave it in the warm, humid room for another six hours.

9. Remove the books (or weights) after six hours and steam the flattened canvas to remove any remaining curls or wrinkles. It should be completely flat by this point.

10. Turn off the humidifier and heater and allow the canvas to cool and dry for a couple of hours. Once cooled, it's ready to store flat or be stretched over a wooden frame.

Tips & Warnings

• If the bathroom is equipped with heat lamps, use those instead of a space heater.

• Always remove dust from the canvas before exposing it to a humid environment. Otherwise, the dust will mix with the humidity to form a "mud" that will stain the canvas.

• Ensure the books or weights are clean. Dust or dirt will be transferred to the canvas.

• If you're flattening a painted canvas, keep the painted side face down against the sheet.

• Never operate a space heater near combustible items. It must be at least 10 feet away from all combustibles.

• Never leave a space heater running when you've left the house or studio.

• Do not attempt to flatten an old, brittle painted canvas or a valuable painted canvas. Bring it to a conservator or art restoration expert for repairs.