How to Build Canvas Stretchers

You can build your own canvas stretchers at home.

If you’ve graduated from buying prestretched canvas to purchasing prefabricated canvas bars and assembling your own stretchers, then you are ready to take the next step in do-it-yourself canvas preparation: building your own canvas stretchers from scratch. The process is very straightforward and doesn’t require any specialized woodworking knowledge. With the right tools and preparation, you can build a large canvas stretcher (or several smaller ones) in an afternoon. You will save money, and you will be able to fully customize your stretcher sizes to suit your studio needs.

Things You'll Need

• Wood glue
• 1-by-3 or 1-by-4 poplar boards
• 1/4-inch quarter round
• Measuring tape
• Wire nails
• Hammer
• Miter saw
• Carpenter’s square
• Staple gun
• Luan
• Drill with Phillips-head bit
• 8 wood screws, 3/4-inch

Instructions

1. Apply a thin bead of wood glue to the edge of the wide side of your poplar board. Align the quarter round with the edge of the board to make a lip for the canvas. Check that the flat side of the quarter round is flush against the short side of the board, with the curved edge of the quarter round facing the wide side of the board.

2. Nail the quarter round in place with thin wire nails. Drive the nails into the curved edge of the quarter round every 2 inches. Make sure that the heads of the nails do not protrude above the quarter round.

3. Cut the boards (with quarter round attached) to suit the dimensions of your canvas. Use a miter saw to cut the boards at 45-degree angles so that the edge of the board with the quarter round is always the longer edge.

4. Fit your boards together on the floor or a large workbench, quarter round side up. Check for square alignment with a carpenter’s square. Glue adjacent boards together, and hold in place with two staples.

5. Cut your luan down to 1-foot squares, or have the lumber department at the hardware store cut the luan for you. Cut two squares in half along the diagonal to create four triangles.

6. Apply beads of wood glue to the luan triangles and the corners of the stretcher. Fit each triangle in its corner, flush against the quarter round lip. Check again for squareness with the carpenter’s square, and screw the triangles in place.

7. Allow the stretcher to dry for two hours before stretching a canvas.

Tips & Warnings

• Pine can be substituted for poplar to save money, but it has a tendency to warp over time.

• Always exercise caution when operating power tools.

References

• Empty Easel: How to Make Your Own Stretcher Bars for a Stretched Canvas Painting