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How to Frame a Canvas Painting (Low-Cost & Easy!)

JULY 1, 2019 Search …
This post contains a liate links. Read the full disclosure here.

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Learn how to frame a canvas painting or print with simple materials and only a few
tools! This DIY trick will make your canvas art looks expensive and stylish without
braking the bank! 3.5K

RELATED: HOW TO MAKE A DIY FARMHOUSE SIGN

I'm Rachel Joy - a DIY and co ee

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and teach non-designers simple and
a ordable ways to create a home
they love spending time in and are
proud to share with others. I am so
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I’m not gonna to lie, I’m a sucker for large wall art when I have a big wall to ll… And one
of my favorite types of art is abstract art.

I recently made some DIY abstract art on stretched canvas for above the bed in our
master bedroom (tutorial coming soon!) and to make it a bit more stylish and expensive-
looking, we decided to frame it with wood!

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I’m always amazed at how much nicer canvas paintings and prints look when they’re
trimmed out in wood. It’s one of those nishing touches that aren’t a lot of work but have
a HUGE impact.

In today’s post, I’m going to show you how easy framing canvas prints is so you can frame
your favorite canvas art!

This post is also a part of our monthly DIY project challenges, so be sure to scroll to the
bottom and check out all the other fabulous DIY projects from my fellow bloggers!! 🙂

I hope you enjoy this canvas frame DIY tutorial!

···

YOU WILL ALSO LOVE: SIMPLE DIY TUTORIAL FOR FRAMING A CHALKBOARD

Before we get started, let’s review a few canvas framing FAQ.

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DIY Frame for Canvas Art FAQ

Should I frame my canvas painting?
The rst, and most obvious question is whether or not you should even frame your
canvas print. I’d say, in most cases, YES!

There aren’t many reasons NOT to frame your canvas painting!

Not only does it add style (by creating a de ned border and more depth) but it also
protects your canvas.

How much does it cost to frame canvas?

It depends on the size of your canvas, but we framed each of our 24″x18″ canvas
paintings with one six-foot 1×2 common board which costs just under $3.50! Talk about
cheap!!

···

I haven’t tried anything other than wood for framing canvas art, but I’m not sure there’s
anything else so cheap with such big impact either! I’ll stick to the wood frames. 😉

Can you mix canvas and framed art?

Even if you don’t add a DIY frame to your canvas, I think it’s totally acceptable to mix
canvas art and framed art in a gallery.

Now, having a FRAMED canvas would likely look more cohesive but either way it can still
look great!

See my simple process for hanging a gallery wall here.

Ok, let’s get to the building, shall we? 🙂

How to Frame a Canvas Painting

For a printable copy of the materials and instructions, scroll down.

Materials Needed:
1×2 Common Board
Wood Glue
Stain (Optional)
Polyurethane or Polycrylic
Canvas Painting or Print (I made mine with these)

Tools Needed:
Chop Saw
Nail Gun
Rag or Foam Brush

Instructions:
STEP 1: Measure Your Canvas

Before you get started, measure the outside dimensions of your canvas painting and jot
them down on a piece of paper.

STEP 2: Cut your boards

Next, set your chop saw to a 45 degree miter cut and use the dimensions of your canvas
to measure and cut all four sides for your frame.

We chose to build our frame using the 1x2s on edge so the frame ended up being deeper
and narrower around the painting.

···

RELATED: HOW TO MAKE A BLANKET LADDER ($25 POTTERY BARN KNOCK-OFF)

STEP 3: Glue and Nail the Frame Together

The next step in framing painted canvas is to assemble your frame WITHOUT the canvas
print inside of it. Do this by placing wood glue on each mitered corner and nailing the
boards together with a nail gun.

STEP 4: Stain and Seal

After the wood glue has dried, stain your frame with the stain of your choice.

···

We decided not to stain ours because I wanted the light wood tone in our new master
bedroom design.

Let the stain dry for 24 hours and then seal it with polyurethane.

While sealing isn’t ABSOLUTELY necessary, it’s a good way to make sure the stain doesn’t
get on your walls or furniture and it helps the wood last better over time.

STEP 5: Install Your Canvas

Choose the depth of reveal you want around the canvas (we did about 1/4″) and nd
something to use as a spacer.

As you can see, we used Spider Man post-its. 😉

···

Hold your spacer in the corner on the front of your painting and on the other side apply
hot glue to each of the backside corners of the canvas. We went about 3″ from the corner
in both directions.

Lastly, hang up your art and enjoy! 🙂 Super easy, right? And adds wonderful style.

Here’s how ours look in the master bedroom!

···

As promised, here are the printable instructions:

YIELD: 1 FRAME

How to Frame a Canvas Painting

Frame a canvas for under $5 the easy way!

active time: total time: difficulty: EASY

15 MINUTES 15 MINUTES
estimated cost: $5

Materials
1x2 Common Board
Wood Glue
Stain
Polycrylic
Canvas Painting or Print
4.6 Stars (28 Reviews)
Tools
Print
Chop Saw
Save
Nail Gun
Rag or Foam Brush
Glue Gun

···

Instructions
1. Measure your canvas painting's dimensions and write them down.
2. Cut your frame out of the 1x2 using the canvas dimensions and a 45 degree miter cut in
each corner.
3. Glue and nail your frame together WITHOUT the canvas print inside.
4. Stain and seal your frame.
5. Install the canvas print by applying hot glue to the back corners of the print inside the
frame.

···

Notes
Staining and sealing are optional.

···

Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other a liate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Titebond 5004 II Premium Wood Glue, Minwax 70008444 Wood Finish Minwax 255554444 Minwaxc Polycrylic
16-Ounces Penetrating Stain, quart, Early Water Based Protective Finishes, 1/2
American Pint, Gloss

DEWALT Sliding Compound Miter Saw, PORTER-CABLE Finish Nailer, 16GA, 1-

12-Inch (DWS779) Inch to 2-1/2-Inch (FN250C)

© Rachel Joy CATEGORY: DIY Decor

···

Don’t forget to check out all the other fun #diyprojectchallenge posts from my friends
below!

Emory Farm – DIY Wooly Sheep Toy

Sand Dollar Lane – DIY Dog Leash Holder

1905 Farmhouse – DIY Poster Frame for Vintage Prints

The DIY Nuts – DIY Word Canvas Art

Kippi at Home – DIY Solar Lanterns

As always, let me know if you have any questions!

···

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14 thoughts on “How to Frame a Canvas

Painting (Low-Cost & Easy!)”

Rachel Joy
January 26, 2022 at 6:27 am

Hi Laura,

We needed a 1x2x8ft board for each of our canvases because of their

size. You’ll want to measure the edges of your canvas, add them up, and
be sure to get enough 1×2 material to do yours speci cally. 🙂 Hope
this helps!

Rachel

laura
January 19, 2022 at 12:45 am

how were you able to frame both with only 6′

Rachel Joy
January 27, 2021 at 1:27 pm

It was an already stretched canvas. 🙂

Laura
January 15, 2021 at 9:23 pm

Did you have stretched Canvas? Or did you stretch it yourself?

Rachel Joy
July 5, 2019 at 11:59 am

Thanks Ashley! I thought so too. 🙂

Rachel Joy
July 5, 2019 at 11:59 am

Yay! Glad it was inspiring!

Rachel Joy
July 5, 2019 at 11:59 am

Thanks Amy! I had fun showing everyone how I made them. 🙂

Rachel Joy
July 5, 2019 at 11:58 am

You’re too sweet! Thanks friend!

Rachel Joy
July 5, 2019 at 11:58 am

Thanks Kippi! Happy summer to you too!

Kippi
July 3, 2019 at 8:03 am

These turned out perfect I love large art too.

Happy summer,
Kippi

Eileen Curinga
July 2, 2019 at 7:39 am

I agree, framed canvases are much nicer and yours turned out
gorgeous!!

Amy
July 1, 2019 at 5:35 pm

Super easy and I love your art! It was soo cool to see the transformation
on your IG stories!

Erin
July 1, 2019 at 10:46 am

I love how these turned out! I also love gallery framed canvases because
you can paint the edges. I may have to make some frames now for some
of my other pieces!

Emory Farm
July 1, 2019 at 5:53 am

Love this and the canvases! Such a useful idea!!!

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