Have you ever picked up a piece of cool canvas art, but put it back because it was lacking something? Well, I picked up this canvas on clearance a few years back, but something about it bothered the heck out of me-it was missing a frame! Today I’m going to share with you how to make your very own DIY Canvas Frame, because adding a frame to a canvas painting makes truly elevates the look of a your art and helps to ground the wall art in your space.
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I alsmost always have 1×2 common boards on hand because they are so useful in a number of building projects and they’re so inexpensive. I had one that was a “common pine board” and one that was a “select board,” (Can you see the difference below?) meaning it was of better quality and had less knots. I wasn’t too picky since I was just trying this out, but overall it wasn’t that noticeable.
Do you want to build a simple DIY Canvas Frame?
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1″x2″ lumber or lumber that fits the depth of your canvas (mine was 2″deep)
- Canvas
- Nail gun and brad nails or finish nails and a hammer
- Miter saw or miter box and hand saw
- Wood Stain (optional)
- Wood filler (not pictured)
- Rubber Gloves
- Sponge, spongebrush or paint brush to stain with
Here’s what to do:
- MEASURE your canvas. Mine was 30″x30″ square. I usually use a transferrable measurement method, and just mark the length on the wood as opposed to using the tape measurer, but you do what works best for you.
- CUT your wood. Using your miter saw or miter box and hand saw, cut your 1×2’s at a 45 degree angle on each end and sand edge until smooth. If you transfer your measurement, the short edge of the angle should match your measurement.
- STAIN. With gloved hands, grab your sponge/brush and spread the stain until you get your desired depth of color. Allow to dry.
- ALIGN the frame corners together at the edge of the canvas.
- NAIL. Holding the corners together tightly, (a clamp or a second person may come in handy here) secure the frame to the Canvas using 1.5-2″ nails. Fill nail holes with wood putty and sand (optional-I didn’t, lol)
Repeat on the other three corners and along the edge of the canvas.
- STEP BACK and enjoy your new and more expensive looking canvas!
