How to Frame Paint by Numbers Kit

Frame Your Paint-by-Numbers Canvas:

You have worked hours, days, perhaps even weeks by now, to complete your painting. Blood, sweat, tears and lots of prayers have gone into creating the epic Paint-by-Number canvas. And now as you stand back and revel in the beauty of your amazingly-done work, you realize: what now? Well, we are here to provide you with a detailed answer to this “what now?”, because we have got the instruction manual to how to frame your Paint-by-Numbers canvas. Framing your canvas allows you to secure the canvas and get it ready to be put up anywhere you may like for décor purposes.

While working with Paint-by-Numbers canvas, you do not necessarily “frame” it; rather, you stretch the canvas. though it seems like a new thing to do, stretching a Paint-by-Numbers canvas is quite easy and requires minimal components in order for you to carry out the process of stretching.

Components involved in Stretching:

1. Stretcher Bars. These bars are usually made up of wood and are designed in such a way that they slide to fit in tautly with each other. They become the “frame” for your canvas.
2. These are used to secure the canvas onto the stretcher bars.
3. Staple gun (optional). It is used for bigger canvases that may require additional security to keep them fixed in place.

How To:

(this method is done for when you have not started painting)

1. Spread the canvas, numbered side facedown, on a smooth, flat and a clean surface.
2. Take the four wooden pieces of stretcher bars. Make sure your stretcher bars are according to the size of your canvas. you can do so by ordering stretcher bars that coincide with the dimensions of the canvas you will be working on.
3. Fix the stretcher bars to form a frame by fitting the mitered ends of the bars with each other. Make sure you secure the mitered ends correctly. You will know that when the frame does not budge once you have secured it.
4. Place the stretcher bar frame on top of the canvas. Its front side should be facing down.
5. Make sure that the measurements of the canvas coincide with that of the frame. To do so, ensure that the sides of the frame perfectly encapsulate the canvas within it. The numbered side should not ride up onto the sides of the frame. Also, ensure that you have around 1 ½” of material left on each side of the frame, so you can stretch the canvas enough for it to be perfectly taut.
6. After you are satisfied with your measurements, place one of the longer sides of the frame and canvas in front of you. Carefully, stretch the canvas as much as you can, without displacing it, and fold it over the frame.
7. Use thumbtacks or staple gun to secure the evenly-folded part over the frame. Make sure you repeat this process as you go along, because a second’s delay could ruin your canvas for you.
8. Move to the opposite side of the frame, and this time stretch the canvas as much as you can without ruining the canvas. Fold it tautly over the frame, and again fix the canvas using thumbtacks or staple gun.
9. Repeat the process on the smaller sides of the frame. Here, make sure that you neatly tuck in the corners of the canvas and fix them onto the corners of the frame.
10. Flip over the canvas that is now attached to the frame. Touch the front to check if your canvas is nice and taut.
11. Add a few more thumbtacks if needed. You can also staple the thumbtacks in place to make sure they’re tight.
12. Trim off any excess canvas that may ruin the look of the canvas.
13. Your canvas is framed and ready to be painted on!

Optional: Apply any primer of your choice onto the canvas to tighten it a bit more. There is a significant difference that appears as a result.

Stretching a Painted Canvas:

Stretching a painted canvas is quite similar to that which has been mentioned above. However, the issue arises is that a painted canvas requires more care as unnecessary stretching may ruin the paint and the texture of the painted canvas. therefore, make sure that you stretch carefully but not forcefully. Also, a painted canvas may not allow for the trimming of the sides if it has got paint on it, so there is an element of discomfort that stays there.

Now that you have your very own guide to stretching a Paint-by-Numbers canvas, you should order the wooden stretcher bars here, from us, and get to work at framing your epic Paint-by-Numbers canvas!