Board for canvas

[pramsay13]

I've got an artist asking for some board to stretch canvas over.
What's the best thing to use?

[Roboframer]

You don't normally "stretch" canvas over a board, in fact I've never seen it done or heard of it being done; I don't suppose it would be very effective? It's normally stuck down - and 'canvas board' can be bought.

There are also textured primers that can be bought so's no canvas is required.

[pramsay13]

Can I get this canvas board at any of the main suppliers? Is it called something else?

[Roboframer]

It's not a framing product but Simons also sell artists materials and I'm sure they do it but if you want a non-standard size, do it yourself, or the artist can - not rocket surgery.

[pramsay13]

What's it made from?

[easypopsgcf]

Just google it. Or look on eBay, type 'artists canvas board'.
It's made of a thick grey board , similar to dry mount board, with the canvas glued onto it.
Easy enough to make but no need as you can but the boards cheaply

[JohnMcafee]

Stretching canvases over MDF is by no means uncommon, though more used by contract framers than at the bespoke end of the trade.

I haven't tried it, but don't see how the technique used for stretching over MDF would be much different from that used in normal canvas stretching.

[Graysalchemy]

If you are making canvas panels/boards for the artist to paint on you can glue them and hot press them onto 4-6mm mdf board but they will bend no question about it and would probably bend on 18mm as well. I have made them using 3 layers of backing board with the canvas bonded on as well, but I must say they always bend.

The other option is to stretch over 9 mm mdf and staple as if it was a canvas or use a combination of pva and staples and let it dry naturally.

However as always if the work to be painted on it is to be on any value then conservation methods would best be used and probably advise they use a stretched canvas.

[prospero]

Mounting canvas to MDF is OK - up to a point. Some artists like a solid surface without the 'spring' of free-stretched canvas. But as AG says, it will bend even a thick board according to the type of canvas and the adhesive used. Not to much of a problem on thin board on smaller sizes but I've seen folks go to 36" long with 20mm MDF and end up with a 1" bow in the middle. Tricky to frame (unless you use a poly moulding. )
These big boards are also very heavy.

Loads of prepared canvas boards to be had from art materials suppliers. Of course you are stuck with the grades of canvas and priming they come with. Generally these are wrapped around the edges, but many artists buy a big board and cut what sizes they want. It's all on the ubiquitous 'grey' board which is of questionable longevity. They are more intended towards working sketches rather than 'finished' work.

If I had to do it, I think I would mount the canvas first on 2.5mm MDF and then stick that to a thicker bit. The lamination would tend to make it more stable. But I wouldn't do it over about 12x16".

For bigger sizes maybe make a frame from PSE timber in the manner of a stretcher frame and face it with 2.5 MDF. Cross bars as appropriate. Stick the canvas to that. Less weight - max rigidity.

[Not your average framer]

It's made of a thick grey board , similar to dry mount board, with the canvas glued onto it.

Or so you might think!

Ever heard of Wibalin? It's a non-woven covering material used in mass production book binding and it is available with a smooth surface, or a canvas effect surface texture. It is also extraordinarily tough and durable considering that it is essentially a paper derivative.

As an ex-bookbinder, I have personally used Wibalin and know what it looks like and what real canvas looks like and they are not exactly the same. If you did not know that such a product exists, or how to tell the difference, then you would probably assume the many of these so called canvas boards are covered with real canvas, where as some are not covered with canvas at all.

Using Wibalin as a replacement for real canvas is such an obvious and logical thing to do and in reality it is not only functionally as good as real canvas, but also eminently well suited to the mass production of canvas boards which will be stable and remain flat. Wibalin is produced by Winter & Co (somewhere near Bedford) and subject to their minimum order value can be supplied cut to length in a huge range of colours.

If you glue some white canvas textured Wibalin to one side of a piece of 3mm greyboard and wrap it around the edges of the board and then cover the reverse side with an alternative colour of Wibalin (taking care to maintain the direction of grain on both sides), then the resulting tensions the the two facing papers will balance each other and under normal condtions the board will remain flat.

[Not your average framer]

The following link is for Wibalin Buckram. Buckram is a type of heavy duty bookcloth, which looks like canvas.

http://www.winter-company.com/t3_477/in ... id=135&L=6

[Kwik Picture Framing]

25mm thick MDF would work to stretch a canvas over and because its solid you can stretch tightly over it without the board bending or breaking. This also, where appropriate (and it might not be in this case), does allow for easy stapling into the edges of 25mm MDF.

[avantime]

I make "hard back" stretchers for a well known artist. It is effectively a box made from 12mm birch plywood sides and back (with sections cut out to make lighter. A 6.5mm piece of birch ply is glued and fixed on the front.

The canvas is stretched over, primed and painted on. Because it has a rigid back items can be stuck to the painting.

They're not cheap though. I also use a simplified version for my own paintings - but I use gesso on the ply and paint straight onto it.