Most canvas paintings can be hung with or without a frame.
Canvas paintings are most easily displayed in a home or business when they are properly stretched and attached to a wooden frame. Of less importance is the presence of an actual picture frame that surrounds the painted image. In fact, many contemporary painters continue the canvas surface around the sides of the stretcher, so they can paint the canvas edges in lieu of an additional wood or metal frame. In any case, framed and unframed canvases can be installed and displayed on a wall, as long as the wooden stretcher is solidly built and not warped.
Instructions
1. Examine the painting closely to insure the stretcher frame is tight. This means all wooden members need to be attached to one another securely and the canvas should cover the front, almost as tightly as the skin of a drum.
2. Place the painting against an open wall area to see if it sits flat. A painting that is severely warped could not pass this test, especially if the painting is large.
3. Weigh the painting. The simplest method is to grab the painting, stand on a scale and then subtract your weight.
4. Purchase a pair of eye screws and picture hanging wire rated at least 20 pounds higher than the weight of your canvas. The wire needs to be a foot longer than the width of the painting.
5. Measure the height of the painting with a tape measure and divide that number by 1/4. You may use a calculator if you wish.
6. Measure down from the top of the painting by the number that was calculated in the last step. Make two marks on the inside edge of the frame, one for each side.
7. Select a drill bit that is slightly smaller in diameter than the eye screw. Insert this bit into the drill and drill two pilot holes into the wood stretcher about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch from the edge of the wood.
8. Screw the eye screw into the pilot hole. You can use a straight-edged screw driver for leverage.
9. Cut the picture-hanging wire to length with a pair of side cutters (the wire should be 8 to 12 inches longer than the width of the painting). Insert each end of the wire through an eye screw and pull tight. Then wrap the end strand once around the post of the eye screw and continue with tight loops around the main piece of stretched wire. Do this on both ends until you run out of wire.
10. Find a spot on the wall where you wish to hang the painting and measure up from the floor to your eye level.
11. Locate the nearest wall stud with the stud finder.
12. Insert the builder's screw through the hanging bracket with a screw gun. The screw should point downwards at a 45-degree angle.
13. Hang the painting.
