How To: Make your own canvas frame

Alright, so I recently decided I wanted to make my own canvas frames because they tend to cost an arm and a leg in stores! Then of course right after I made them Michaels decides to have a wonderful sale where you spend like 7 bucks for 7 11"x14" frames. Ah well.

Anywho, if you want an oversized frame or an odd shape, then making it yourself is still probably cheaper. I might have spent around $10 to make 2 24"x24" frames - 2 pieces of 2x4s (about 6' in length), canvas drop cloth - both found in the local home improvement store.

First I got some 2x4s (2"x4" wood, about 6 feet in length at any home improvement store) and cut them with my handy-dandy compound miter saw. Yes, that is a big name for such a wonderful tool! And, don't be scared, the tool is slightly large, but it does so much for you! I cut each piece at 24" and made each end angle at 45 degrees.

Then I put together the pieces by glueing them together with wood glue and then using my mighty staple gun (I like my electric one, it's powerful!).

After putting together all 4 pieces, I cut the canvas slightly larger than the frame so that I could wrap the frame around. I stapeled once on each of the four sides, then filled in, leaving the corners last. I'm a staple nut, so there is no such thing as too many staples! Corners are tricky, but I'm not picky. (stop that rhyming and I mean it! anybody got a peanut?) So I just carefully gather each corner, pull up, and staple. You could be neat and fold and staple, kind of like a present, but sometimes I'm just too impatient.

And, voila! Your own canvas to paint and enjoy. I'm in the process of framing out mine with some trim, from the home improvment store, which I nailed into place on top of the frame, filled in holes and gaps in corners, let dry, then I'm going to paint it a nice black.

Oooo....paints...if I'm painting big, I like to peruse the mistints in the paint section of Lowes. Cheap. fo-sho.

Here are some paintings I did forever ago on the canvas that you can buy already attached to board. I bought them as close to 8x10 as I could so that I could wedge them into a frame (they are a tad thick). Although, for some I had painted on painting paper (say that five times fast!). And you don't have to paint anything fancy! Sometimes I like to let the squirt go wild and frame it - especially for presents to grandparents.