How to fix stretched oil painting?

By: The Art Of Painting (Paintings) on 07/02/2010

Anyone who paints knows that there is no other material better than canvas to give a test of your talent on. Combined with oil paintings, canvas can put raise many challenges in terms of maintenance. That's why it is good for someone who owns such a painting or paints on canvas to know how to fix stretched oil painting. Usually canvas are stretched on some wood bars in order to stay tight so that one can paint on it, but in time or sometimes right after the painting is dried, certain flaws can become visible. These can be wrinkles, cracks on the canvas or smashes and they can spoil all the aesthetical value of the painting.

When it happens for our oil painting to feature this kind of flaws, it's time to take some measures. Depending on the value of the painting, one can choose between taking its painting at some restoration professionals or to repair it at home. It is important though to know that repairing a stretched canvas at home is a difficult and laborious job, requiring your full attention and patience. But if the painting is not seriously damaged and you have some skills in stretching canvas, you can start a do-it-yourself painting restoration project. Here are some tips on how to fix a stretched oil painting, which, if followed, can get you off the hook.

. When the flaw is not very serious and the canvas just lost a bit of its tightness, you can fix it easily just by pressing slowly a sponge soaked in hot water against the back of the canvas. This should help the material regain stiffness.
. But how to fix a stretched oil painting when the problem is more serious than that? When the canvas become loose, you can try to re-stretch it on the same frame or better yet on a whole new frame. It is a difficult job, but not impossible to accomplish if you use the right tools and arm yourself with attention and patience. For re-stretching the oil painting on a new frame you will need: staples, new wood frames, a light hammer and screwdriver. The first step is to get the painting down from the old frame. This is done using the screwdriver. Then position the canvas with the frontside on the table. Here comes the most important part in learning how to fix a stretched oil painting: re-stretching it on a new frame. For this, you will need staples. Fix the new frame on the canvas back and than stick them together using staples. If you have an average painting, use about 3 staples on each side, placed at equal distance. Make sure that the staples are not too long in order for the wood not to crack when they are stitched. You can use the little hammer to fix them well in the frame.

These are the basic steps you should learn if you want to know how to fix a stretched oil painting. As a general guideline it is advisable to heat a little the painting before proceeding to its repair. You can do this by using a hair dryer or any other device that emanates hot air without flame.

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