Ever have a canvas picture where the canvas was warped because it was leaned up against something for a while and now it’s not any good unless it is restretched?
This big canvas print has been on top of our corner-round cupboard for almost four years while in storage and was pretty warped from other frames leaning up against it. I knew I could fix it by stretching the canvas, but I haven’t found the the staple gun or staples yet. So… I began thinking of what else I could do…
I love this print and I hoped to save it as I want to use it in our new kitchen dining area but it was really stretched out in a couple of spots… So since I haven’t located the pneumatic stapler yet, I thought about our iron…
Sounds crazy, right?
Seriously though if something is stretched out in a pair of pants or a shirt fabric an iron realigns the threads with heat and basically that’s what we do when we are ironing clothing so… Why not try it here?!
How to iron canvas flat again
1. I ironed directly on our kitchen island as it is granite and heat won’t hurt the stone. You may have to cover your flat surface
with a box opened-out to prep your floor or your ironing area. Only iron the canvas’ backside.
2. Spritz a little water over your warped canvas. I used a clean
kitchen dish rag and wet it and pressed that over my whole canvas.
3. Lay a tea towel over top and begin ironing with a fairly warm iron. I started on low and increased my iron to level 5, pretty hot actually.
4. Check underneath often to see if your canvas is “melting” and
watch the giclée print or paint on the other side to see if it is loosening. If anything bad is happening ~ like paint is coming off ~ stop and revert back to stretching your canvas.
Five minutes of ironing was all it took!
(Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this in any way and all work and ideas are my own. I am not a professional art repairer or restorer but I am so glad this worked!)
 |
| The finished piece back to normal and ready to hang! |
I know it seems crazy but it worked! Canvas is really a fabric so that’s what got me thinking of this crazy idea in the first place.
I am very happy with the results and I didn’t have to pull out all those staples and restretch the picture ~ saving time and my sanity.
😉
Thanks for sharing!
One last canvas trick: if your canvas has a rip in it, pull the pieces back together and add a piece of canvas sports tape to hold the tear together from the backside. My sister-in-law taught me this one as art repair places do this.
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Happy weekend to you,
I can see why you would hate to lose that canvas — it really is lovely. This is a great idea. I'm keeping this one in my back pocket!
Jeanie!!! Hello and I am so glad that this might come in handy for you! It was really simple and I am still amazed that it worked. Happy spring to you, my friend,Barb 🙂
What a great idea, Barb! It's so much quicker than stretching and it seems to have worked really well. Thank you so much for sharing this great tip with the Hearth and Soul Link Party! Have a lovely week!
What a brilliant idea! I never would have thought to try this. Thank you for sharing!!www.paperandvine.com
Holy cow, that is just genius! I can't believe how many pieces I have had to discard because they got stretched. Thanks for sharing this!
Sounds like a great idea. Need to try it.
Oh what a great trick! I never would have thought of it, I'd probably thrown it away! tsk tsk… Can't wait to see more of your house and decor.:) gwingal
What a genius idea, pinning!
This is such a great tip Barbara and one that I may need to use in the future. Thanks for the info.
This is such a great tip Barbara and one that I may need to use in the future. Thanks for the info.
Wow I would never think of doing this. I think I would also be way to chicken. What you said makes complete sense though. BravoCindy
Hello April! Thanks, I was pleasantly surprised how well ironing this canvas worked. I'm sure when we go to hang up a few others they may need this trick, too. Happy to come share with you at Hearth and Soul!Happy Easter to you and your family,Barb 🙂
Hi Hillary! Thanks, I'm glad you liked this ironing a warped canvas idea. I am still really surprised that it worked as well as it did. Happy Easter to you and your family,Barb 🙂
Thank you, Christine! I am still surprised that it worked and am glad I thought about photographing when I did ~ the canvas looks great hung up. Have a great week and…Happy Easter to you,Barb 🙂
Hi Maria, thank you! I am glad this ironing trick worked on that canvas, too, as it is a favorite. Hope it works well for you, too.Happy Easter,Barb 🙂
Hi Nikki, the house is coming along ~ working on the living room this week and of course having friends over on Thursday is BIG motivation to get it done, Lol! Hope this ironing canvas trick works for you in the future!Happy Easter,Barb 🙂
Thank you! I appreciate the pin!!!Happy Easter to you, Roxanne,Hugs,Barb 🙂
Thank you, Mary! I appreciate your thoughts as you are so crafty and come up with great ideas all of the time. :)Happy Easter to you,Barb 🙂
Hello Cindy, I was a little scared to iron this big canvas, too. But, then I got to thinking about it, it was already ruined with the big stretch from a number of other slightly smaller framed pieces leaning against it, so… What did I have to lose? Nothing! Still glad it worked and that I thought of photographing it with my phone before I finished ironing the warps out. :)Happy Easter to you and your family,Barb 🙂