Supplies

To stretch your own canvas over a stretcher frame, amass the following items:
- stapler
- staplers
- canvas 
- razor blade
- scissors
- glue
- glue brush
- canvas pliers
- Elmer's glue
- hammer

NOTE:  If you do not have a stretcher frame, view this site to learn how to build one:  http://buildastretcher.blogspot.com/

Stretching the canvas.

Clean floor.
Place canvas on floor.
Place stretcher over canvas - back of frame facing up.
Trim canvas.
 
NOTE:  You want the canvas to wrap up and around the frame - so cut about 5 inches out from frame.  It is better to have too much canvas, than not enough.  You might need to go back in and trim the  fabric a few more times while working. 

First you need to secure the canvas onto the frame.  This will allow you to check your canvas size and adjust if needed.  Begin by attaching about three staples in the middle of a side (see #1 in photo above).  Then walk over to the opposite side (see #2 in photo above), and tug the canvas over the edge, and attach about three staples on that side.

Now go to the top of the canvas (#3 below) and secure a few staples.
Walk to the opposite end (#4 below) and secure a few more staples.
You've now established your pattern:  a few staples get attached side --> side --> top --> bottom ... repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat.

However, before you start again - grab your canvas pliers, as shown below.

When we are finished, we want the canvas to be pulled very tight.  Canvas pliers will significantly help you strengthen your pull.  Basically you just grab the fabric with the pliers, rest the back of the pliers onto the frame, and pull the canvas up and over - while pulling tight, plug in a staple.

With pliers in hand, attach about 6 - 8 staples on each side of the staples you have already attached - pulling the canvas tight with the pliers for each staple (see #6 below).

Then walk to the other side of the canvas, and attach about 6 - 8 staples on each side of the staples you have already attached - pulling the canvas tight with pliers for each staple (see #7 below).

Continue this pattern until you get to the last four inches on each side. You may need to go around more than what the diagram indicates below - depends on the size of your canvas.

This photo is showing you how close each staple is.

As mentioned already, do not put staples all the way to the end of the frame - stop when you have about 3 - 4" of space left.  We need some space to stuff the corners into the end and give the canvas a nice finished look.  (See next post).

Securing the corners.

So you have secured the canvas all around the frame - stopping about 3" from each corner.  The canvas should be really tight now, and you are almost finished with the process.  However, you are probably noticing that your corners look a little like bunny ears.  We need to trim this excess fabric away.  To do this:

1.  Get a very sharp razor blade.

2.  Pull the canvas taunt, and place the blade on the top edge of the frame.  You should feel the wood under the blade.  Poke into the canvas, keeping your hand steady and blade against the wood - cut the fabric straight up the edge.  Keep cutting straight up, past the frame until the fabric ends.  (See below.)

If you leave the area you just cut,  and grab the top of the fabric - you should see a strip like below.

Using scissors, trim off this strip - you need about two inches of fabric (see below).  This fabric is going to tuck into the side bar a little later.

To make the tuck nice and smooth, we need to get rid of excess fabric.  To do this, we will make a diagonal cut that ends at the corner of the frame.  (Below.)

Now meet that corner, by cutting from the bottom to the corner.  You should be left with a triangular-ish piece of fabric to tuck into the side.

The photo below is showing you the last two cuts that you made - it is just a recap of the previous steps.

Now get some elmers glue and a paint brush.
Dip the brush into the glue and shove some glue down the inside of the canvas, on the side wood frame. (See below.)

Tuck the triangle into the canvas and smooth it out on the side.  Add more glue on top of the fabric triangle.

Pull side of canvas over the triangle -- pulling tight.  Secure with staples.
Brush glue over the frayed edges and cut away any stray strings.

Repeat the same process for the next three corners.

Voila!

Excellent work!
Now just trim away all excess fabric and cover any rips you made with the pliers or staples with some Elmer's glue.   Also, hammer down any staples that may be loose or not inserted all the way.

After you've finished building the canvas, and don't feel it is tight enough - there are a few things you can do to remedy this:
- Swipe some gesso on the back of the canvas where is seems to be loose.  I have seen some people gesso the entire back, but conservators have told me that doing so doesn't allow the canvas to breathe, and it contributes to accelerated canvas rot.
- My friend Henry suggests, "Pour some boiling water on the back and leave it on the floor to dry. This will cause the canvas to shrink and you will get a canvas tight as a drum head, giving you a very bouncy and responsive painting surface." This especially makes sense if you are using a quality cotton canvas sans synthetics.