Expensive stretcher bars - alternatives

[Jaysen]

Hello, I've recently been investigating canvas stretching alternatives and I've found some strange things.

1. Stretcher bars + canvas end up costing more than prestretched canvas.
2. Nice sturdy stretcher bars are very expensive (up to 9-10 dollars a piece and you need 4 of them for a work).


I've been looking for alternatives to buying these way expensive things and making them myself. Most of the quality bars cost around 2-3 dollars per foot. One alternative is to buy lumber and cut it yourself. This requires you to have the saws and know how to cut that all important lip (raised edge), and to make some sort of corners. The problem with the corners is how to join them without using a lot of glue or nails. The problem with the lip is making it rounded so as not to wear through the canvas. Option two is to look for pre-shaped lumber to use. I looked through all the preformed window and door casings and found some that might work but none that are ideal. With these, I wouldn't have to cut the raised lip, but I would still need to corner/join them.

Does anyone have experience with this or can point me in the right direction?

[Enchanted]

2. Nice sturdy stretcher bars are very expensive (up to 9-10 dollars a piece and you need 4 of them for a work).
I don't see a flag so I don't know where you live or what "dollars" you're using, but "9-10 dollars apiece" implies you're working in large sizes that require heavy-duty bars judging by prices in USA catalogs.

There are threads in the forums (try Studio Tips) for making one's own stretcher bars, but here is another solution I've used in the past.

For less than you're paying ($36-40 for the stretchers) you can buy hollow-core doors at a builder supply outlet (if you live in the USA). These come in various widths, and the length is easy to adjust by simply sawing off what you don't want and adding a "trim piece" to finish off the cuts. These doors are lightweight and rigid and make excellent supports for canvas in place of traditional stretchers. In fact, you can paint right onto the plywood panel if so desired, without using a canvas. And because the doors are about an inch and a half thick, they make a good-looking gallery wrap presentation.

[Jaysen]

Well, I made the trip to lowe's today and picked up an 8 ft piece of "brick moulding" that measures 1.25" X 2" and has a raised lip on one edge, perfect for stretcher bars. It cost me just over $8.00 for 8', so it's around half the price of a heavy duty stretcher bar (on a 20% discount). After cutting it to size, I ended up with 2 x 24" and 2 x 18". While cutting, I realized that it wasn't made of wood, but some sort of plastic/PVC. Oh well, I stapled the pieces together, using staples on both sides, then pounded the heavy duty staples down with my ball pen hammer. I attempted to twist and bend the frame, but it held up pretty well. So, I continued and stretched some canvas. It looks like it'll hold up pretty well. And, since the PVC is basically the same material as the acrylic ghesso, I'm thinking it shouldn't have any bad effects on the canvas. What I ended up with is a very smart looking gallery strectched canvas for around $8.50. I still think I can find some cheaper moulding to use next time and bring that price down to around $5.00.