Written by Paul Worrall
“Canvas frame” turns out to mean several genuinly different things depending on who’s asking, and that confusion is exactly why this topic deserves a proper guide rather than a single product page. Are you stretching your own canvas from scratch? Looking to finish off a stretched canvas with a floating frame? Or just trying to work out whether your canvas needs a frame at all? I’ve spent sixteen years in the UK art supplies industry and run Discount Art Supplies, used by over 36,000 UK artists every week. Here’s the complete picture — what each type of canvas frame actually is, how to do it yourself, and where to buy in the UK if you’d rather not.
⭐ Quick Guide — Which Canvas Frame Do You Actually Need?
Stretching a blank or rolled canvas from scratch? You need stretcher bars — the internal wooden frame the canvas wraps around.
Want a gallery-style finished look on a canvas you’ve already stretched? You need a floating frame, also called a tray frame or floater frame.
Want maximum depth and a dramatic, shadow-box presentation? A box frame is the deeper alternative to a standard floating frame.
Just bought a stretched canvas with no frame at all? Many artists hang it completely unframed — it’s a genuinly accepted, contemporary way to display canvas art and isn’t a faux pas.
Stretcher Bars — The Internal Frame Every Canvas Needs
A stretcher bar (or stretcher frame) is the wooden internal framework that canvas fabric is physically stretched and stapled or tacked over. Every painted or printed canvas has one of these underneath the visible fabric, whether or not it’s then finished with a further floating or box frame on top. Stretcher bars typically come in kiln-dried pine, in light, medium or heavy weights depending on the canvas size — larger canvases need thicker, more heavy-duty bars to resist warping, and anything over roughly a metre benefits from a centre cross-brace for additional stability.
If you’re stretching your own canvas from a roll or replacing a sagging or warped existing stretcher, you’ll need the bars themselves, canvas pliers to get an even, tight stretch, and either a staple gun or traditional tacks. Jacksons Art and Cass Art both stock stretcher bar sets and the tools needed, and our giclée printing guide covers several specialist studios who can professionally stretch canvas for you if you’d rather not do it by hand.
Floating Frames (Tray Frames / Floater Frames) — Explained Properly
This is the single most searched canvas framing term, and it’s worth explaining clearly because the name genuinly confuses people who haven’t encountered one before. A floating frame — also called a tray frame or floater frame — is a frame specifically designed to sit around a canvas that’s already stretched, leaving a small gap, typically around 5mm, between the edge of the canvas and the inner edge of the frame. The canvas appears to “float” inside the frame rather than being covered or overlapped by it, which is exactly the gallery-style finish so many artists and photographers want for stretched canvas prints and original paintings alike.
Floating frames are sold to match specific stretcher bar depths — commonly 18-20mm for slim edge canvases, 30-40mm for standard depth, and 45mm+ for deep edge canvases — so it’s essential to measure your stretcher bar depth, not just the canvas’s width and height, before ordering. Most floating frames come in black, white, natural or limed wood finishes, with gold, silver and grey also commonly available from specialist suppliers.
For UK floating frames specifically, e-Frame offers around 80 float frame styles and lets you customise the size online to fit your exact canvas — use our exclusive code DAS10 for 10% off. EasyFrame makes custom canvas floater frames to measure with fast UK delivery. Strand Framing supplies solid wood floater frames with hand-finished corners and offers wholesale pricing for artists and resellers ordering in volume. D Studio UK makes tray frames specifically designed to fit their own 20mm and 40mm stretcher bars, and can even include a tray frame as part of a dropshipped canvas order if you sell prints direct to customers.
Box Frames — The Deeper Alternative
A box frame works on a similar principle to a floating frame but with considerably more depth, creating a shadow-box style presentation that suits chunkier, more dramatic display needs — deeper canvases, 3D elements, or simply a bolder visual statement than a standard floating frame provides. Harten builds custom box frames, tray frames and stretcher frames handmade to exact canvas dimensions, starting from around £250, with a 5 year guarantee — a genuinly premium, bespoke option for significant pieces. They also offer perspex box frames specifically for displaying 3D objects and memorabilia alongside canvas work.
Canvas Frame Kits — The DIY and Budget Route
If you want to stretch and frame a canvas entirely yourself without commissioning custom work, ready-to-assemble canvas frame kits are widely available and genuinly straightforward to put together. CanvasChamp sells kiln-dried pine stretcher bars in light, medium and heavy weights with rounded edges to protect the canvas fabric as it wraps over the corner, and Picture Master stocks the CanvasBox range — ready-assembled, reusable canvas floating frames that need no DIY construction at all, simply slot your already-stretched canvas straight in.
For artists who genuinly enjoy the hands-on process, Utrecht Art Supplies sells a full range of stretcher bars, cross-braces and canvas pliers for building museum-quality stretcher frames from scratch — a genuinly satisfying project if you want full control over the finished depth and stability of your canvas, though it does require some patience and the right tools to get a properly tight, even stretch.
How to Frame a Canvas Yourself — The Basic Process
If you’re stretching a canvas from a roll: cut your stretcher bars to size and assemble the corners using v-nails or corner keys and wood glue, lay your canvas fabric over the assembled frame, and use canvas pliers to pull each side taut, working from the centre of each edge outward and stapling as you go, finishing the corners last with a neat fold. Keep tension even on opposite sides as you work to avoid warping the frame.
If you’re adding a floating frame to an already-stretched canvas: measure the outer dimensions of your stretched canvas and the depth of your stretcher bars precisely, order a floating frame matched to that depth, then secure the canvas inside using the offset clips or screws most floating frames include, fixing through the stretcher bars into the frame itself from behind. Most ready-made floating frames include integrated hanging hardware, so no separate hanging fixtures are usually needed.
Do You Even Need a Frame on a Canvas?
Genuinly, no — and this is worth saying plainly because plenty of artists assume a canvas always needs framing when it doesn’t. A properly gallery-wrapped canvas, where the image or paint extends around the sides of the stretcher bars with clean, neat corners, looks complete and intentional hung entirely unframed. This has become the standard, contemporary way to display canvas art over the last couple of decades precisely because it shows off the full piece without anything obscuring the edges. A floating or box frame is an aesthetic choice that adds a more traditional or gallery-specific finish — not a requirement for the canvas to look finished.
Quick Summary — Canvas Frame Types at a Glance
Stretcher bars: The internal wooden frame every canvas needs underneath the fabric. Buy from Jacksons Art, Cass Art, CanvasChamp or Utrecht.
Floating/tray/floater frames: A finishing frame for canvas that’s already stretched, with a gap around the edge for a “floating” effect. Buy from e-Frame (code DAS10), EasyFrame, Strand Framing or D Studio UK.
Box frames: A deeper, shadow-box style alternative for bolder presentation. Try Harten for bespoke work.
Ready-made kits: The quickest DIY route. Check Picture Master’s CanvasBox range for pre-assembled options.
No frame at all: A genuinly accepted, contemporary option for a properly gallery-wrapped canvas.
