How to Hang Flat Canvas ?

Canvas art is undoubtedly a popular form of home décor. A flat canvas without any frame is in the trend right now. It is sleek, elegant, eye-soothing, and portrays your taste of art as a person. But, most people find the hanging process of a flat canvas difficult. So, if you are one of them, this guide is for you. It will enable you to explore the ways of hanging a flat canvas. So, if you are interested, let's start reading. 

 

I) Does a flat canvas look good ?

Most of us are used to look canvases with thick borders and frames on walls. But what if the frame gets detached from the canvas, and it gets hung unframed. Well, you may think it will look unfinished and unfashionable, but the reality will shock you. 

Nowadays, the decoration idea changes whether it's a home, a shop, or anywhere else. People are using new techniques and tools for decorating the walls, roofs, and corners of their houses. As a result, more innovative concepts and decoration plans are taking the place of old-school conventional ideas. Flat canvas is one of them. Although flat canvas is not something very new and out of the box, some people are still skeptical. 

The first thing that stops people from hanging a flat canvas on a wall is the process of hanging it. As a flat canvas doesn't contain any frame, people find it pretty hectic and difficult to attach it to the wall. They often think that a canvas without a frame can never be placed on a wall. It is only for painting. Unlike a framed canvas, it has no place or holes for getting attached to the wall. However, it is valid to some extent, but finding solutions for your problem is our duty. 

Another thing that stops people from getting their hands on a flat canvas is the thought of whether it will look beautiful on the wall. Some of us think that a canvas without a frame looks unfinished and ruins the room's beauty. But, the reality is quite the opposite. An unframed or flat canvas perfectly goes with any wall and gives the entire room a sleek, stylish, and unique look. If your wall contains heavy artworks and lots of textures, placing a few flat canvases with minimal content can effortlessly hold the room's entire look together. Some flat canvases go well with several interior designs and stylish modern furniture. It puts together the room's theme, providing a clean and minimal look.

 

II) Some flat canvas room decoration ideas :

Decorating rooms using a flat canvas is on the trend now. Art lovers or not, so many people often hang flat canvas in different rooms of their homes. In addition, owners of several shops, restaurants, and other places are also using flat canvas recently for giving their places a nice, sleek, and minimal look. Here are some top-notch ideas for decorating home and other places using flat canvas mentioned below. 

• You can hang a big and beautiful flat canvas in the master bedroom, just above your bed. Choose the artwork carefully and place it using nails and wires to provide stability and safety. You can also draw something or print anything you like on the canvas. Whatever you do, make sure it is going well with the theme of your bedroom. Your room will look elegant for sure. 
•  Hang flat canvas on the walls of your staircase to add some definition and art to the wall. You can decorate the staircase wall with authentic paintings, funky, classy, or anything you want. It will make your tedious staircases a hundred times beautiful and appealing. 
• Collect the artworks of your toddler and hang them on the walls of your living room or their playroom for adding fun to your home. Regardless of how kiddish and messy the paintings are, always hang them on walls with a push pin or washi tape to appreciate their hard work. In addition, the canvas will inspire your kid to do more such drawings and decorate the wall. 
• You can make flat canvases part of your interior design. Nowadays, paintings have become traditional decors, seen in almost every household. So, while selecting the interior design for your home, try incorporating some modern flat canvas arts to give your room more definition. That will surely attract your guests. 
• If you own a shop, you can hang a flat canvas on the walls of your shop. For example, if it's a restaurant, add some food-related quotes or drawings to the canvas. In the same way, if you have a café, cosmetic shop, jewelry shop, or anything else, choose a flat canvas on the walls to attract customers. 

 

III) Steps of hanging an unframed flat canvas :

You can use several ways to hang an unframed or flat canvas on your wall. It will make your wall look friendly and royal. But, before, you have to ensure that it looks great on the wall, despite being unframed. For that, you will need only a few types of equipment, including a hammer, a nail, a wire, and so on. On the other hand, working with a loose and lightweight canvas does not have to go through this hassle. Only a metal hinge clip or a washi tape or a dowel, or several push pins can do the rest of the work for you. All you have to do is keep the size and weight of the flat canvas in mind before hanging it. 

But, now, the question is, what if the canvas is large and heavy. Don't worry! If you want to hang a flat canvas that is bigger and heavier, you can opt for a hammer and a few nails. But, on the other hand, the hanging process is relatively easy, and anyone can do that. So, let's check the steps of hanging a flat canvas that is big and heavy in size and weight. 

Hanging a flat canvas using hammer and nails : If you want to hang a flat canvas on your wall, which is large and heavy, you must use the hammer and nail method. It will provide your canvas strength, stability, and durability. Additionally, the flat canvas will not change its position or get damaged or wrinkled easily. For this, you need these few things : 

• Eye hook (optional) 
• Wire (optional) 
• Pencil 
• Nails 
• Hammer 
• Level (optional) 

The steps of hanging an unframed canvas are mentioned below. 

1) Preparing the surface, marking the wall to hang your flat canvas :

Preparing the surface is the first stage of hanging a flat canvas on the wall. For this, you need to use a pencil. At first, mark the exact point on the wall where you want your flat canvas to hang. But, in case you are not using wire to hang your canvas, just beneath the stretcher bar's center, make a mark using a permanent marker. On the other hand, if you are using wire to hang a flat canvas, hold it with your hands, and press the canvas against the wall. Now, take your pencil and make a tiny dot with it, wherever you want your canvas to get placed on the wall. Furthermore, you can also hold the point where you want your canvas to get hanged and the nail placed. 

One big nail is sufficient to handle the weight of a standard-size flat canvas. But, somehow, if your canvas is larger than one foot, or 0.30m, you can consider using two or more nails instead of using only one. It will make sure the stability of your canvas. For this, you have to make two marks on the wall using a pencil. To adjust and measure the straightness of two marks, you can use a level. But, if you don't find one, don't worry! Your job can be easily done with or without a level. 

While dealing with big a giant canvas, one thing you can do is to call for help. For example, if you are placing a flat canvas on the wall of your home, you can ask other members to help you with it. At least, ask them to observe the whole process from a distance so that they can inform you whether your marks are correct, the canvas is straight, and other related facts.

3) Hammering the nail(s) into the wall :

It's time for hammering the nail (s). Well, it's a fun job, if you are experienced. But, children or newbies, you guys should always do this under parental or expert supervision. 

For hammering the nails inside the wall, you have to go back to the mark you've recently made with a pencil. Now, place your nail on the mark and take your hammer. Forthwith, it's time to hit the hammer against the nail. Use another hand (it better be using the left hand if you are a lefty) and softly hit the nail. Do not utilize pressure and force on the first go; otherwise, you can face severe injury. Hit the nail until you are satisfied with the result. But remember, do not hammer your nail entirely inside the wall. Leave at least a centimeter (1 cm) exposed for hanging the canvas. Do the same with your next nail, only if you have any second or third mark. 

Quick tips for a precise hanging process : 

• In case your flat canvas contains thick stretcher bars, you must leave most of the nails exposed so that the canvas gets more space and security.
• Make sure to get your hands on anchored screws if you are nailing between studs and hanging the canvas in concrete. It will protect your canvas from falling. 
• Always try to use big and good-quality nails so that your flat canvas gets the much-needed safety. 

3) Install wire to the flat canvas (optional) :

It is the next step, only applicable for a big and heavy canvas where you need to join the two stretched bars of the flat canvas with a wire. Although not all go for this process yet, it's a popular and durable option. To start installing wire to the flat canvas, you first have to cut a piece of wire. Here, you must keep the size of your canvas in mind. Always use a scale to measure the canvas's width and cut a piece almost one centimeter bigger than the actual flat canvas. 

Now, place the corners of the wire on the left and right sides of your canvas, and take two eye hooks. Screw these two eye hooks on the back of your flat canvas. Make sure to place the hooks at the middle or a third of the way down on your canvas and finally screw them facing each other. It's almost done! Now, attach the two corners to your wire with the hooks, and voila! Your flat canvas is ready to hang. 

Here are some tricks and tips for a clean and proper wire installation to your flat canvas. 

• Always level the eye hooks for a straight and balanced wire installation. 
• Do not select eye hooks bigger than the stretcher bars of your flat canvas. It will look bad if you do so. 
• Make sure that the size of the wire is perfect. Don't cut either too small or too large pieces of the wire. 

4) Now, hang your flat canvas :

Now, when you are all set with your prep, finally, it's time to hang flat canvas. The process is pretty simple. If you have installed a wire on your canvas, simply attach the wire with the nail you have hammered before on the wall. In this case, you have to be specific so that the flat canvas gets placed perfectly in the middle. For this, you may have to slide your canvas a few times. While working with a big flat canvas, make sure to ask someone near you whether the position is proper or you need to slide a little in the left or right if everything is all right; congrats! You have done a great job! 

But, if your canvas is not big and wired, the process ahead is a smoother glide for you. Simply place the edge of the upper stretcher bar of your flat canvas on the nail and rest it there securely, with a light hand. If you are not happy with the position, slide it a little, and you are done !

 

IV) How to hang small and lightweight flat canvases on the wall ?

The process of hanging a relatively smaller, loose, and lightweight flat canvas on a wall is simple. You do not need several tools or techniques for this. Instead, you can easily visit your nearby art supply or hardware store and fetch a few things if you want to hang a flat canvas on the wall. 

Here are some processes of having a small and loose flat canvas, as discussed below. 

1) Hanging a flat canvas using metal hinge clips :

Materials you need : 

Two or more metal hinge clips (readily available in art and hardware store), nails, and a hammer. 

Hanging a flat canvas using metal hinge clips is probably the easiest method. All you need is two or more (sometimes only one metal clip for smaller canvas) metal clips, and you are good to go. Now, attach the clips on the top of the flat canvas, one at the right and another on the left, and it's done. Make sure to use more than two, even three metal clips if the flat canvas you are working with is relatively bigger. It will provide your canvas with more security and stability. 

Now, mark the wall according to the size of your flat canvas and take a hammer and nail (s). Place the nails on the wall, and hit it with the hammer until you get a satisfactory result. Then, come back to your canvas, attached with metal clips when you get done. Now, carefully insert the nails into the two holes of the metal clips. Phew ! Your flat canvas is ready. 

If you want to hang a flat canvas on a metal surface like a fridge, cupboard, or some other place, make sure to buy metal hinge clips with a magnetic finish. It will enable your loose flat canvas to hang freely without extra support (like nails) and give your home a unique look.

2) Use washi tape for hanging your flat canvas on the wall :

Materials you need : A light and loose flat canvas and a washi tape of your choice. 

The process : Washi tape, made from Japanese rice paper, is another excellent option for placing a loose and flat canvas on the place. The best part of using a washi tape is that it comes in various unique colors and designs, unlike typical masking tapes. Moreover, it contains excellent sticking power, more than the regular white tapes. Besides, you can tape your flat canvas with washi tape on a wall. As a result, it will stick your hang flat canvas on the wall and give your canvas a nice border. 

While sticking your flat canvas using a washi tape, you have to keep a few things in mind. These are : 

• You must cut your washi tape equally and precisely so that it does not look messed up after getting attached to the wall. 
• You can create a frame with unique colors and designs using washi tape to keep the flat canvas hung on the wall. 
• You can use painter's tape under the washi tape in case your canvas has risks of falling. Along with providing your flat canvas with the much-needed support, it will make sure that your wall is not getting damaged or discolored. 

3) Hang your flat canvas on the wall using a dowel and rope :

Materials you need : Dowel, rope, or thread, or string, hot glue gun, a nail, and a hammer. 

The process : Another great technique of hanging a loose flat canvas on the wall is using a dowel. For this, firstly, you need two dowels and a hot glue gun. Don't worry! Both of these are easily available online or at any hardware store. So, now, place two dowels, one at the top and one at the bottom of your flat canvas, using hot glue. Make sure to rest the dowels before going to the next stage. Otherwise, they will not get glued properly with the canvas. 

After the dowels get adequately attached, it's time to cut some rope, or thread, or wire, whatever you have. Tie the piece of rope on the top of the dowel and leave it. Now, take your pencil and mark the wall where you place the nail. Next, place your nail and hit it with the hammer. After that, evenly hang your flat canvas.

4) Use pushpins for hanging a flat canvas on the wall :

Materials you need Four or more push pins or thumb stacks. 

The process : If you are working with a fragile and lightweight canvas, hanging it using pushpins is best for you. For starting this process :

1. Make sure you have enough thumb stacks at home, at least four for four corners of the canvas.
2. Firstly, make straight lines on the wall where your canvas is placed.
3. Make dots on each corner of the flat canvas and attach the push pins.
4. Simply attach it to the wall and press it to ensure its security, and you are all done ! 

Conclusion :

So, these were some easy yet effective techniques of hanging a flat canvas on the wall. So, make sure to try these out on your own, and hang as many as flat canvases you want to on your wall. The clean edge of a flat canvas makes the wall prettier. So, you can attach not one but two, three, four, or even more flat canvases on your wall without making the decoration look messy.