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How to Mount Canvas to a Foam Board

Before a blank canvas can be painted, it needs to be stretched and mounted so the surface is taut. Wooden blocks or frames are the most commonly used for mountings as they are strong and easy to work with. Foam board is an alternative as it has similar strength, but is much lighter. It is made from a block of foam polystyrene sandwiched between two thick pieces of cardstock. Mounting to foam board is similar to mounting on wood.

Things You'll Need

  • Foam board
  • Canvas
  • Fabric glue
  • Staple gun
  • Staples
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut out the canvas so there is an inch overlap around the back of the foam board. This means the canvas needs to be about two inches wider on all sides.

    • 2

      Apply fabric glue to the back of the canvas. Purchase this at any good art supply shop in liquid or aerosol form. Make sure it covers the entire canvas.

    • 3

      Lay out the canvas with the glued side up and place the foam board in the center.

    • 4

      Stretch the canvas around the side of the foam board so the glue starts to bond to the cardstock.

    • 5

      Pull over the corners as tight as possible to remove wrinkles and secure in place with staples. The staples can be easily removed so the canvas can be restretched if a mistake is made and wrinkles remain.

    • 6

      Place a flat surface, such as a plank of wood, over the back of the foam board and add some weights to it so the adhesive bonds properly. Heavy books will be fine for this task. Leave to dry as per glue manufacturer's guidelines.

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