How to tack down a large canvas photo print?

September 13, 2024 6:43 PM

Some years ago we had family photos taken. Recently, the top edge of one of the large canvas-style prints has started peeling up, where it's folded over in order to wrap around the frame. Does anyone have specific advice about how to do this, or what adhesive to use? It's mostly out of sight, but we would like to glue it down. (I'm not sure which photo printing house did it.) Thanks!
posted by wenestvedt to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

Best answer: First, be very gentle, and wear neoprene or latex gloves if you can. Also, early warning that there are many inkjet printing technologies, but for fine arts/photo repro it's quite likely that the ink system is aqueous (water-based) rather than solvent-based, so be very careful not to get the printed surface wet, and do not try to clean it with a damp rag, or the image may run.

In contrast to how artist canvases are prepared (stretch the canvas over/around the frame, then dress it with gesso and paint on it) canvas prints are gently stretched/wrapped around the frame after they've been printed on. The canvas is pre-treated with an ink-receptive coating prior to printing, and if you try to stretch it too tightly or make too sharp of a bend, and you may crack the surface of the printed image.

To work on it, lay a soft blanket or something down on a smooth surface, and lay the print facedown on that blanket. Take a close look at your print. If it's mounted on a standard wooden stretcher frame, it's probably affixed with staples to either the rear face of those stretcher bars, or perhaps the inner face of the perimeter, if that makes sense. Depends on the size of the print. A regular staple gun will do just fine. Gently pull the loose canvas tight, use the nose of the staple gun to hold it in place, and fire. You do not need canvas-stretching pliers, and in fact using them on a piece like this substantially increases the chances of damaging the print.

It may have been assembled with GoFrame or something similar, which are precut pieces with self-adhesive strips that are used to hold the canvas. Where the canvas is loose, if you can tuck a toothpick or popsicle stick in there to smear some glue, pH-neutral craft glue or pH-neutral PVA glue or will work a treat. Use as little glue as possible, you do not want to saturate the area and risk getting thing so wet with glue that it bleeds through and damages the print surface. Again, wear neoprene or latex gloves, as your skin oils will contaminate the canvas and, over time, create discolored areas that will stand out in contrast to the untouched portions of the print.

Either way, it shouldn't take much to repair the loose portion, as these canvases are not stretched drum-tight like an artist canvas, and so the staples or glue don't have to hold against a lot of tension.

While you've got it off the wall, it's a good chance to clean it. Use a soft, wide, clean and dry paintbrush (2" works great, preferably brand new and not used for paint) and gently give it a dusting. That's all it should take.
posted by xedrik at 7:26 PM on September 13 [8 favorites]

I think xedrik's advice is totally sound, and the only suggestion I can add is to watch a few Baumgartner Restoration vids before you begin, just to get you into the right mindset.
posted by flabdablet at 8:38 PM on September 13 [2 favorites]