Congratulations! You bought a new oil on canvas painting that you like so much, and now you wonder how you will hang it.

If your oil on canvas painting is not stretched it will arrive to you rolled in a secure postal tube. Once your painting arrives, you will need to take it to your local frame store and have it professionally stretched in order for you to hang your painting. Make sure you check with your local frame store and find out how much they charge to stretch a painting before you decide to purchase this service from them. You may find out that it is less expensive to have your oil painting already stretched and ready to hang once it arrives to you.

Professional stretching is always performed on a wooden frame which is not visible since the canvas covers the wood. Deciding on which method of stretching or framing your painting is really a matter of personal taste. This also depends on the subject of your painting, art period, style and atmosphere of the room in which you decide to hang your painting.

There are three methods of stretching:

1. Standard Wrap Method: The canvas is stretched with 100% of the image is showing on the front. The image is not seen on the sides, but the staples are showing. This method obviously requires a frame.

2. Museum Wrapped Method: The canvas is stretched with 100% of the image is showing on the front and is not seen on the sides. The plain white canvas is showing on the sides. The staples are on the back and do not show. The sides are then treated according to your decision: some people prefer the sides painted black. Others prefer the sides to be painted with the colors in the artwork itself.

3. Gallery Wrap Method: The image is stretched around the sides of the stretcher frame and the staples are on the back. The image is taken right up to the back edge of the sides and shows on the sides.

If you would like to frame your painting we suggest that you choose to stretch it without painted sides Standard Wrap.

Stretching in the last two methods Museum Wrapped or Gallery Wrapped can be hanged with or without a frame. Please keep in mind that if you choose the Gallery Wrap and plan to also frame your painting, the sides of the image will not be shown and the front measures of the painting will reduce.

Stretching the canvas of your oil painting properly is important and perhaps better to be performed by professionals. This will insure that your painting will be properly mounted and you will surely enjoy your painting for years to come.

Thank you for reading our guide. If you have any further question please contact us through the eBay contact member feature. This guide has been written to you by Online Paintings. We invite you to visit our eBay store and view our collection of 100% hand painted oil on canvas paintings:

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