How to Mount a Canvas with Offset Clips
This is for a stretched canvas going into a floater frame. Offset clips screw to the back of the frame and lap over the back of the stretcher bar, holding the canvas against the frame with nothing showing from the front. A screwdriver is the only tool you need, and the canvas can come back out later.
What you need
- Offset clips in the size listed on your floater frame's product page: 1/4", 3/8" or 1/2".
- A screwdriver.
- Cardboard shims, or something similar, to hold even spacing while you work.
Hardware is not included with the frame. Clips and hanging hardware are sold separately in hardware.
Steps
- Check the depth before anything else. The canvas depth and the frame's rabbet depth should be close to the same, and the canvas must not sit proud of the frame face. A 1-5/8" floater is built for a 1-1/2" canvas, so do not put a 2" canvas in it.
- Pick the clip size. Measure the thickness of the back side of the floater, the part the canvas sits on and the part closest to the wall when it hangs, then choose an offset the same size or a bit larger. Never smaller. Every floater frame we sell lists our suggested clip size on its product page.
- Lay the frame face down on a clean, padded surface.
- Set the canvas face down into the rabbet.
- Slide shims into the gap on all four sides so the reveal is even the whole way around.
- Set a clip with its flat leg against the back of the frame and the raised leg lapping over the back of the stretcher bar, then drive the screw in. That step in the clip is why the offset has to be at least as thick as the back of the frame.
- Work around the frame the same way. Use at least one clip per side, and add more along the long sides of a large canvas.
- Pull the shims, turn the frame over, and check the gap. The canvas should sit flush with the frame face or a little below it. Then add hanging hardware.
Shop this
- Offset Clip 1/4", Offset Clip 3/8" and Offset Clip 1/2" — check the product page for the frame you bought, it lists the clip size we suggest.
- Floater frames
- All hardware
Related
- How to Mount a Canvas to a Floater Frame
- How to Mount a Canvas in a Traditional Frame
- How to Add Hanging Hardware to a Frame
- All framing tutorials
Need help? Contact us and we will talk it through with you.
Frequently asked questions
What size offset clip do I need?
Measure the thickness of the back side of the floater, the part the canvas sits on, and choose an offset the same size or a bit larger. Never smaller. Each floater frame we sell also lists our suggested clip size on its product page.
Do offset clips come with my frame?
No. Hardware is not included with the frame. You can buy clips and everything else you need in hardware.
My canvas sits deeper than the frame. What now?
A deeper floater can take a thinner canvas, but if the canvas sits well below the frame face you may need something behind it to bring it forward. Ask us before you mount it and we will tell you what to use.
Can I use offset clips in a traditional frame?
They are not usually needed. Points are the normal way to secure art in a traditional frame, but a clip that spans the gap can hold a canvas or panel that does not sit flush in the rabbet.
Do I really need shims?
They make it much easier to keep the float gap even while you set the clips. Cardboard works, and so does anything else the same thickness on all four sides.