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Can I repair a Damaged canvas.

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Michael Robinson

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I have accidentally knocked one of my favourite small canvas over. The small stand split the canvas leaving a tier of about 1cm. Is there a solution to this? I read somewhere that you have to wet it with water then dry it . Not sure if this is a good idea....

Sylvia Evans

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Is it a painted canvas Lesley and if so painted with what ?

Alan Bickley

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As Sylvia has asked, is it a new or painted canvas?, no real problem either way and it can be an easy fix. On the reverse side where the tear is stick a piece of canvas over this tear, (assuming that you have old canvases knocking about like I do), you can cut a piece out to fit making sure that it's quite a bit bigger than this tear. I would use a Bostic type glue but you may get other help on this, PVA glue may not be strong enough. I have repaired a fair few over the years and once it's been painted on in either oils or acrylics you won't see a thing. If it is a painted canvas simply paint over the repair which should be straight-forward.

Edited
by alanbickley

With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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There are more extreme solutions, like taking the canvass off the stretcher and sticking it to a rigid board, but for a 1cm tear that's probably overkill. I'd go with PVA glue on the back, with perhaps a patch of varnish worked over the front, maybe a total re-varnish to help cover the mark which is going to be more obvious in some cases than in others. Reading the above from Sylvia, I think the last thing I'd want to do is remove a Liquitex varnish....

Alan Bickley

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I'm always at a loss to understand why you would want to varnish an acrylic painting. Surely it can serve no useful purpose, if it gets dusty simply wipe it clean with warm water. I've got acrylics hanging in my place that have been there for decades without any deterioration at all; a subject that has been discussed many times I know but I'm just having my say.

Alan Bickley

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Thanks for that clarification Sylvia, I don't think I'll bother though, mine seem to look alright as they are, good enough for me anyway.
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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Mine, on the whole, look better varnished; but I've got one that I never varnished, and yes, it's easy to clean with a bit of water and a touch of mild soap. If you use an acrylic medium, rather than just water, you might not need to varnish: if water is all you generally use, or you use a mixture of, say, water and glazing medium, there will be differences in texture and sheen that you might want to even out with a coat of acrylic varnish (which can also be cleaned with a damp cloth or even, shhh, a bit of spit...).
Moi 17

Linda Wilson

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I would put a first aid plaster on the back before fiddling with the paint and varnish.