{"id":1388558,"date":"2018-09-12T16:14:20","date_gmt":"2018-09-12T15:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jacksonsart.com\/blog\/?p=1388558"},"modified":"2026-03-31T15:35:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T14:35:33","slug":"how-to-use-canvas-wedges-that-come-with-a-canvas-or-stretcher-bars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jacksonsart.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/12\/how-to-use-canvas-wedges-that-come-with-a-canvas-or-stretcher-bars\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use the Canvas Wedges That Come with a Canvas or Stretcher Bars"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discover the importance of the wooden canvas wedges that you get when you buy a canvas or stretcher bars. And learn how to insert them correctly to stop your canvas from sagging over time. <\/p>\n

What are those little triangular pieces of wood for?<\/p>\n

A few experienced artists have told me how they just threw their wedges away and then wondered about the best way to tighten up a slightly sagging canvas. So I decided maybe the humble canvas wedge needed some clarification.<\/p>\n

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When you purchase a ready-made canvas it will usually come with a little plastic bag of eight canvas wedges. They are often stapled inside the wrapping. Occasionally the wedges are already inserted in the canvas frame. When you purchase stretcher bars to make your own canvas, you will receive eight wedges per four bars. The size of the canvas wedges varies \u2013 bigger bars will have bigger wedges. The shape can vary a bit as well. Each manufacturer makes the ones that best fit the slots in the corner of their stretcher bars.<\/p>\n

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Many artists throw these small bits of wood away or start filling a drawer with them. But painter\u2019s corner keys or retainers (two other names for them) can be very useful. If you don\u2019t already use them you might want to give them a try. New canvases often need to be tightened and old paintings on canvas can become loose over time. This is usually because of changes in humidity and temperature. Your canvas that was as tight as a drum can loosen on its stretcher bars. They can easily be made tauter with canvas wedges, which expand the corner of the bars slightly. This enlarges the frame by a millimetre or so.<\/p>\n

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Canvas Wedges Can Be Inserted Into the Canvas Bars Before Painting or After<\/h2>\n

They can be used to:<\/p>\n