BEST QUALITY PRODUCT ON THE MARKET! 100% made in the USA using the most ecologically friendly, locally grown poplar wood. Almost all stretcher bars on the market are made of soft woods (pine, fir, and paulownia) that easily warp and are finger jointed in order to sell to you straight. But we use only poplar which is a hard wood. Less water content means less warping. Finger jointed wood can break apart over time. Our bars are made of one, solid piece of wood. Because we manufacture and ship directly to you from our manufacturing center, there are no middlemen, which means lower prices, not lower quality.
Made from poplar, which is a hard wood. Most stretcher bars on the market are made of soft woods such as pine and fir. Because of higher water content and lower density, soft woods are susceptible to warping. Soft woods grow faster than hard woods and often have indented knots that hard woods do not have.
The wood we use is ecologically friendly. We use only locally harvested wood that has been cut following the guidelines set forth by the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
100% manufactured in the USA.
Sold by the unit, not by the pair.
Easy to assemble. Does not require any glue, nails, or screws. We recommend using a rubber mallet.
Available in sizes from 8 to 96
2 ½ ” deep (depth is how far they hang off wall) and 2” wide.
Contain a very well beveled and defined lip. Important factor that makes us different than many cheap bars on the market! A well beveled lip allows for minimum contact with canvas so there is no shadow; a well beveled lip allows for a tightly stretched canvas with neat, definitive edges. If a stretcher bar has a sharp edge, it runs the risk of creating cracking and tearing in the canvas over time.
Keyable. Keys may be used to tighten canvas over time and should be placed in frame only after canvas has been stretched. Keys are available upon request. If you would like keys, please send an email to us at info@frenchcanvas.com right after placing order. If you have any questions concerning keys, please contact us at above-mentioned email.
Tongue and groove ends allow for quick and easy assembling. Bars fit right together with no need for glue, staples, or screws. We recommend using a rubber mallet to gently assemble.
Slots in stretcher bars starting at 30” allow for easy to put in cross bars that require no glue, nails, or screws.
QUALITY
Because we use a hard wood (poplar) while others use soft woods (pine and fir), our bars are much less likely to warp since there is less water content in the wood. Other bars may look good today but will warp over time with changes in weather conditions. Furthermore, by using a hard wood, we are able to sell solid pieces and not finger jointed bars. Our bars are cut here in the USA with ecologically friendly, locally cut wood using state of the art machinery (same machinery that is used to make cabinetry) and not cut on some chain line overseas. Precision in cuts are just as important as the quality wood that is used. If cuts are poor, bars will fit together poorly.
PRICE
If you just compare price to price, then we are not the cheapest on the market. But we are definitely the best value. You get what you pay for. Companies like Wholesale Art Frames and Stretcher Bar Warehouse sell really cheap bars because they come from China using very low quality wood where labor costs are unfairly low. We ought to know; weve sold those same bars for years. But at the end of the day, we felt that cheap can often become expensive if you have to go through three or four bars to find one that is not warped. And with cheap wood, your bar may not be warped today, but it will be in a couple of months or a year when the weather gets colder or hotter or with changes in humidity. With us you get hands down the best value. Your bars will be as straight in five or ten years as they are today.
USER FRIENDLY
Our bars are easy to assemble and since there are slots in the bars for cross bars, there is no need for glue, nails, or screws.
TAKING A STAND Over the last few years as the economy has remained sluggish, people are lamenting more and more about how things will never change as long as we buy and manufacture overseas. Dont get me wrong, Im not for shutting down the borders. But there is no reason why wooden bars cant be made here under strict standards.
AN INTERNET BASED MOM & POP STORE
As a kid, I used to love going to our local Mom and Pop Stores. The owners were the employees and they knew who I was and what I liked. Thats hard to find in todays Internet based world of chain stores. At French Canvas we know our customers, we know their needs, and we always strive to give great customer service. Ive met some amazing people since starting French Canvas.
There are several factors that help to determine the stretcher bar that you should be using:
Size of stretcher frame
Is there a big difference between the length and width (a frame where one dimension is double or more that of the other has a greater chance of warping)
Will you be framing your final piece
Aesthetics. How deep do you want piece to hang off wall.
Your budget.
If you are not sure which depth is right for you, please call us at (800) 934 3424 or email us at info@frenchcanvas.com, and we will try to guide you in your decision.
Solid woods can be classified as hard or soft. A hardwood is derived from a broad-leafed tree (without needles), such as poplar, maple, cherry, oak, ash, walnut, or mahogany. Hardwoods usually offer greater strength and stability. Softwoods come from needle-bearing evergreen trees, such as pine, fir, and spruce. Softwoods are more susceptible to marks and dings.
Poplar is harder and more dent-resistant than pine and fir. The main problem with any wood is the moisture content and the structure of the grain. Pine and fir are soft woods that warp easily, are difficult to dry evenly, and can have a lot of stress in the structure---meaning they can warp even as it is being cut more than most other woods. Working with pine or fir is more difficult in many ways than working with most other woods---pine and fir have a lot of pitch/sap.
Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. We think a video may be worth ten thousand. So rather than writing anything out, we prepared this video to show you how to put a frame together. Were showing you a big frame because if you can do a big one, you can do one that is small.
We can make frames using non-jointed wood up to 16 feet long. However, we are able to bolt frames together to allow us to make frames up to 30 feet long. If you are interested in getting bars that are longer than 8 ft. (96”), please contact us at info@FrenchCanvas.com so that we may know your specific needs. We will get back to you within a very short period of top with various options. Please make sure to include a phone number in your email tous.
Hi, my name is Rob Mogel, and if you call or email us, chances are that you will be in contact with me. French Canvas began in 2004, here in Central New Jersey. The most common question we get asked is, “Why is it French Canvas? What’s French about you?” I first started French Canvas with a wonderful, French artist named Franck Moeglen who was living and painting here in the US at the time. Franck lamented that he could not get the great products that he was used to getting in France, here in the US. So we started French Canvas together, importing products from France. And then the value of the dollar plummeted in relation to the euro and prices skyrocketed. Franck has since gone back to France and started a company similar to French Canvas in France called Toiles et Chassis (Canvas and Frames). If you ever need product in Europe, this is a great source (http://www.toilesetchassis.com/).
Oh, and when we did our focus groups, it appeared that New Jersey Canvas did not have the same cache or as they say in French, je ne sais quoi as French Canvas. So French Canvas we are. We are located in Hamilton, New Jersey, which is right by Princeton, NJ. We are about an hour away from New York and forty-five minutes from Philadelphia. We are very proud of the fact that most of our employees have been with us since the beginning. On a more technical level, we stretch our canvases in the French tradition and focus on quality and durability. We want your artwork to look as good twenty or thirty years from now as it does today. If there’s anything else you’d like to know about us, please feel free to give us a call (800) 934 3424 or email us at info@FrenchCanvas.com.
We normally ship Fed Ex Ground within several business days of receiving an order. If you need an order rapidly, please email us at info@FrenchCanvas.com to discuss various options.
French Canvas offers FREE SHIPPING for all orders of $250 and up. All orders (even those for $250 or more) that must be packaged in OVERSIZED boxes ( OS, OS+ or Freight ) will incur special oversized charges. Please call us at (800) 934 3424 or e-mail us at info@frenchcanvas.com for all orders to be shipped outside of the continental United States. Most regular sized, OS, and OS+ boxes are shipped by Fed Ex Ground. Freight size boxes are shipped by the quickest and most affordable freight forwarding company covering your region.
Shipping charges are subject to change. Please send an e-mail to info@frenchcanvas.com with Shipping Charges Changes in the Subject Box to be added to our list of clients contacted when there are any changes to our shipping policy.
General Shipping and Handling Charges
From $0 to $50.00: $10.95
From $50.01 to $75.00: $12.95
From $75.01 to $100.00: $14.95
From $100.01 to $125.00: $15.95
From $125.01 to $150.00: $17.95
From $150.01 to $200.00: $21.95
From $200.01 to $249.99: $23.95
$250 or above: FREE
Free shipping ( with exception of possible surcharges for oversized or Freight boxes )
Oversized (OS) , Extra Oversized (OS+) and Freight (F) Boxes :
Oversized Bars: $15 per box (Stretcher Bars 60" to 72" go in an Oversized Box).
Oversized: $25 per box (Any frame with a dimension equal or over 28" but not with one over 36" or any stretcher bar with a length 72" to 96" will be considered Oversized and an additional charge of $25.00 will be applied. Our canvas rolls are packaged with one roll to a box due the size and weight of the rolls. For this reason a $25 surcharge will apply for each canvas roll ordered.
Oversized Plus: $50 per box (Any frame with a dimension 36" or larger will be considered Extra Oversized and an additional $50.00 charge will be added for every two frames of this larger size ordered. For this reason, our larger frames are sold in sets of two ).
Freight Charges: All (F) size products must ship via freight truck. When you place an order for a freight size canvas, you are only charged initially for the canvas. French Canvas contacts a wide range of freight carriers, depending on the size, quantity, and final destination of your package. We then contact the customer and discuss the options. After determining the preferred option of the customer, you are charged for the freight shipping cost of the package
We accept Mastercard, Visa, and American Express over the Internet. If you would prefer to pay by check or other payment method, please contact us at info@frenchcanvas.com . Shipping fees are based on the size, weight, volume, and subtotal dollar amount of your order (excluding shipping and tax).
French Canvas LLC is required by law to collect and remit the appropriate sales taxes on merchandise (including shipping and handling charges). Residents of the state of New Jersey must pay sales tax.
Shipping charges above may differ from the rates in previously published catalogs or previously seen on our website.
We try to make the website as accurate as possible, but we are human. Thank you for understanding.
We normally ship Fed Ex Ground within several business days of receiving an order. If you need an order rapidly, please email us at info@FrenchCanvas.com to discuss various options.
36 to 60 comes with one slot in stretcher bar for cross bracing.
72 to 96 comes with two slots in stretcher bar for cross bracing.
PLEASE TELL US HERE HOW YOU WANT PIECE TO BE CUT. IF YOU ARE NOT SURE OR HAVE QUESTIONS EMAIL US AFTER PLACING ORDER AT INFO@FRENCHCANVAS.COM AND WE CAN GO OVER THIS TOGETHER.
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