Last updated: · Written by Marcus Richardson, founder of Paint A Moment
Most paint by numbers canvases arrive rolled, so framing means one of two things: stretching the canvas over wooden stretcher bars and fitting a float frame, or flattening it and dropping it into a standard frame. Paint by numbers canvases are metric, so buy a metric frame such as IKEA RÖDALM rather than a high-street imperial one.
Which type of canvas do you actually have?
There are three common formats and each frames differently. A rolled canvas is loose fabric with a blank border and needs stretching or mounting. A pre-framed or DIY-frame kit already sits on stretcher bars and only needs an outer frame if you want one. A canvas board is rigid card and slots straight into an off-the-shelf frame.
It is worth checking before you buy anything. At Paint A Moment we ship in four formats: rolled, DIY frame (bars supplied flat for you to assemble), pre-framed (already stretched and ready to hang), and canvas board. If you chose pre-framed, the job is done and you can skip to hanging. If you chose rolled, keep reading.
A rolled canvas normally has a 3cm to 5cm unprinted margin on every side. That margin is not waste. It is what wraps around the stretcher bars, and it is why you should never trim a rolled canvas flush to the painted edge before you have decided how you are framing it.
How do you stretch a rolled canvas onto stretcher bars?
Assemble the four bars into a rectangle, lay the canvas face down with the bars centred on it, then staple the middle of each side in turn, working outwards in opposite pairs and pulling the canvas taut as you go. Fold the corners last. Allow about 30 minutes.
The full sequence:
- Flatten the canvas first. Lay it face down under heavy books for 24 to 48 hours, or press the back with a warm (not hot) iron through a tea towel. Never iron the painted side.
- Seal it before stretching. Stretching flexes the paint film, and unsealed acrylic on a folded corner can crack. Our guide to sealing a paint by numbers covers which varnish to use and how long to leave it.
- Build the frame. Stretcher bars have mitred, interlocking corners that tap together by hand. Check the diagonals measure the same before you staple anything, otherwise you will lock in a skewed rectangle.
- Centre the canvas. Face down on a clean surface, bars on top, equal margin on all four sides. Take a minute over this. A 5mm error here shows badly on the finished piece.
- Staple the centres. One staple in the middle of the top bar, then the bottom, then left, then right, pulling firmly each time. Canvas pliers help on the larger sizes but are not essential.
- Work outwards. Add staples every 4cm to 5cm, always alternating opposite sides, stopping about 6cm short of each corner.
- Fold the corners. Pull the corner point straight in over the bar, then fold the two flaps flat against the side, one over the other. Staple through the fold on the back edge, not the side, if you plan to leave the edges visible.
Tools: a staple gun with 6mm to 8mm staples, scissors, and a tape measure. A basic staple gun is roughly £10 to £20 from Screwfix, Wilko or Amazon. Stretcher bars for a 40x50cm canvas typically cost around £10 to £20 for a set of four from UK art suppliers such as Jackson's Art, Cowling & Wilcox or GreatArt. Prices vary by bar depth, so treat those as approximate.
If that sounds like more work than you want, choose the DIY frame or pre-framed option at checkout instead. It costs less than buying bars separately and the canvas arrives cut to fit.
Why do UK high-street frames often not fit?
Paint by numbers is a metric product. Kits are made in 30x40cm, 40x50cm, 50x70cm and 60x80cm. Much of the UK frame market is still built around imperial photo sizes and A-series paper sizes, neither of which line up with those measurements. A frame that is 10mm out will not close.
The mismatches that catch people out most often:
- A3 is 29.7 x 42cm. Put a 30x40cm painting in an A3 frame and you are 3mm too wide and 2cm too short. It will rattle around and show a gap.
- 16 x 20 inches is 40.6 x 50.8cm. That is 6mm and 8mm larger than a 40x50cm canvas. Usable at a push with a mount, poor without one.
- A2 is 42 x 59.4cm. Nothing in the paint by numbers range fits it.
- 60x80cm has almost no off-the-shelf equivalent. IKEA jumps from 50x70cm straight to 61x91cm. For 60x80cm you are looking at a float frame or a made-to-measure frame.
The fix is simple: search by centimetres, not inches, and ignore anything sold as A3, A2 or "16 by 20".
Which off-the-shelf UK frames fit each size?
For 30x40cm, 40x50cm and 50x70cm you can buy a matching frame off the shelf for £7 to £20. For 20x30cm and 60x80cm there is no exact common match, so use a float frame, a mount, or a local framer. The table below sets out the realistic options.
| Canvas size | Off-the-shelf match | Approx. UK cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20x30cm | IKEA RÖDALM 21x30cm | Around £5 | 1cm too wide. Fine with a mount, loose without. |
| 30x40cm | IKEA RÖDALM 30x40cm; Hobbycraft 30x40cm | £7 to £18 | Exact fit. The easiest size to frame cheaply. |
| 40x50cm | IKEA RÖDALM 40x50cm; Hobbycraft Gallery 40x50cm | £10 to £20 | Exact fit. Remove the supplied mount to use the full size. |
| 50x70cm | IKEA RÖDALM 50x70cm; poster frames at The Range | £15 to £30 | Exact fit. Check the frame is rigid enough at this span. |
| 60x80cm | None common. Float frame or made-to-measure | £40 to £150 | Stretch it and float frame it. Cheaper than bespoke glazing. |
One important change: IKEA has discontinued the RIBBA range that most framing guides still recommend, and replaced it with RÖDALM. RÖDALM comes in 10x15, 13x18, 21x30, 30x40, 40x50, 50x70 and 61x91cm, with a 3cm deep profile. At the time of writing the black version is £7 for 30x40cm, £10 for 40x50cm and £15 for 50x70cm. Prices change, so check before you travel.
The mount matters. A RÖDALM 40x50cm frame holds a 30x40cm picture with the supplied mount fitted, or a full 40x50cm picture with the mount removed. Take the mount out if you want the whole painting visible.
Should you use a float frame instead?
A float frame, also called a tray frame, holds a stretched canvas with a small shadow gap around it so the canvas appears to hover inside the moulding. It is the best-looking option for a painted canvas because there is no glass flattening the brushwork, and it suits any size including 60x80cm.
The catch is cost and the fact that the canvas must already be on stretcher bars. Jackson's Art sells ready-made wooden tray frames for a 40x50cm canvas from around £34 in black and around £41 in white, with a 6mm shadow gap and pre-drilled screw holes. Made-to-measure options from EasyFrame or Picture Gallery UK cover the awkward sizes.
Float frames also solve a problem specific to paint by numbers: acrylic paint has texture, and glass presses against it. If a piece took you 30 or 40 hours, and our guide on how long paint by numbers takes explains why the larger kits do, it deserves better than being squashed under glazing.
Where should you buy frames in the UK?
IKEA is cheapest for exact metric sizes. Hobbycraft and The Range are the best high-street options if you want to see the frame first. eBay and Amazon cover odd sizes and float frames. A local framer is the right call for 60x80cm or anything you want mounted properly.
- IKEA. RÖDALM in 30x40, 40x50 and 50x70cm, from £7. Unbeatable on price, limited on finish.
- Hobbycraft. Stocks 30x40cm and 40x50cm frames in oak effect, black, white and light grey. Their Black Gallery Frame 40x50cm is around £19 and includes an A3 mount you can remove.
- The Range. Good for larger poster frames and clip frames, usually cheaper than Hobbycraft, stock varies by store.
- eBay and Amazon. Where to find stretcher bars, float frames and 60x80cm mouldings. Read the listing measurements carefully, since many sellers list imperial sizes converted badly.
- A local framer. Expect roughly £60 to £150 for a bespoke 40x50cm frame depending on moulding and glazing. Approximate, and worth getting two quotes.
How do you hang a finished paint by numbers?
Fit two D-rings about a third of the way down the back, one on each side, and hang from two picture hooks set level and roughly 20cm apart. Two fixings stop the piece tilting. Hang so the centre of the painting sits about 145cm from the floor, which is standard gallery eye level.
A framed 40x50cm canvas weighs well under 2kg, so a standard hardwall picture hook is enough in plaster. For plasterboard use a self-drive plasterboard fixing rated to 5kg or more. Keep finished paintings out of direct sunlight, since acrylics fade over years of strong light, and off the wall directly above a radiator.
If you are still choosing a kit and want something that will look good framed, the best sellers and the intermediate kits are the sizes people most often frame. Beginners often start smaller with an easy kit, which frames cheaply at 30x40cm. A personalised kit made from your own photo is the one most worth framing properly.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to stretch a paint by numbers canvas before framing it?
Only if you want the canvas-on-bars look or a float frame. A rolled canvas can also be flattened and placed directly into a standard frame, with the blank border tucked behind the frame edge or trimmed. Stretching looks better on larger pieces; flat framing is quicker and cheaper.
What size frame do I need for a 40x50cm paint by numbers?
You need a frame sized 40x50cm in centimetres, not a 16x20 inch frame, which is actually 40.6 x 50.8cm. IKEA RÖDALM 40x50cm costs around £10 and fits exactly once you remove the supplied mount. Hobbycraft also sells 40x50cm frames at around £19.
Are IKEA RIBBA frames still available for paint by numbers?
No. IKEA has discontinued the RIBBA range and replaced it with RÖDALM. RÖDALM is available in 30x40cm, 40x50cm and 50x70cm, which cover three of the most common paint by numbers sizes. Many older framing guides still reference RIBBA sizes, so check current stock before you shop.
Should I varnish my paint by numbers before framing it?
Yes, seal it first. Varnish protects the paint from dust and handling, evens out the patchy sheen that acrylics dry with, and reduces the risk of cracking when you fold the canvas over stretcher bars. Let the varnish cure fully before you stretch or frame the piece.
Can I frame a paint by numbers without glass?
Yes, and for a painted canvas it usually looks better. Glass adds reflections and presses against the brush texture. A float frame holds a stretched canvas with no glazing at all. If you do use glass, choose a frame deep enough that the glazing does not touch the paint.
How much does it cost to frame a paint by numbers in the UK?
An off-the-shelf metric frame costs roughly £7 to £20 depending on size and retailer. Stretcher bars plus a ready-made float frame comes to roughly £45 to £60 for a 40x50cm canvas. A bespoke frame from a local framer is commonly £60 to £150. These figures are approximate and vary by region.
How do I flatten a rolled paint by numbers canvas?
Lay the canvas face down on a clean flat surface and weigh it down with heavy books for 24 to 48 hours. If it is still curling, press the back with a warm iron through a tea towel, keeping the iron moving. Never apply heat to the painted side.
What frame fits a 60x80cm paint by numbers?
There is no common off-the-shelf 60x80cm frame in the UK, since IKEA jumps from 50x70cm to 61x91cm. The practical options are stretching the canvas and fitting a float frame, or ordering a made-to-measure frame from a supplier such as EasyFrame. Budget roughly £40 to £150.
Can I put a canvas board paint by numbers straight into a frame?
Yes. Canvas board is rigid, already the exact finished size, and needs no stretching. Choose a frame with a rebate deep enough for the board thickness, usually 2mm to 5mm, and secure it with the clips already fitted to the frame back.
How high should I hang a framed paint by numbers?
Hang it so the centre of the painting sits about 145cm from the floor, which is the standard gallery eye level. Above furniture, leave 15cm to 25cm between the top of the sofa or sideboard and the bottom of the frame so the two read as one group.
New to the hobby? Start with our beginner's guide to paint by numbers, or browse kits designed specifically for adults.
