A small rolled up piece of 7oz unprimed canvas.
The most economical way to make a painting is to stretch your own canvases. To do that, you’ll need canvas (or linen), stretcher bars, a staple gun, scissors, and if desired, specialty canvas pliers. This post focuses on getting the right canvas for your studio, in the most economical way. Generally, that will be buying canvas in bulk in 2 to 6 yard blankets, or in rolls that come in lengths ranging from 10 to 100 yards, although most rolls are available in the 25 to 30 yard range.
A 25 yard roll can be a lot of canvas! But it won’t go bad and if you keep painting, you will use the roll up eventually. But to start, you should only get what you need. It’s also a good idea to test out a few types of canvas to see what works for you. For most people, medium weight 12 oz canvas is a sturdy option; 10 oz army duck has a bit more texture, and 7oz lightweight canvas is smoother and easier to stretch.
There are a confusing array of options when selecting canvas, so this post is a complete guide to all kinds of canvas along with a buyer’s guide to the most economical options. But first, let’s jump in to the best deals on various weights of canvas.
Best Overall Price on Unprimed Canvas: Blick 12 oz Canvas Roll
One of the best prices on canvas can be found by ordering a 25 yard roll of 12 oz canvas from Blick. These 25 yard rolls are available in widths ranging from 60 inches (5 feet wide) to 120 inches (10 feet wide) and when compared on a per-square-foot basis, are about the same price, ranging from $0.39 to $0.42 per square foot. 25 yards is 75 feet of canvas, so that is quite a bit of canvas, but if you make a lot of paintings, this is the way to go!
Best Price on Lightweight 7oz Canvas
Lightweight 7oz canvas is a more economical option and also has a smoother texture than heavier weight canvas. The most budget-friendly option is to buy this in rolls from Blick or Jerry’s Artarama. Only get a roll if you need a lot of canvas, but in bulk this canvas is around $0.33 or $0.34 per square foot. These prices can be found at both Blick and Jerry’s.
Best Price on 10 oz Army Duck Canvas
10 oz Army Duck Canvas has a more pronounced texture but is still relatively lightweight and easy to stretch. As you can see in our price chart below, Jerry’s Artarama has the best price on this type of canvas with a 60” wide by 25 yard roll for about $231, which works out to around $0.51 per square foot.
Best Price on 15 oz Heavy Weight Canvas
Heavy Weight canvas is stiff and harder to work with, but can be better if you are working on larger canvases. It’s also a great option if you are using canvas for working with clay slabs. The best prices on this type of canvas is at Blick, but do check closely, there are some inconsistent prices—some as low as $0.54 a square foot but others that are much more. Jerry’s also has an option around $0.59 a square foot. Both are great options.
Table of Contents
Best Price on Unprimed Canvas Roll
Unprimed Canvas Overview
Price Comparison Chart — Rolls and Blankets
Price Comparison Chart — By the Foot
Advice for Stretching a Canvas for the First Time
Other Tools That Are Needed for Stretching Canvas
Conclusion
Unprimed Canvas Overview
Unprimed canvas is one of the most economical and versatile options for stretching your own canvases. Available in four main weights – 7 oz, 10 oz, 12 oz, and 15 oz — these also have slightly different textures that may or may not be to your liking for a painting surface. You might also see canvas referred to as #10, or #12, etc. But for the purposes of this post, we are sticking to the weight of canvas, which is the weight per yard and indicates how much material is in the canvas.
In general, lighter canvas is good for smaller paintings and thinner paint application. As the size of your canvas increases (or if you use a thicker painting application) you’ll want to use heavier canvas.
How to buy canvas:
By the yard: Usually this is in store, but some online vendors such as Blick will sell by the yard.
In blankets: These generally range from 2 to 6 yards and can be found in store and online.
By the roll: Some rolls of 10 yards area available, but generally this will be 25 or 30 yards of material, or more. The larger rolls around 50 yards or more, can be very heavy.
This post and buyer’s guide focuses on unprimed canvas. After stretching, you will have to apply your own gesso. There are many options for primed canvas out there but we’ll save that review for a separate post.
Comparison Chart Overview
The comparison chart below compares canvas prices from a few different online retailers. Rolls and blankets are presented first, followed by canvas by the yard options from Blick. In order to compare prices across widths and lengths of different sources, a price per square foot was calculated for comparison.
The chart is organized by lightweight 7 oz options first, then medium weight 10 oz army duck, then heavy weight 12 oz canvas, and then extra-heavyweight 15 oz canvas. Within those categories, it starts with smaller blankets and narrower widths, proceeding up to rolls in that size. The chart is also subdivided by vendor with shopping links.
This can all get a little confusing, so a * was added to indicate the best prices within each weight of canvas.
When shopping, note that the “Creative Mark” product on Amazon are shipped from Jerry’s Artarama as well.
Unprimed Canvas Price Comparison Chart — Rolls and Blankets
| * Indicates Best Deals | |||||
| 7 oz Lightweight Canvas | Size | Square Feet | Price | Per Ft2
| Shopping Link |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blick 7 oz blanket | 60" wide x 6 yards | 90 sq ft | $34.92 | $0.39 | Blick |
| Blick 7 oz roll | 60" wide x 10 yards | 150 sq ft | $56.00 | $0.37 | Blick |
| * Blick 7 oz blanket | 72" wide x 6 yards | 108 sq ft | $56.00 | $0.34 | Blick |
| * Blick 7 oz roll | 72" wide x 10 yards | 180 sq ft | $59.55 | $0.33 | Blick |
| * Blick 7 oz roll | 72" wide x 25 yards | 450 sq ft | $152.99 | $0.34 | Blick |
| |
|||||
| Jerry's 7 oz roll | 52" wide x 30 yards | 390 sq ft | $138.59 | $0.36 | Jerry's |
| * Jerry's 7 oz roll | 72" wide x 30 yards | 540 sq ft | $183.59 | $0.34 | Jerry's |
| |
|||||
| US Art Supply 7 oz blanket | 24" wide x 6 yards | 36 sq ft | $26.99 | $0.75 | Amazon |
| US Art Supply 7 oz blanket | 36" wide x 6 yards | 54 sq ft | $39.99 | $0.74 | Amazon |
| Creative Mark 7 oz blanket | 52" wide x 6 yards | 78 sq ft | $41.90 | $0.54 | Amazon |
| Creative Mark 7 oz roll | 52" wide x 30 yards | 390 sq ft | $200.99 | $0.52 | Amazon | US Art Supply 7 oz blanket | 63" wide x 6 yards | 94.5 sq ft | $59.99 | $0.63 | Amazon |
| Creative Mark 7 oz roll | 72" wide x 30 yards | 540 sq ft | $225.79 | $0.42 | Amazon |
| |
|||||
| 10 oz Army Duck Canvas | Size | Square Feet | Price | Per Ft2
| Shopping Link |
|
| Blick 10 oz blanket | 60" wide x 6 yards | 90 sq ft | $62.68 | $0.70 | Blick |
| Blick 10 oz roll | 60" wide x 10 yards | 150 sq ft | $100.00 | $0.67 | Blick |
| Blick 10 oz blanket | 72" wide x 6 yards | 108 sq ft | $72.96 | $0.68 | Blick |
| Blick 10 oz roll | 72" wide x 10 yards | 180 sq ft | $116.00 | $0.64 | Blick |
| Blick 10 oz roll | 72" wide x 25 yards | 450 sq ft | $296.00 | $0.64 | Blick |
| |
|||||
| * Jerry's 10 oz roll | 60" wide x 30 yards | 450 sq ft | $230.99 | $0.51 | Jerry's |
| |
|||||
| Creative Mark 10 oz blanket | 63" wide x 6 yards | 94.5 sq ft | $69.99 | $0.74 | Amazon |
| Creative Mark 10 oz roll | 60" wide x 30 yards | 450 sq ft | $283.49 | $0.63 | Amazon |
| 12 oz Medium Weight Canvas | Size | Square Feet | Price | Per Ft2
| Shopping Link |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blick 12 oz blanket | 60" wide x 6 yards | 90 sq ft | $56.29 | $0.63 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz roll | 60" wide x 10 yards | 150 sq ft | $96.14 | $0.64 | Blick |
| * Blick 12 oz roll | 60" wide x 25 yards | 375 sq ft | $158.54 | $0.42 | Blick |
| * Blick 12 oz roll | 60" wide x 50 yards | 750 sq ft | $307.26 | $0.41 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz blanket | 72" wide x 6 yards | 108 sq ft | $64.89 | $0.60 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz roll | 72" wide x 10 yards | 180 sq ft | $108.63 | $0.60 | Blick |
| * Blick 12 oz roll | 72" wide x 25 yards | 450 sq ft | $183.72 | $0.41 | Blick |
| * Blick 12 oz roll | 72" wide x 50 yards | 900 sq ft | $372.37 | $0.41 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz roll | 72" wide x 100 yards | 1800 sq ft | $690.38 | $0.38 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz blanket | 84" wide x 6 yards | 126 sq ft | $74.69 | $0.59 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz roll | 84" wide x 10 yards | 210 sq ft | $121.65 | $0.58 | Blick |
| * Blick 12 oz roll | 84" wide x 25 yards | 525 sq ft | $210.55 | $0.40 | Blick |
| * Blick 12 oz roll | 84" wide x 50 yards | 1050 sq ft | $404.46 | $0.39 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz blanket | 96" wide x 6 yards | 144 sq ft | $90.59 | $0.63 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz roll | 96" wide x 10 yards | 240 sq ft | $148.3 | $0.62 | Blick |
| * Blick 12 oz roll | 96" wide x 25 yards | 600 sq ft | $255.06 | $0.43 | Blick |
| * Blick 12 oz roll | 96" wide x 50 yards | 1200 sq ft | $491.29 | $0.41 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz blanket | 120" wide x 6 yards | 180 sq ft | $109.99 | $0.61 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz roll | 120" wide x 10 yards | 300 sq ft | $217.66 | $0.73 | Blick |
| * Blick 12 oz roll | 120" wide x 25 yards | 750 sq ft | $306.27 | $0.41 | Blick |
| * Blick 12 oz roll | 120" wide x 50 yards | 1500 sq ft | $615.98 | $0.41 | Blick |
| |
|||||
| Jerry's 12 oz roll | 54" wide x 30 yards | 405 sq ft | $196.29 | $0.48 | Jerry's |
| Jerry's 12 oz roll | 60" wide x 30 yards | 450 sq ft | $207.89 | $0.46 | Jerry's |
| Jerry's 12 oz roll | 72" wide x 30 yards | 540 sq ft | $230.99 | $0.43 | Jerry's |
| * Jerry's 12 oz roll | 84" wide x 30 yards | 630 sq ft | $265.59 | $0.42 | Jerry's |
| Jerry's 12 oz roll | 96" wide x 30 yards | 720 sq ft | $323.39 | $0.45 | Jerry's |
| * Jerry's 12 oz roll | 120" wide x 30 yards | 900 sq ft | $369.59 | $0.41 | Jerry's |
| * Jerry's 12 oz roll | 144" wide x 30 yards | 1080 sq ft | $415.79 | $0.38 | Jerry's |
| |
|||||
| Creative Mark 12 oz blanket | 96" wide x 6 yards | 144 sq ft | $96.99 | $0.67 | Amazon |
| Creative Mark 12 oz blanket | 120" wide x 6 yards | 180 sq ft | $109.99 | $0.61 | Amazon |
| Creative Mark 7 oz roll | 54" wide x 30 yards | 405 sq ft | $209.99 | $0.52 | Amazon |
| Creative Mark 7 oz roll | 60" wide x 30 yards | 450 sq ft | $257.99 | $0.57 | Amazon |
| Creative Mark 7 oz roll | 72" wide x 30 yards | 540 sq ft | $314.99 | $0.58 | Amazon |
| Creative Mark 7 oz roll | 84" wide x 30 yards | 630 sq ft | $346.49 | $0.55 | Amazon |
| |
|||||
| 15 oz Heavy Weight Canvas | Size | Square Feet | Price | Per Ft2
| Shopping Link |
|
| Blick 15 oz blanket | 60" wide x 6 yards | 90 sq ft | $68.49 | $0.76 | Blick |
| Blick 15 oz roll | 60" wide x 10 yards | 150 sq ft | $237.39 | $1.58 | Blick | * Blick 15 oz roll | 60" wide x 25 yards | 375 sq ft | $221.32 | $0.59 | Blick | Blick 15 oz roll | 60" wide x 50 yards | 750 sq ft | $1145.10 | $1.53 | Blick |
| Blick 15 oz blanket | 76" wide x 6 yards | 114 sq ft | $83.90 | $0.74 | Blick |
| Blick 15 oz roll | 76" wide x 10 yards | 190 sq ft | $269.98 | $1.42 | Blick |
| Blick 15 oz roll | * 76" wide x 25 yards | 475 sq ft | $258.07 | $0.54 | Blick |
| Blick 15 oz roll | 76" wide x 50 yards | 950 sq ft | $1354.07 | $1.43 | Blick |
| |
|||||
| * Jerry's 15 oz roll | 60" wide x 30 yards | 450 sq ft | $265.59 | $0.59 | Jerry's |
| Jerry's 15 oz roll | 72" wide x 30 yards | 540 sq ft | $384.39 | $0.71 | Jerry's |
| * Jerry's 15 oz roll | 84" wide x 30 yards | 630 sq ft | $378.29 | $0.60 | Jerry's |
| Jerry's 15 oz roll | 96" wide x 30 yards | 720 sq ft | $456.49 | $0.63 | Jerry's |
| Jerry's 15 oz roll | 120" wide x 30 yards | 900 sq ft | $550.89 | $0.61 | Jerry's |
| Jerry's 15 oz roll | 144" wide x 30 yards | 1080 sq ft | $709.99 | $0.66 | Jerry's |
| |
|||||
| Creative Mark 15 oz blanket | 96" wide x 6 yards | 144 sq ft | $119.99 | $0.83 | Amazon | Creative Mark 15 oz blanket | 120" wide x 6 yards | 180 sq ft | $140.99 | $0.78 | Amazon |
| Creative Mark 10 oz roll | 60" wide x 30 yards | 450 sq ft | $283.49 | $0.63 | Amazon |
| Creative Mark 10 oz roll | 60" wide x 30 yards | 450 sq ft | $283.49 | $0.63 | Amazon |
| Creative Mark 10 oz roll | 60" wide x 30 yards | 450 sq ft | $283.49 | $0.63 | Amazon |
| |
Unprimed Canvas Price Comparison Chart — By The Yard
| 7 oz Lightweight Canvas | Size | Square Feet | Price per yard | Per Ft2
| Shopping Link |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blick 7 oz canvas | 72" wide x 1 yard | 18 sq ft | $5.75 | $0.32 | Blick |
| Blick 10 oz canvas | 37.5 wide x 1 yard | 9.375 sq ft | $5.50 | $0.59 | Blick |
| Blick 10 oz canvas | 63" wide x 1 yard | 15.75 sq ft | $5.68 | $0.36 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz canvas | 48" wide x 1 yard | 12 sq ft | $6.36 | $0.53 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz canvas | 60" wide x 1 yard | 15 sq ft | $6.68 | $0.45 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz canvas | 72" wide x 1 yard | 18 sq ft | $8.72 | $0.48 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz canvas | 84" wide x 1 yard | 21 sq ft | $10.03 | $0.48 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz canvas | 96" wide x 1 yard | 24 sq ft | $12.21 | $0.48 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz canvas | 120" wide x 1 yard | 30 sq ft | $19.70 | $0.66 | Blick |
| Blick 15 oz canvas | 60" wide x 1 yard | 15 sq ft | $8.70 | $0.58 | Blick |
| Blick 15 oz canvas | 72" wide x 1 yard | 18 sq ft | $12.17 | $0.68 | Blick |
| Blick 15 oz canvas | 84" wide x 1 yard | 21 sq ft | $14.54 | $0.69 | Blick |
| Blick 12 oz canvas | 96" wide x 1 yard | 24 sq ft | $17.45 | $0.73 | Blick |
| Blick 15 oz canvas | 120" wide x 1 yard | 30 sq ft | $23.47 | $0.78 | Blick |
Advice for Stretching Canvas for the First Time
If you have never stretched canvas before, the best option would be to go to a store and pick up stretcher bars, a yard of canvas, and a staple gun, and see if you enjoy the process. You can also order these, but often you will need to commit to a pack of stretcher bars and that may be more than you need.
Start with something small, such as 16” x 20” or 14” x 18”, or a square shape, and cut your canvas with enough room on all sides so that it can stretch around the back of your stretcher bars.
Start by stapling one staple in the middle of each side. Then pull and tighten as you add more staples. Move across and then perpendicular to keep the tension even and as tight as possible. You’ll also want to keep the grain of fabric moving in a more-or-less straight line.
As you get to the corners, make a pocket fold and staple that in place. If you don’t get it right the first time, or it’s not tight enough, you can always take out the staples and try again!
Other Tools Needed for Stretching Canvas
In addition to canvas, you will need stretcher bars, a staple gun and staples if desired, a canvas pliers. A small wooden or plastic mallet can help put your stretcher bars together as well.
Stretcher Bars
There are lots of options for stretcher bars, so pick a thickness you like, such as 1.5”, and get four stretcher bars.
A great option for stretcher bars or the Blick Standard stretcher bars, which are 1.5 inches thick and just under an inch wide. You can also find kits on Amazon that have 4 stretcher bars and some hardware. These kits are a good option if you are just trying out stretching a canvas for the first time and don’t want to end up with with a bunch of extra pieces.
Staple Guns
The Arrow JT27 is a classic light-duty staple gun, but the all metal construction isn’t necessarily the most comfortable. But the small size is good for most hands.
Some of the kits come with tacks, which you can hammer in if you want an old school style of canvas look. Or, you can staple your canvas. When ordering a staple gun, make sure you get staples that match the size of the gun, and you can also choose staples based on the depth of the staple.
Options for stretching canvas include light duty and heavy duty staple guns. Both sizes are fine, but a light duty gun will be best for smaller hands.
You can also choose a gun based on ergonomic handles or upgrade to a full pneumatic gun, but that’s probably only necessary if you are stretching canvases all the time.
Light Duty:
For a light duty gun, look at the Arrow JT27, which costs are $20, or the Surebonder Light Duty Gun, which costs around $17.
Heavy Duty Staple Guns
For a heavy duty gun, there are a number of options but look for a quality gun from Stanley, Dewalt, Arrow, or Surebonder.
The all-metal Arrow T50 is around $20. The plastic and metal DeWalt Stapler is around $30, and the Surebonder Triggerfire Kit is around $24.
Conclusion
This post has covered a variety of info on unprimed canvas, including a buyer’s guide and complete breakdown of where to find the best deals on canvas. The post has also covered basic tools needed for stretching canvas. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments.
You may also enjoy:
