Float Frames
L-Shaped Float Mouldings
Picture Woods’ L-shaped canvas float profiles are milled to precisely align at the face, stem, and shelf, with edges that are crisp and clean. Our float frames range from 1-1/8″ above the shelf, up to 2-13/16″ above the shelf to accommodate those super-deep canvases.
Walnut and Cherry woods come with a black shelf. Maple and Ash, Sanded and Clear Lacquer, come with either a black or natural poplar shelf. Painted, whitewash, or grey finishes on Maple and Ash come with a same color on the poplar shelf .
*All shelves are of Poplar wood so tone and grain will vary from the stem’s wood.
Redesigned Float Moulding
Our float frames are designed to be flexible.
The stem and the shelf of your float frame will have some give, flexibility, or it might even be free to slide in its groove. This is okay, and in fact by design! The shelf will be fixed to the stem with a little bit of glue, but it’s not actually necessary to the structural integrity of the frame. Having some give in the joint allows for the shelf and stem to conform to the fence of the miter saw during the mitering operation, which makes the float frame conform to a perfect 90° while cutting, and thus makes for a better joint for joining. So if there’s a little flex or it looks like there’s not much glue in the joint, that’s okay!
For questions on how to mitre these new, redesigned float frames, visit our How-to section for Mitering Float Frames.
Upright Stem Float Frame
We designed Picture Woods’ float frame, profile #605, as a single stem design to work with a variety of stretcher bar heights. Our recommended method of assembly is to attach the stretcher to the frame from the inside of the stretcher bar.
The rabbet that is between the face of the moulding and the stretcher bar creates a nice “shadow line” around the canvas.
Areas A. & B. are sanded and finished. Area C. is finished (not sanded.)
