Different Styles in Stretcher Bars

There are several different styles in stretcher bars. There are the Medium (Standard) Duty bars that are also known as Fredrix stretcher bars or stretcher strips that are most commonly used by the vast majority of artists and framers. Besides these, there are gallery wrap stretcher bars and heavy duty stretcher bars as well as the Light Duty stretcher bars. These are the economical stretcher bars with a size of 5/8” in depth and 1 3/16” in width.

The Heavy Duty Stretcher Bars can be ordered in different grades and styles. Therefore, the lightest among these are the Medium/Heavy Duty Stretcher Bars also known as Goldilocks with a square cross-section of 1 3/16”. Then there is the Heavy Duty in the Midi category that gives you the added depth while saving you considerable money especially when you order full boxes. These have a square cross-section of 1 ½”. The Super Heavy Duty stretcher bars at 1 ½” in depth and with a width of 2”are the ‘’big bully’’ among the bars and are for use when you have a very large canvas that needs a strong foundation.

The gallery wrap stretcher bars are a beautiful modification that has further improved upon a product that was already great. This modification consists of adding aluminum to increase the strength while proportionately reducing the volume of wood that is required to manufacture these stretcher bars thus making them more environmentally-friendly. These bars look more like works of art and you don’t even need the canvas. Once you wrap a true work of art on these special bars you create a product that is really stunning. The biggest advantage is that you get a nice flat surface at the back and your canvas hangs beautifully.