Floating Frames for Canvas: A Complete UK Guide

A floating frame is an open-back canvas frame that supports the artwork from behind, leaving a small visible gap around all four edges so the canvas appears to float inside the frame. It is most often used for stretched canvas, deep box canvases, and rigid panel art where the viewer is intended to see the full edge of the work.

We have been framing canvas at our Bollington workshop in Cheshire since 1974. A floating frame for canvas is one of two standard canvas-framing formats we offer, alongside the tray frame. This guide covers what a floating frame looks like, how it differs from a tray frame, what to put inside one, the finish and size options, what it costs, and when a floating frame is the right choice for your piece.

What a Floating Frame Looks Like

The canvas sits inside the frame with a visible gap, typically 5mm to 10mm, on all four sides. There is no front lip pressing onto the artwork. Instead, a mounting batten on the rear of the frame holds the canvas slightly forward of the frame backing, so the canvas reads as a separate plane suspended within the moulding. The painted surface, the canvas edge, and the inside face of the frame are all visible together as part of the finished look.

The artwork is supported from behind, not held at the front. That is the defining mechanical difference. The reveal gap around the canvas is fully open, light passes through it, and a shadow line falls onto the inside face of the frame. The deeper the reveal, the more pronounced the floating effect.

Floating Frame vs Tray Frame

Both formats are designed for canvas, but the visual is opposite. A tray frame holds the canvas inside the frame profile with the side edges of the canvas concealed by the moulding. A floating frame supports the canvas from behind so the side edges are fully visible all the way round. If a canvas has been painted to the edge as part of a deliberate gallery-wrap finish, a floating frame puts that edge on show. If the edge of the canvas is unfinished or distracting, a tray frame hides it.

For a side-by-side comparison and notes on which canvases suit each format, see our tray frame vs floating frame guide. For the tray-frame side in detail, see our guide to tray frames.

What to Frame in a Floating Frame

Stretched canvas. This is the dominant use. A floating frame for canvas suits oil paintings, acrylics, mixed-media work and giclée prints on canvas, particularly where the artist has painted onto the side of the stretched canvas as a deliberate gallery-wrap finish. The floating format puts that painted edge on display rather than hiding it. Most enquiries we take for floating frames for canvas uk customers are for stretched-canvas work of this kind.

Box canvas and deep canvas. The depth of a floating frame scales to the stretcher depth of the canvas. A standard canvas stretcher is 18mm to 25mm deep, a deep-edge or box canvas can be 38mm or more. For a large floating frame on an oversized or deep-edge canvas, the moulding and the mounting batten are sized to the canvas, not the other way round. We cover sizing in more detail in our guide to large canvas frames.

Prints face-mounted to dibond, aluminium or birch ply. Floating frames for prints work well when the print has been bonded to a rigid substrate and the substrate edge is part of the finish. The print sits forward of the frame backing, the substrate edge is visible all the way round, and the result is a clean contemporary presentation. Photographers and printmakers use this format often for face-mounted work.

Rigid art panels. Birch ply, MDF and aluminium composite panels can all be presented in a floating frame in the same way as a canvas. The panel is held from behind, the reveal gap is set on all four sides, and the panel edge is part of what the viewer sees. This suits panel painting and any rigid substrate where the edge has been worked or finished deliberately.

Finishes and Profiles

Finish options run the full range of what we build. Stained or painted hardwood is the most common choice: oak, ash, tulipwood, walnut. We also spray welded steel for a more industrial look, lacquer or matt black for contemporary work, and gild floating frames in traditional or contemporary leaf for pieces where a metallic finish is wanted.

One point worth noting: the inside face of a floating-frame profile reads more strongly than it does on a tray frame, because more of the inside face is on display through the reveal gap. The finish on the inside edge is therefore part of the visual, not a hidden detail. When we plan a floating frame we think about how the inside face will sit against the canvas, not just how the outside reads on the wall.

Harten is a member of the Fine Art Trade Guild, and we are vetted for our quality, customer service and overall experience.

Sizes and Made-to-Measure

Ready-made canvas floater frames uk customers can buy online cover a small range of standard sizes (50x50cm, 60x90cm, 100x70cm, A2, A1) in a limited set of finishes. If your canvas is a stock size and a stock stretcher depth, a ready-made floater frame can be a fast, low-cost option.

For anything outside those stock dimensions, a custom floating frame is the only way to get a clean result. Stretcher depths vary in practice from 18mm up to 40mm or more, and a frame sized for a 20mm stretcher will not sit right on a 35mm canvas. Stretcher bars are rarely perfectly square either, so we measure the actual piece rather than working from a catalogue size. Floater frames for canvas uk made-to-measure also lets us tune the reveal gap to the work: a 5mm reveal reads tight and contemporary, a 10mm reveal reads generous and gallery-style. The right gap is a judgement call on each piece.

A practical note on quoting. The most common omission on a canvas-framing enquiry is the stretcher depth. To quote canvas floating frames uk customers accurately we need three numbers: width, height, and the depth of the wooden stretcher the canvas is stretched over. A photograph of the piece helps as well, particularly if the canvas edge has been painted or worked. Send the dimensions and the image and we will quote a floating frame for canvas the right size on the first reply.

For oversized canvases beyond standard residential dimensions, the floating frame moves into our oversized framing workflow, which uses heavier mouldings and stronger mounting battens to carry the weight of a large piece without flex.

How Much Does a Floating Frame Cost?

Canvas framing at Harten, in both tray and floating formats, starts from around £250 for a small piece. Price scales with three things: the size of the canvas, the depth of the canvas (a deeper floating frame uses more moulding and a heavier batten), and the finish (a sprayed welded-steel floating frame costs more than a stained oak one, and a gilded floating frame costs more again).

Larger and deeper canvases cost more because of the material used and the joinery required to keep the frame rigid. For a detailed breakdown of how we price custom framing across all our formats, see our guide to custom framing prices.

When a Floating Frame Is the Right Choice (and When It Isn't)

A floating frame is the right choice when the edge of the work is part of the work. That includes stretched canvas with a gallery-wrap finish, oil paintings on board where the artwork carries to the panel edge, contemporary art where the substrate edge has been deliberately worked, and any piece where a recessed tray reveal would crop or compete with the visible edge. If you want the artwork to read as suspended inside the frame rather than held within it, a floating frame delivers that.

It is not the right choice for works on paper. Watercolours, gouache, photographs and prints on uncoated paper all need glazing to protect against dust, handling, and ultraviolet light. A floating frame is open at the front and offers none of that. For these pieces, see our guide to UV protection in picture framing and ask us about a conventional frame with conservation glazing instead.

It is also not the right choice for fragile or high-value pieces that need a sealed conservation environment. Museum-grade framing uses a sealed back, acid-free materials throughout and conservation glazing. A floating frame, by design, leaves the work open. If the piece needs that level of protection, a floating frame is the wrong format.

If you have a canvas or a rigid panel and you would like a quote, send us the width, the height, the stretcher (or panel) depth, and a photograph of the piece. We make every type of floating frame for canvas to measure in our Cheshire workshop, with a 5-year guarantee on the build. If a floating frame is the wrong format for your piece, we will say so and recommend the right one.