Canvas and Pictures Waterproofing

Canvas is a special type of material that can be used to protect almost anything.  Canvas is a durable and a flexible material that can be used to make variety of products including Canvas pictures.  You can find Canvas bases for oil based paintings and Canvas pictures, you can find Canvas bags, Canvas shoes, Canvas storage bins, Canvas drawers, Canvas tents, Canvas canopies, Canvas tarps and you can even find Canvas covers for your vehicle and especially for your boat to protect it from the weather elements.  The main reason why canvas is preferred as a material is because canvas is naturally water resistant and it can also withstand snow, cold, sun shine, dust, mildew and all kinds of external conditions.  Canvas is even resistant to salty sea water, which makes it the perfect material as a boat top or as a boat cover.  Canvas is still used, as it has been used for centuries, in sail making, for the same reason.  Thus canvas is a valuable base material for a variety of products.

Although Canvas is naturally water proof, there are certain procedures that are done on it to make it completely impervious to water.  When natural canvas is exposed to water, its fibers become even more closely knitted together as the each fibers puffs up and overlaps each other to protect it against water permeation.  Now to make canvas even more water proof, there are certain steps that you can take to make it withstand limitless amounts of water.  Here are some important points that you need to consider when you are water proofing your canvas

1)    You must use petroleum based coatings to water proof your canvas.  Don’t use water based products, as they will only offer short term protection and their effects will wear off easily.  Petroleum based products will join the natural strength of canvas to make it impervious to water completely.
2)    Don’t use silicone based products, as it will only cause you to lose the natural integrity of canvas.  Silicone will permeate to the woven fabric to obstruct it from being interwoven even more closely, when it comes into contact with water.
3)    If you are doing canvas waterproofing yourself, then make sure that you do it in outdoors and not on the inside.  The chemicals that you use may give off fumes and you may become disoriented and even dizzy, while you are performing the procedure.
4)    Make sure there are no other types of fabrics or other plastic material or plastic furniture nearby as these can be effected adversely with waterproofing procedure.
5)    Use a small spot on your canvas to see if it is affected negatively with the waterproofing procedure. Some types of canvas may be more sensitive than the rest, so you should try it out on a small piece before committing the whole canvas material.
6)    Make sure that you give it an ample time to dry as canvas will take longer then other materials to dry, once it is water proofed.  Once it is completely dry, then you can re apply a second coat for more permanent water proof protection.  Don’t forget that if you care for your canvas, it can continue to serve you for many long years.

~ by canvasprints on April 28, 2008.