how to make a plywood painting canvas
There are some simple steps to getting your hands on a painting canvas. There is the obvious traditional method of going to the store and buying one. That is not as much much as making it from a big piece of material. It is hard to imagine getting a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet of plywood home and them having to cut it up in pieces. There is a hack to get it to a manageable size.
Before we get to that, there are other options to obtain a piece of plywood. But first let's talk about what size you need.
Size of Plywood Painting Canvas
If you are having your kids paint on this piece of plywood, it needs to be relatively small. 12"x 12" is a great starting point or maybe a little smaller or bigger depending on your preference.
If the goal is to paint a larger painting, that is simple to get as well. Remember that the bigger a piece of plywood is cut into painting canvases the greater the cost per unit.
Current Costs and Where to Get it
Right now 3/4" Radiata Composite wood is going for around $50 a sheet. They also come A/C sanded which means it isn't going to give you a splinter (until you cut it). Most Home Improvement Stores sell some type of composite wood in a 4'x8' that is a mix of materials but the finish is usually well enough that a paint coat covers any imperfection. if this sheet is cut into 12"x12" squares, that is a little over $1 a sheet for a plywood painting canvas.
If money is a huge concern, see if you neighbors have some extra pieces laying around that they don't need any more. Chances are if they have some plywood lying around, they may be willing to cut it up for you as well!
Benefits to A Plywood Painting Canvas
Some benefits that we could think of include these random items. There is no need to build a frame to hang your picture with. The attachments to the plywood surface for mounting are extremely easy. A plywood surface is great for a picture collage. The painting will never need to be re-stretched.
The down side to a Plywood painting canvas
There is always a con and these are the ones that we found. The plywood picture is heavier than a typical canvas painting. The surface does have imperfections in it but this can bring character to the painting. Mounting a frame to it is not as easy.
Managing the cutting of the plywood painting canvas
It is pretty easy to say, "just get a 4'x8' sheet of plywood and cut it up." I have a table saw and worm saw and I work with tools all day long and am familiar with safety practices to get a large sheet cut with garage tools. I realize that not everyone has that luxury. I will let you in on a secret. Most big box home improvement stores have a Panel Saw. It looks like this: Not an affiliate, for reference only.
Take your sheet of plywood to the area where the panel saw is and ask a store attendant to help you cut the panel. They usually only limit cuts to 3-5 so you have to usually get there late at night when no one else is there and ask very nicely if they will make a bunch of cuts.
If they will not, take what you can get. To finish cutting, I recommend buying a cheap circular saw (looks like this, again, not an affiliate, for reference only) and making the last cuts your self. Be sure to use gloves and eye protection. Always cut on a flat surface and never tamper with the guard. For straight cuts, use a straight edged clamped to the board as a guide for the saw guard to follow. here are some pictures I took just to mock this up.
Now this will produce a bunch of pieces of wood that are covered with potential slivers. There are two ways to get rid of them. Sand the edges following the grain or router the edges. I have routered mine and then done a final sand to smooth out any anomalies.
Now There are 50
In this post, it has been discussed on ways to use plywood as a painting canvas. It was also discussed ways to get a sheet of plywood cut into manageable sizes. The only item we didn't really cover is how to hang it. Which is easy. Get a picture hanging kit from a hobby store and do all of the attachments right into the wood. 3/4" plywood is extremely sturdy and will accept nails and screws. Just remember not to send a screw or nail through the face. Unless it is artistic intent! Keep Building.