FAQs — The Stuff You’d Ask If We Were Hanging Out in the Studio

ACF is far from new to the canvas industry. Established in 2013 in South Africa, Art Canvas Factory has built a solid reputation for producing high-quality box and stretched canvas frames trusted by artists.

Now, in 2023, we’ve expanded into the UK market, bringing our ACF Stretch and Box Canvases and introducing innovative products like the ‘Box Board Canvas’—specifically crafted with artists’ needs in mind.

At ACF, we’re proud to use our own custom-developed canvases, exclusively crafted for Art Canvas Factory in South Africa.

We offer four types of premium, acid-free PET (polyethylene terephthalate) canvases, each with unique benefits:

1. 260 gsm Canvas – Featured in our Stretch Canvas range, this durable yet flexible canvas is specially treated to repel water and stains, ensuring vibrant color payoff across mediums.
2. 260 gsm Canvas – Our new watercolour range.
3. 300 gsm Canvas – Used in our Box Canvas and other premium products, this heavier canvas provides enhanced stability and support for more intensive techniques.
4. 260 gsm rPET Canvas – Our 100% recycled rPET canvas range that has our propritary coating from the Strecth and Box canvas ranges

Each canvas comes with thier own unique gesso designed for various other mediums.

And if you prefer a thicker base, feel free to add extra gesso for a custom finish!

All our canvases come with our propritary gesso that’s designed to resist water, stains, and dirt, while also enhancing color vibrancy.

However, we always recommend that artists prepare their canvases to suit their style—whether that’s adding a layer of gesso or applying an undercoat.

This added flexibility lets you tailor the canvas to your exact needs.

ACF’s exclusive polyester canvas is specially designed to deliver exceptional strength and durability, surpassing both linen and cotton duck in resilience and longevity.

Polyester naturally resists moisture absorption, helping to maintain tension and significantly reduce the risk of warping over time. Its uniform weave and superior heat stability ensure consistency, while its lightweight nature makes it easy to handle and transport.

Each ACF canvas is treated to repel water, stains, and dirt, adding to its durability and making it ideal for preserving the integrity of your artwork.

Our canvases come with a specialized gesso coating, developed alongside Joe Joubert Hand Made Oil Paints, which creates an even, surface right out of the box.

This primer not only enhances color vibrancy but also provides a stable foundation for a variety of mediums. And if you like to customize, additional gesso layers can be applied to tailor the surface to your preferred finish.

The result is a smooth, precise canvas that enhances color clarity and is perfect for detailed work—a canvas built to last, yet adaptable to the unique needs of each artist.

While it’s technically possible to paint on various polyesters, our research shows that traditional polyesters often fall short of meeting artists’ needs.

Common issues like sagging, flexibility challenges, indentations, and unsuitable surface coatings can disrupt the artistic process and compromise the quality of the finished work.

At ACF, we recognized these challenges and, through extensive collaboration with both scientists and professional artists, developed an exclusive range of polyester canvases specifically for artists.

Our unique coatings, which are proprietary to ACF, provide the ideal surface for vibrant color and detailed work.

These coatings address common issues associated with polyester canvases, making our products uniquely suited to artists’ requirements for durability, stability, and performance.

Our stretcher bars are crafted from high-quality MDF, chosen specifically for its exceptional stability and durability.

Unlike traditional wood, MDF is resistant to warping, bending, or buckling, and we back this with a 100% guarantee.

With over a decade of expertise and hundreds of thousands of stretcher bars produced, our return rate remains exceptionally low, a testament to their reliability.

MDF’s advantages extend beyond stability: it withstands temperature fluctuations, resists pests, and is eco-friendly, sourced from recycled wood.

This ensures our stretcher bars provide a long-lasting, reliable foundation for your artwork, especially when cared for properly.

To maintain their quality, we recommend storing canvases vertically in moderate conditions, avoiding extreme temperatures and high humidity.

ACF Canvasses Ltd UK / ACF Canvas LLC USA are proudly established as an extension of South Africa’s renowned Art Canvas Factory, known for producing high-quality, handmade artist canvases.

Our canvases are not cheap imports from China but are meticulously developed and manufactured in South Africa.

The journey of each canvas—from the unique stretcher bars designed by ACF founder Graham in 2013 to the custom coatings and durable polyester fabric—reflects our dedication to quality.

This commitment continues worldwide, where ACF ensures that each product meets the same rigorous standards artists have come to trust from the original Art Canvas Factory.

ACF products are thoughtfully crafted with sustainability in mind, using materials like MDF and polyester that offer significant eco-friendly benefits.

Our MDF is made from recycled wood fibers, minimizing waste and reducing the need for extensive timber harvesting.

By utilizing nearly all parts of the tree, MDF stands out as an environmentally responsible choice.

Polyester also contributes to sustainability by requiring less water, energy, and land than traditional canvas materials like cotton or linen.

Moreover, polyester is recyclable and provides a highly durable surface, reducing the need for frequent replacements and extending the lifespan of your artwork.

Together, these materials reflect ACF’s commitment to eco-friendliness and sustainability, ensuring that our products support both artists and the environment.