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What is a floater frame?
A floater frame attaches to the back of a stretched canvas and has no front lip, so the canvas face and edges stay visible with a small gap, usually 1/8 to 1/2 inch (about 3 to 13 mm), around them. It uses no glass.
Diagram: floater-frame cross-section. Schematic, not to scale.
Sizes from the sources
| Point | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Gap (float space) | 1/8 to 1/2 in | WPF, CPFF |
| Common reveals | 1/4 in subtle, 1/2 in dramatic | CPFF |
| Stretched canvas depth | 0.75 to 1.5 in | CPFF |
| Floater frame depth | 1 to 2.5 in | CPFF |
| Frame vs canvas depth | At least as deep, ideally 1/8 to 1/4 in deeper | CPFF |
| Glass | None; no glazing, mat or backing board | CPFF |
Gap in millimetres
| Gap | Millimetres |
|---|---|
| 1/8 in | 3.2 |
| 1/4 in | 6.4 |
| 3/8 in | 9.5 |
| 1/2 in | 12.7 |
Frame depth for a canvas depth
| Canvas depth | Frame depth (canvas + 1/8 to 1/4 in) |
|---|---|
| 0.75 in (1.9 cm) | 0.875 to 1 in |
| 1 in (2.5 cm) | 1.125 to 1.25 in |
| 1.5 in (3.8 cm) | 1.625 to 1.75 in |
Attachment: the canvas slides in from the back and is held with offset screws or clips through the frame into the stretcher bars, three per side in CPFF's instructions; overtightening can split a bar. Both sources give a gap of 1/8 to 1/2 in, and common reveals are 1/4 or 1/2 in (CPFF); measure the canvas and ask the maker.
Sources
- Web Picture Frames glossary: floater frame (fetched 2026-11-12)
- CustomPictureFrames: floater frames explained (fetched 2026-11-12)
Figures from these pages are paraphrased and re-checked on 2026-11-12. Where two sources disagree, both figures are shown. Hardware and wall products vary, so follow the pack instructions.