Ready to hang sounds simple, but buyers mean different things by it. Here is what it means for the paintings we sell, so you know exactly what arrives and what you need to do.
At its core, ready to hang means the piece has the hardware on the back to go straight onto a wall hook, with no trip to a framer first. But the details differ between a bare canvas, a framed canvas, and a work on paper.
What ready to hang means
A ready to hang piece arrives with hanging hardware already fitted, so you can put it up the day it lands. For a stretched canvas that usually means a wire or hooks fixed across the back, or D-rings on a framed piece. You supply the wall hook and hang it. No framing step is needed on your end.
What arrives ready
Most of our stretched canvas originals arrive ready to hang. A gallery wrap, where the paint continues around the sides, can go straight on the wall bare, with hanging hardware already fitted. If you order a floater frame, the framed canvas also arrives ready, with the hanging hardware on the frame. In both cases you unbox it, find your spot, and hang it.
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Gallery wrap canvas: hangs bare, hardware fitted, ready on arrival.
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Floater-framed canvas: arrives framed and ready, hardware on the frame.
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Works on paper: ready once matted, framed, and glazed, which we can do before shipping.
What does not arrive ready
A work on paper is not ready to hang until it is matted and framed behind glass, because loose paper cannot go on a wall as is. If you buy a work on paper unframed, you will need it framed first, which we can do for you before it ships. And if you want a specific frame added to a canvas, that framing happens before shipping too, so it still arrives ready. The only case where a piece is not ready is when you have chosen to receive it bare and unframed on purpose. For the framing options, see custom framing styles and floater frames for canvas.
The hanging hardware
The hardware is what makes a piece ready. For canvas, that is usually a sawtooth hanger or a wire strung between two fixings on the back bar. For framed pieces, D-rings with a wire, or two D-rings for a two-point hang on a heavier frame. You provide the wall hook, and for heavier or larger pieces you fix into a wall stud or use rated wall anchors. We cover the safe way to hang big pieces in framing large art.
What comes in the box
When one of our pieces arrives, you get the painting with its hanging hardware fitted, the Certificate of Authenticity, and packing built to protect the work in transit. Every original is hand signed by a Canadian artist and ships from our Vancouver studio with insured shipping to Canada and the United States. If a piece is framed, the frame is on and the hardware is set, so hanging is the only step left. For more on framing before it ships, read the framing guide and the full custom framing overview.
You can see which pieces are ready to hang across oil paintings, abstract paintings, and all artworks. Most stretched canvases in these collections ship ready to go.
Frequently asked questions
Does ready to hang mean the frame is included?
Not always. For a gallery wrap canvas, ready to hang means it hangs bare with hardware fitted, no frame needed. If you want a floater or other frame, we add it before shipping so it still arrives ready. The word means the hardware is on and no framer visit is needed, not that a frame is always included.
Do I need any tools to hang my painting?
You need a wall hook and usually a hammer or drill, plus a level to keep it straight. The painting arrives with its hanging hardware already fitted. For heavier or larger pieces, fix into a wall stud or use rated wall anchors, and use two points spread apart to keep it level and secure.
Is a work on paper ready to hang?
Only once it is matted and framed behind glass. Loose paper cannot go straight on a wall, so it needs framing first. We can mat, frame, and glaze a work on paper before it ships, so it arrives ready. If you buy it unframed, you will need it framed before hanging.
What hardware comes with a canvas?
Stretched canvases usually arrive with a sawtooth hanger or a wire strung across the back bar, ready for a wall hook. Framed pieces come with D-rings, and heavier frames use two D-rings for a two-point hang. You supply the wall hook to suit your wall type.
Want to be sure your piece arrives ready to hang the way you need? Contact us before you order, or ask our art advisory team about framing and hardware.
