How to Get Wrinkles Out of a Diamond Painting Canvas
Diamond painting is one of the latest crafting crazes, especially for those who love to try anything new and creative. Our diamond art kits are available in hundreds of different designs, so you’re sure to find a design that you love. You can work on these projects solo or get your friends or family involved for a fun way to spend time together. If you’ve done a few projects before or you’ve just opened your first set, you may have noticed some wrinkles on the canvas. While these are totally normal and shouldn’t affect your finished product, some crafters like to work these slight imperfections out of the canvas before starting on their project. We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about how to get wrinkles out of a diamond painting canvas by using one of these methods.
Why Do Diamond Paintings Have Wrinkles?
Our Diamond Art Club canvases are made with a poured glue method, which means that a high-quality glue is literally poured over the printed design and set out for 12 hours before being covered with cellophane to prevent it from sticking to anything else. Because we use this method, it’s not unusual for track marks from the glue to appear on the canvas, as well as wrinkles in the cellophane cover. We always tell our customers that these minor imperfections will not impact their final result, but for many painters, the wrinkles can be distracting. We’ve pulled together a few suggestions for how to rid your canvas of wrinkles.
Poured Glue vs. Double-Sided Adhesive
Before we dive right into how to get wrinkles out of diamond painting canvases, we want to explain a little bit more about the poured glue method that we use to create our products. Diamond art kits either use poured glue or double-sided adhesive to help your drills, or beads, remain stuck to the canvas.
The poured glue method is viewed as the better way to prepare a canvas for a number of reasons. Canvases made with double-sided adhesive differ from ours because essentially a giant piece of double-sided tape is stuck on top of the canvas’s design. Although poured glue canvases can cause some minor wrinkles, double-sided adhesives are known for having a greater number of bubbles or rivers (also called creases). The glue on poured canvases often seems more jelly-like and makes it easier to move your drills around if you’ve misplaced one without taking away from the canvas’s stickiness. Another advantage of poured glue canvases is that they tend to give the crafter a more clear depiction of the final image, making it easier to follow the pattern.
How to Flatten Diamond Painting Canvas
Lay Canvas Beneath Heavy Objects
Most diamond art painters like to lay their brand new canvases down underneath heavy objects to help flatten the image and work out any wrinkles that may be hanging around. Even if you don’t notice any wrinkles when you first remove your canvas from its box, it may be difficult to work on right away as each diamond art kit contains a rolled up canvas. This can cause the canvas to – you guessed it – 
roll up as you try to place your drills accurately. It’s much easier to work on a smooth, flattened surface. As soon as you receive your kit, remove it from the box and place it under several heavy books or even a stack of other canvases.
Iron Your Canvas
The most common method for de-wrinkling your diamond painting canvas is by using an iron, but be aware that using this method can also impact the canvas’s glue. Never try to iron your canvas after you’ve already added diamonds to it as you’ll certainly melt the drills and further impact the canvas’s level of adhesion. If you receive a new kit and you notice a bunch of wrinkles in the canvas that you’d like to remove before you get started, heat your iron to low — too high of heat will melt and damage the glue — place the canvas face down on a flat surface and cover the top with a towel. Although you may find some suggestions online that encourage the use of water or steam, we tell customers to stay away from spraying water before ironing as it may also impact the glue.
Use Wrinkle Release Spray
For those who don’t want to risk using the iron, or simply don’t have an iron available, you can try the wrinkle release spray method. You can purchase any brand of wrinkle release or wrinkle remover spray from the store or online. Before using it on your canvas, it’s recommended that you do a spot check on the 
canvas. Spray a small corner area of the canvas with the wrinkle remover and then check to make sure that the spray doesn’t cause the ink to bleed. If using one of our diamond art kits, the ink should not bleed, but it’s always a good idea to check before spraying the entire fabric canvas.
Once you’ve spotted, tested and confirmed that your canvas still remains the same, you should turn the canvas over again so that the design is face down on a clean, flat surface. Then, generously spray the canvas with your wrinkle release spray, making sure that you’re holding the bottle at least six to 10 inches from the fabric. Try to avoid completely drenching the canvas and soak up any excess liquid with a clean cloth. Allow your painting to dry out and then check to see if the wrinkles have disappeared.
Get Rid of Bubbles with a Small Knife
Sometimes, wrinkles in your canvas are caused by bubbles under the protective film that covers the actual canvas. If this is the case, you’ll notice literal bubbles under the top layer and wrinkles in the same spots underneath. Typically, you won’t have issues with bubbles when using diamond art kits from DAC because of 
the poured glue method. But if you do come across a bubble, you can use a small utility or penknife to very delicately and carefully cut sections of the film (NOT the canvas beneath). You do not want to cut the film straight across as this would cause it to become completely detached from the canvas. Instead, leave some room at the end to keep it connected, but cut part of it straight across and use your hand to flatten this area down.
Use a Heating Pad
A less common method than the other sections, using a heating pad is a good way to remove wrinkles without needing an iron or wrinkle spray. Lay a towel down on a flat surface, place the heating pad on top, add another towel on top of the heating pad and then place your canvas on top of that towel. Your design should be facing up (not towards the heating pad). Finally, add something with a flat surface, like a cookie sheet, on top of the canvas and add something with a bit of weight. Turn the heating pad on to a low or medium heat and leave the canvas for 10 to 15 minutes before turning the pad off and allowing the canvas to cool.
Essential Diamond Art Kit Accessories
If you’re an avid diamond art painter or if you’re just looking to pick up a new hobby, you’ll need to invest in some additional tools. Although each diamond art kit comes with everything that you need to complete that specific project, it’s a good idea to have extra materials on hand – just in case. Here are some of the most useful diamond painting accessories that you can invest in.
Drill Tray
The drill tray is included with our Diamond Art Club kits, but we like to have a few extras on hand in case you misplace one or want to invest in a tray of a slightly different size. The drill tray is an important accessory because it allows you to pour out your beads while keeping them right side up, making it much easier to pick up and place your drills. Instead of having to turn each diamond bead over as you work on your project — talk about tedious — you can simply pour them onto the tray and use your applicator pen to pick up pieces individually.
Multi-Placer Tool
Diamond painting kits come with a single drill pen that is easy for beginners to master, but as you become more skilled at diamond painting and begin taking on larger, more complicated projects, you may find yourself looking for a quicker way to place drills. Larger paintings tend to have larger areas filled with the same colored beads. In these instances, you can use a multi-placer tool to pick up several drills at the same time (in a straight line formation) and place them onto your canvas. Using this tool may sound easy, but it definitely takes a little bit of practice and precision.
Extra Beads and Wax or Glue
Wax is one of the most vital accessories to diamond painting because it is the material that allows you to pick up drills and place them onto your canvas. Again, wax and beads are included in your kit, but you will eventually run out of wax depending on how often you’re completing projects. We always recommend having some extra wax on hand so you don’t have to cut your painting time short. You can also use household items like blu tack in place of wax if you’re running low. As for extra beads, we also save ours in a small storage container in case we need them for the future. You never know when you might be running low on a color or accidentally misplace a bag of drills. It’s always better to be prepared.
Storage and Organization
If you’re regularly working on and completing diamond paintings, it’s best to create an organization system for yourself, especially when you’re investing in extra accessories. Purchase a few plastic bead organizers to keep track of extra beads and wax. You can also buy or make your own diamond painting portfolio that can keep your unfinished projects safe even when you’re not working on them. Storage containers can also keep your different pens and tools in one place so you’re not searching the house for your materials every time you want to work on your project.
What to Do with Your Completed (and De-Wrinkled) Diamond Painting
Give It as a Gift
Hurray, you did it! Your diamond painting project is finally complete — and totally wrinkle-free. So, what do you do with it now? Well, many beginner diamond painters like to hang their first few projects in their room or elsewhere in their home as a testament to their new achievement. However, once you’ve completed many projects, you may find yourself running out of space, so why not give your next one away as a gift? Select a design that your friend or family member loves and work on a beautiful new decoration for him or her.
Hang It in Your Home
Many people pick out their diamond painting project with a specific display space in mind — maybe the living room or bedroom. Hanging your work in your home is one of the best ways to show off your talents and fill up any blank wall space you may have. If you don’t know where to hang your paintings, you can consider creating a diamond painting portfolio to hold all of your finished projects in one place. Learn how to frame a diamond painting so you can properly display your artwork in your home.
Get Your Creativity On
Whether you’ve been doing diamond painting for years or this is your first time purchasing a diamond art kit, we hope you find the experience rewarding and fun. Before you get started on your next project, check your canvas for wrinkles or bubbles and try using these tips to keep your canvas smooth and flat, creating a beautiful masterpiece in the end. You can shop our collection of diamond art kits to find the perfect theme for your next project and display it in your home or give it as a gift.
