How to Clean Vintage Stretched Fabric Wall Art

I picked up this giant, stretched fabric wall art for one dollar while thrifting. That’s right – $1. I can’t tell if that means I killed it or no one likes it! Nah, I absolutely love it. There are just some pieces that call you when you see them and this was one of them. Well actually, I saw the piece on a trip to the thrift store another day, but I think they were asking $20 for it. So I passed. Then, on $1 Thursday, the artwork had the blue price tag and I knew, for $1, I had to pick it up. Stains and all. So let’s see how to clean vintage stretched fabric wall art.

So you could see why I didn’t pick it up right away. It has mad water stains all over it and I wasn’t sure if I could make it better. But, I thought, if I can bring it back, it’ll be well worth the $1. And if I can’t, at least I have a frame and I can make my own artwork instead. 

A quick little history on the fabric. Turns out it’s an early 1970’s, probably 1972, Marimekko company stretched fabric wall art in the Onnea pattern by Maija Isola. A Finnish designer of fabrics and prints for the Marimekko company. Think the birth place of IKEA patterns, but not cheap.

My print doesn’t have the fabrics print stamp on the bottom so I can’t be sure if it’s real or a reproduction. But I will say it’s vintage based on the fabric and I put it around the 70’s when I first picked it up so I lean towards it’s an original. If you’re dying to know how much they go for online, it’s around $25 for this fabric on most bid sites.

By the way… the Marimekko company is still around with super cool fabrics, clothing, home decor, etc… I kind of want to go on a shopping spree for some new items!

Full disclosure, this project took me about 1 1/2 years to complete. To be fair, I just had my son, then we moved so I’ve been slow to get anything done.

Some project notes

I think this would pretty much work with an old fabric you have that you need to clean! However, for this project, how to clean vintage stretched fabric wall art, you will need a partner at the end. You can take apart the artwork and wash it by yourself, but stretching and stapling the fabric over the frame requires two people.

My Amazon store below direct you to a few of the items I used to complete this task, along with my other recommended DIY starter kit for home decor items…click my banner below.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. You can read my disclosure by clicking here.

Let’s get to it! First things first, take off all the nails, either by staple remover…

…or by screw driver. Just be gentle in your approach so you don’t rip the fabric any more.

Next, it’s time to break out the OxiClean and soak the fabric over night. I just followed the instructions on the OxiClean box: dissolve the cleaning solution in warm water in a bucket. Then I fully submerged the fabric in the solution, leaving it to soak overnight. Leaving it to soak overnight is your best bet to really get the stains out.

In the morning, you’re going to throw it in the washer on delicate – no soap. Once it’s been washed do not put it in the dryer – it will shrink the fabric. It’s best to let it air dry.

Next you’ll need to iron the entire piece on the cotton setting. Start out by ironing the back of the fabric, then flip over and iron the front. Try to get out the major wrinkles. Remember you’ll be stretching the fabric over the frame so the tiny wrinkles will work themselves out.

Now should you have some small tears or rips you’ll want to put on the iron-on patches to prevent further ripping. Our fabric was ripping on the corners, and because we were going to stretch it back over the frame, we wanted to put the patches on. You can’t even see them because they’re on the corners!

Per the instructions, you’re going to cut the patch slightly larger than the hole. Place the patch on the back of the hole and iron it on a high heat setting. It’s really easy!

Time to put the fabric back on the frame with staples. This is where you’ll need to ask for help because pulling and stapling the fabric over the frame takes two people.

First thing I did was line up the fabric based on the fold/crease lines that were already in the fabric from years of age. If you scroll up a tad you’ll see the even after I washed the fabric those fold lines were still there, so I just used those as my guide.

Staple time. You’ll want to start stapling with your staple gun at the top first. We found the center of the piece, and stapled it once. then added two flanking staples. Then we pulled the canvas down, tight, and put three staples on the bottom frame too.

While you’re doing this, one person will be in charge of pulling the fabric and holding it in place, while the other person staples. Make sure that you’re keeping your face out of the way because if you’re me and you’re stapling – some staples may fly round. The frame isn’t very wide!

Once you’ve placed the top and bottom three staples, finish the staples on the top completely, then head to the bottom and compete. Once that’s done you’ll staple the sides. Three in the center of each side and then concentrate on completing one side, then another.

As you go along, take a step back and see if the artwork still looks even and make sure that you stop to ensure the rest of the fabric can still wrap around the frame. And make sure you’re stretching the fabric nice and tight.

You’ll see below, on one of the sides I didn’t have enough room to fold the fabric all the way over the frame. Lucky for me, that part faces a wall so you can’t see it at all.

There she is!

How to Clean Vintage Stretched Fabric Wall Art

Supplies

• Staple remover
• Screwdriver
• OxiClean
• Bucket
• Iron-On Patch – if holes
• Iron
• Staple gun
• Staples

Instructions

1. Remove the staples. Take the fabric off the frame by using a staple remover and/or a screwdriver. Being careful to not rip the fabric further.
2. Clean it – soak overnight. Per the OxiClean instructions I dissolved the cleaning solution with warm water in a large bucket. Then I fully submerged the fabric in the solution, leaving it overnight.
3. Wash in washer. No soap needed, just put the fabric in your washer on the delicate setting.
4. Dry. Once it’s been washed do not put it in the dryer. It will shrink the fabric. It’s best to let it air dry.
5. Iron. Iron the fabric on the cotton setting. Starting with the back then flipping it over and ironing the front.
6. Put patches on. If you have holes in the fabric, you’ll need use some iron-on patches. Per the iron-on patch instructions, your going to cut the patch slightly larger than the hole. Flip the fabric over and iron on the backside. I put the iron-on fabric on the corners of the fabric to prevent ripping, so it’s hard to see.
7. Ask for help. Pulling and stapling the fabric over the frame takes two people, so get a buddy.
8. Line up the fabric. I lined up the fabric based on the lines that were created from years of already being on the frame. Make sure your fabric is centered and there is enough fabric on each of the sides to wrap around the frame.
9. Staple with staple gun. Starting at the top, put one staple in the center. Then add two flanking staples to that.
10. Pull the canvas down, tight, and put the same three staples on the bottom frame too.
11. Finish stapling the top. Spacing the staples out about 1 -2 2 inches apart.
12. Finish stapling the bottom while always making sure to keep a tight pull on the fabric.
13. Place a staple on one side of the frame, then add two flanking staples.
14. Then staple the other side with the same three staples.
15. Finish stapling one side. Still pulling the fabric for a nice finish!
16. Complete the last side.
17. A few tips:
    1. One person will be in charge of pulling and holding the fabric in place, while the other staples. Make sure that you’re keeping your face out of the way as sometimes, staples may fly if you miss the wood.
    2. As you go along, take a step back and see if the artwork still looks even and make sure that you stop to ensure the rest of the fabric can still wrap around the frame. 
18. Bask in the glow that your artwork now looks way more than $1.