How To Flatten A Buckled Watercolor Painting

Watercolor paintings have a tendency to buckle during painting. The most common weight watercolor paper is 140lb. It’s quite thick but still buckles if it is not stretched. (See our post “Three Ways To Stretch Watercolor Paper”)

The buckles on the surface of thick paper that has dried can be surprisingly stubborn. Matting and framing can be difficult when strong buckles refuse to lie flat.

There are a couple solutions. The first is to stretch the paper, the second is to flatten the paper to remove buckles. This post and video shows the second method.

Flattening buckled paper is easy and requires time - about 24hours - more than anything else. The few things you’ll need include : several heavy books or other heavy objects, two sheets of un-painted watercolor paper (don’t worry, still be able to paint on them after) and some clean, clear water.

The video below steps through the process.