Shape, pad, and air dry.
How to treat water damaged paintings
If your painting comes into contact with water, via a flood, burst pipe or accident, the resulting damage can be very distressing.
As accidents and will happen we will be able to provide recommendations for restoration of water damage to paintings.
At the initial assessment, we will assess the extent of water damage and this determines the treatment method suitable. As with any damage to artwork, each painting is affected in a different way.
The cleanliness of the water is a factor to consider. It will likely be dirty (definitely in the case of a flood) and have contaminants that can cause further deterioration to the painting.
While a varnish acts as protection for the paint layer, being exposed to water will eventually cause the varnish to be penetrated. Once the varnish layer has been compromised, the paint is therefore exposed and at risk.
The integrity of the canvas support coincides with the damage to the varnish and paint layers. Moisture dramatically reacts with a canvas, causing significant shrinking when wet. This subsequently leads to the paint and ground layers cracking and flaking off. Paint and varnish surfaces can also blanch.
Wooden stretcher bars will swell and may warp, possibly causing distortions and tears in the canvas.
Treatment Options
It could be that the canvas will need to be removed from the stretcher bars. A dehumidifying process will begin to dry the painting and new stretcher bars.
When the painting undergoes a solvent-based clean, tests are carried out to determine the efficacy and compatibility with the painting.
Flaking paint will be stabilized, and re-adhered to the canvas. Flaking paint layers can be consolidated in several ways, depending on the individual needs of the painting. The most commonly used animal glues for consolidation is fish glue and rabbit skin glue.
Another treatment method for paint that is starting to lift is the use of a Preservation Pencil. The Pencil reactivates the adhesive under the paint layer and allows the flaking paint to be re-adhered.
Where there are areas of losses, pigments can be sampled and colour matched, and the paint can be carefully applied to the canvas.
If the canvas has torn, depending on the severity and condition of the tear, a full re-line or spot line will be able to stabilize and strengthen the canvas.
Another concern is the development of mould – damp canvas paintings can be particularly vulnerable.
The damage caused by water sounds significant, however, it can be successfully counteracted by conservation treatments so you can continue to enjoy your painting.
INITIAL STEPS TO TAKE
-Remove the artwork from the source of the water problem
-Try to control or eliminate the source of the water problem
-Lay the artwork on a dry flat surface and evaluate the extent of the damage
FRAMED ARTWORKS
Remove the frame from your paintings; Water can weaken the bond between the paint film and the ground used to prepare the canvas; therefore, keep wet paintings horizontal and paint-side up.
If possible, remove artwork from the frame and follow the procedures for air drying listed below; use extreme caution when attempting to remove the artwork from the frame, as most art objects become weaker when they are wet; the artwork is most likely attached to the matting and backing boards with an adhesive; these adhesives could prove problematic to remove; if the artwork does not come easily out of the frame and or you get resistance when attempted to disassemble the artwork from the matting and backing boards, stop and have the artwork evaluated by a conservator prior to further disassembly; it is better to leave a work on paper in a wet state temporarily rather than risk tearing it.
If an image appears stuck to glass/glazing, leave in frame and dry glass-side down.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Thoroughly wet photographs can stay wet in a container of clean water. Dry or freeze within 48 hours. If possible, interleave photographs with wax paper prior to freezing. Freeze or air dry damp or partially wet photographs.
Remove two or three books from each wet or partly wet shelf (to relieve pressure). Evacuate completely or partly wet books. Pack snugly, spine down, and freeze. Leave damp books on shelves if space can be kept cool and dry. Contact a commercial dehumidification firm if space has been flooded.
Perils faced by a painting following a flood
Flood-damaged oil paintings and acrylic paintings face a wide variety of dangers in the aftermath of such a disaster, as well as during the incident.
Accidental damage may occur as the oil painting pushes against other objects during the flood, or afterwards as items are quickly salvaged and piled together. This may result in the canvas warping or becoming dented, both of these issues may lead to cracked, lifting or flaking paint. Tears and punctures through the canvas may also occur, severely disturbing the artwork and leading to further loss of the original paint if not carefully and quickly protected and restored.
If there is a flood warning with sufficient time to act, it is recommended to have a storage location in mind for your paintings. This should either be away from the affected location entirely or in an upper room of the property. Make sure to follow safe storage procedures , which you can read more about here . If there is not enough time to store away the artwork or the conditions are hazardous, acting with caution following the flood will prevent accidental damage.
Do not allow the painting to be piled upon or against uneven surfaces, keep the canvas as flat as possible and away from any danger of other items falling against it. Ensure that the painting is handled with care, by somebody who understands the fragility of the artwork. If any decorative pieces have fallen away from the frame or paint flakes from the artwork itself, collect these if they are salvageable, as our team may be able to restore them back into place so as to keep as much of the original as possible.
Following water damage, a canvas painting may warp due to the drying process. Keep the artwork as flat as possible and allow it to dry in a well-ventilated room. Avoid any industrial drying methods which could cause further damage to the stability of the piece as it rapidly changes temperature. You may notice the artwork lifting from the canvas lining as it dries, distressing the paint layer. Avoid touching the paint layer or trying to force the canvas back into its original position.
It is common for a murky white layer to form under the varnish on an oil painting following any kind of water damage. Whilst varnish is usually a protective coating to the paint, being exposed to high volumes of water will allow it to become penetrated beneath the surface. The white layer is caused by a reaction between the varnish and the water and is commonly known as ‘blanching’. Once the varnish layer has been compromised in this way, the original paintwork is exposed and at risk of decay and loss. This needs to be treated by a professional conservator and cannot be fixed without specialist varnish removal techniques.
Surface contamination is also a threat following a flood. Without intervention, the toxic and acidic elements from brown water may cling to the artwork, depending on their origin they may degrade the painting rapidly or over a long course of time. Similarly to ‘blooming’, mould may form following water exposure, growing into the porous canvas fibres and causing disruption to the artwork. Do not try to clean mould or contamination yourself, as household chemicals may destroy the artwork. Additionally, there is an increased risk of spreading the mould spores unintentionally to other areas of the artwork.
Following an incident of flooding, the best course of action is to contact our team. Do not wait for these issues to present themselves, as the faster the painting is treated for water damage, the more likely it will be to survive in its most original state with minimal intervention and lowered restoration costs.
Our conservators are able to use specialist techniques to save flood-damaged canvas paintings and their frames. Firstly, conservation appropriate drying techniques can be used in our studio, followed by the professional cleaning of any surface contamination. Active mould spores can be eradicated and disturbed or ‘blooming’ varnish layers can be removed and replaced with a highly protective conservation-grade variety.
A warped canvas can be professionally straightened with a weight, heat and moisture treatment. Flaking or lifting paint can be consolidated with precise techniques. And torn or punctured paintings can be restored with careful thread-by-thread repair and sympathetic retouching of any missing pigments to give a seamless finish.
How to save a painting from flood damage:
- Act fast: contact our conservation team as soon as possible
- Remove from the damp or flooded location promptly
- Keep the painting flat and stable, do not let it press against other objects
- Do not attempt to clean at home
- Do not use industrial or rapid drying methods
- Do not wrap in plastic or humidity increasing materials for long periods of time
