Water Damage Restoration - Preserving Precious Works Of Art

A free article on Home and Family

By: Isolde Werry

When water damage hits us, we usually think of the obvious damages to the property structure. Floors, walls, basements --- these are the first parts of the house which usually fall victim to water's destructive effects. Water damage restoration however, does not only involve renovation of structural damage. Sometimes, our possessions of value, including framed paintings or art sculptures, may also come out of a water damage catastrophe in dire need of restoration.

Water damage restoration of framed prints, paintings, watercolors, and other works of art are usually made by artists and art experts who best know how to treat these art works and bring them back as close as possible to mint condition. After a disaster strikes and valuable works of art are involved, there are disaster response procedures that we need to apply straight away to somehow minimize the harm and stop it from incurring further damage.

** Secure the artwork as soon as possible and remove it from the water-damaged environment. Letting it stay in for longer than is necessary may cause it to be exposed to molds and other damaging elements, making water damage restoration virtually impossible.
** Never let damaged art works such as portraits, paintings or watercolors stand or lean upright after water subsides. Have these framed works lay flat on an even surface. This will prevent water from running down the art work and pooling on the surface thereby putting the piece at risk for localized damaged. As a rule, it is easier to touch up an art work wherein the damage is spread across the surface, than one where the damage is severely concentrated in a single area.
** The paint layer of a wet painting is quite fragile and may easily be removed from the canvas. Refrain from wiping the exterior of a painting that has been damaged by water.

** Whenever possible, send art pieces to a conservator straight away while these are still wet. A conservator has still a high chance of successfully doing water damage restoration to many art works, those on paper in particular, while the items are still damp or moist.
** If sending to a conservator cannot be done immediately, start drying the items instead to inhibit mold growth. Take care not to do so under the heat of the sun however, as this may discolor art works on paper. Instead, place the art pieces in a room and direct fans or portable dehumidifiers on these to aid in the drying process. As much as possible, avoid having the art pieces undergo another abrupt change in environmental conditions as this could hamper water damage restoration. To be able to ensure this, diminish the humidity in the room slowly
** In most cases, once a painting has undergone severe water damage, this art piece may well likely go brittle. The best way to protect it from further flaking is to lay the item flat with the image facing up. Collect whatever shards or small pieces that may have fallen loose, and place these in a labeled envelope to be sent together with the frame.

Remember, the first few moments after a water incident are highly crucial in ensuring the restoration success of art pieces. Hence, water damage restoration of our possessions especially those which are invaluable not only to us but to the art world, should be done with utmost care and attention.