How to Care for a Brittle Oil Painting

A brittle oil painting must be treated with care to avoid cracks and flaking.

Oil paintings are composed of a piece of canvas stretched over a wooden framework. The artist brushes oil paints directly onto a primed canvas to create a work of art. Over time, the oil paints cure and can become brittle with age. Proper care of aged and brittle oil paintings is vital to its preservation. You must closely monitor the room temperature, light exposure and humidity of your paintings display area. Take care also when handling and cleaning your painting.

Things You'll Need

• Humidity sensor

Instructions

1. Move the painting only when necessary. Remove any jewelry, belts or other accessories with hard or sharp surfaces before touching the painting. Grasp the painting on either side when picking it up and hold the painting away from your body at a flat angle with the painting side facing up.

2. Choose a room for hanging your painting that remains at a constant temperature. Keep the room temperature between 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter months and 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit during summer months. Maintaining a constant temperatures will prevent the painting from expanding and contracting, which will keep the brittle paint from cracking or flaking off.

3. Display your oil painting in a room with a relative humidity level between 40 percent to 45 percent during the winter months and 45 percent to 55 percent during the summer months. Install a humidity sensor in the room where you hang your painting to better monitor the humidity levels.

4. Avoid hanging your painting near a fireplace, heat vent, air conditioner or fan to better control the humidity. Do not hang your painting on an uninsulated wall, as this could expose the painting to cold temperatures and condensation.

5. Hang your painting away from direct sunlight. Use only display lights with diffused lighting. Position the display lights at least 10 feet from the painting's surface to avoid their heat from reaching the painting.

6. Hang your painting in a low traffic area. Select a spot away from doorways, windows or other areas where people are prone to bump into it. Position the painting high on the walls out of the reach of children or pets.

7. Keep your painting's surface remains as clean as possible. Avoid hanging your painting in a room where smoke, soot, incense or other airborne debris are prevalent.

8. Take the painting to a professional art restorer for cleaning. Do not try to clean the painting yourself, as you may damage the painting by accidentally causing the brittle paint to flake off.

References

• National Parks Service Museum Handbook: Curatorial Care of Easel Paintings
• Tess Everett Murphy Fine Art Restoration: How To Take Care of Your Paintings