Care of Oil Paintings
An oil painting can last pretty close to forever given that they are taken care of and handled properly. The greatest danger to your oil paintings are careless handling and displaying your oil painting in improper places. This meaning bad environmentally of course, but also in direct sunlight or other bright lighting or even displaying an oil painting where it is exposed to insects or high levels of dirt and dust.
Lets’ go through these each so you can learn the best ways to take care of your oil painting.
Environmental issues:
Extreme fluctuations in heating and humidity can cause great damage to your oil painting. The reason for this is not directly the oil paint itself but the canvas and frame your oil painting is in. The contraction and expansion of the wood and canvas can crate cracks and damage your oil painting.
Learning when to “key out” your paintings can increase the lifespan of your oil painting. Keying out is when small wooden wedges are driven into the joints of the stretcher the canvas is on. When humidity is low as in the winter months, you should not key out your painting however during the summer months as your painting expands this may work well to keep your oil painting looking sharp.
Generally speaking the following are the best room temperatures for displaying your oil painting.
Summer Temperature 70-75 degrees F
Relative Humidity 45-55%
Winter Temperature 65-70 degrees F
Relative Humidity 40%-45%
Lighting issues:
Though it may seem like common sense to keep your painting out of direct sunlight, it is amazing how many people display their painting in the sunrise or sunset locations in their homes. Likewise, one should avoid bright spotlights or lamps shining directly on your oil painting.
The reason for this is bright lighting can cause fading and darkening of your oil painting even to the point of losing details. Mount display lighting at least ten feet away from your cherished oil painting.
Dirt buildup.
Besides the obvious, a build up of dirt can speed up the growth of mold act as a catalyst for moisture storage helping to damage your oil painting. Try not to smoke around your oil painting or displayed in a poorly vented area.
Improper cleaning.
Generally speaking heavy cleaning of your oil painting should be left to professionals although light cleaning can be done in home which will extend the life of your painting.
Also on this site there is a detailed article on cleaning paintings and we suggest you start there as a base and go from there.
Insects.
Insects such as termites and beetles can destroy a painting. Always watch out for these and keep a clean environment for your painting. Mostly insects are found in the back of paintings so this area should be inspected often and cleaned to avoid any problems.
Careless handling
By far the greatest danger to your oil painting is the careless handling of it. When moving paintings take great care in how you handle your oil painting. Don’t wear any jewelry or other items that could potential harm your oil painting. Always handle your oil painting from the vertical sides of the frame and never carry it from the top of the frame or the hanging wire.
Following these simple guidelines will ensure your painting will last several lifetimes.
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