Water and moisture damaged painting restoration

Whether there has been a flood, leak or spillage, artworks should always be assessed to ensure that they will not develop any high risk deterioration. 

Typical water damage includes:

• Clouded surface
• Lifting or blistering of the paint 
• Stretcher bar rot
• Mould growth
• Surface contamination
• Loose or rippled canvas
• Tears and holes

Moisture becomes trapped under the varnish layer, causing the artwork to become obscured with a cloudy appearance. Floodwaters and leaks may also contain dangerous contamination which stays with the artwork as well as leaving it damp and disturbed. 

Damage following a disaster

During times of disaster, such as a flood or major escape of water, a painting may also be torn or distorted as it is salvaged by untrained hands, or quickly moved out of harm’s way with no time to consider the risks it now faces. Our team also comes across damage caused by industrial drying units which disturb safe levels of humidity and temperature. The most common signs of historic water damage are a clouded surface or the warping of a canvas, as well as staining. 

Water damaged painting restoration process

Our team works to carefully salvage, clean and restore affected paintings. Whether these are antique or contemporary pieces, they can undergo conservation treatments that will eradicate dangers from contaminants and potential mould growth, using gradual and safe drying techniques.

This also includes the removal of clouded or blanched varnish layers and the stabilisation of the paint layers to avoid loss. In some cases, a painting may have been damaged historically by water and this light veil may have been hiding important features and the original colours for decades. 

Any further repairs to areas such as tears and severe cracking can also be carried out with professional precision, tears are repaired with a thread-by-thread approach under a microscope. Re-touching of missing pigment is completed with small amounts of conservation-approved pigments and carefully colour-matched. Our team work to ensure the historic and artistic accuracy of the artwork following restoration. 

Insurance claims

At Fine Art Restoration Company we often work alongside large insurance firms to provide swift care in the case of household damage, whether this is one artwork or a collection of many. Due to this experience, we can also help you to navigate complex claims when it comes to water damaged painting restoration.