WhatsApp usWe are here to assist with cracked and flaking paintings. Please fill out the form below and we will be in touch to discuss your artwork and the results that can be achieved.
Cracked & Flaking Painting Restoration
Cracking and lifting paint layers can create a significantly high risk of deterioration to both antique and contemporary artworks. Our conservation team can sensitively stabilise them to ensure no further damage occurs.
There are different levels of severity when it comes to cracks in paintings, all of which can be assessed and sensitively restored by our highly trained team.
Why is my painting cracking?
Paintings may appear to have a cracked surface simply due to age and the natural drying process, this is called craquelure. Whilst most surface cracking is typical and safe, some materials and environments may cause instability and flaking.
Cracked surfaces and flaking paint can be caused by:
- Rapidly changing temperatures and humidity levels, causing the contraction and expansion of a canvas or wooden panel
- Floods, leaks and water exposure
- Mould growth
- Exposure to fire and high heat
- Accidental indentations and tears
- Improper canvas preparation by the artist
If you have any concerns about a cracked painting, we can advise on whether this is a cause for concern and guide you through the restoration process.
How to save a flaking painting
Cracking leads to a weakened paint layer and possible loss of paint. Flaking pigments create further issues due to an exposed canvas and a weak point in the composition that will continue to degrade. When faced with a heavily cracked or flaking painting:
- Collect all loose fragments of paint – these can be professionally reapplied to ensure artistic integrity
- Lie the canvas flat with the painted side facing up and avoid movement, do not touch the fragile paint layer where possible
- Contact our team as soon as possible to prevent continued loss of original paint
Restoring unstable paint
No matter the cause of the damage, our conservators will work to stabilise the cracks through professional methods. Consolidation of cracked painting surfaces may include heat application or small injections of a solution beneath lifting paint. They will also retouch missing areas with an extremely sensitive approach, as well as re-adhering any flakes in order to maintain as much historic and artistic integrity as possible.
Maintaining historic integrity
Our team will always advise that all loose paint fragments, even very small ones, should be kept aside for a conservator to reapply with professional treatments.
This will ensure that as much of the original artwork survives as possible, also helping to maintain artistic value and historic integrity. Any re-touching is completed with tiny amounts of conservation pigment between isolated layers of varnish, this means it does not touch the original artwork and can be easily removed in future without disturbing the artwork.
Professional conservation
Conservators in our studio have a Masters degree in their field of expertise, as well as many years of experience working in private and public settings to restore important artworks. All restoration work is carried out as sensitively as possible, avoiding disruption to the historic, artistic or personal value of a painting.
Drying cracks
Natural patterns of cracking which occur over the course of a painting’s life are often referred to as craquelure. These usually follow the grain of a canvas and will be very fine in appearance.
If the craquelure is causing a visual disturbance, our conservators can carefully retouch these areas with small and precise amounts of colour-matched pigments. Not only will this resolve the artistic appeal, but add further stability to the paint layer.
