How to protect your valuable artwork
Preserving Valuable Artwork: Essential Steps for Protection
If you own valuable artwork, whether it's an original painting, a delicate work on paper, or any other treasured piece, it's crucial to prioritise its protection. Preserving the longevity and condition of your artwork requires expert knowledge and careful consideration of various factors. In this blog post, we will explore essential steps to safeguard your valuable artwork, drawing on our expertise in conservation framing.
Conservation Framing: The Foundation of Preservation
Conservation framing is a specialised technique that focuses on preserving artwork by utilising archival materials and methods. When it comes to valuable artwork, conservation framing is essential. It involves using 100% cotton rag matboards, which are naturally acid and lignin-free. These matboards act as a protective barrier, ensuring that nothing acidic comes into contact with your artwork.
At our framing studio, we prioritise museum-standard mats made from 100% cotton fibers. These mats are specifically designed to prolong the life of your artwork by providing a stable and acid-free environment. By using archival-quality matboards, you can prevent acid migration, yellowing, and degradation of your valuable artwork.
Glazing: Shielding Artwork from Harmful UV Rays
Another crucial aspect of protecting valuable artwork is choosing the right glazing. UV rays can cause significant damage to artwork over time, leading to fading, discoloration, and deterioration. Therefore, it's important to invest in glazes that block or filter out harmful UV rays.
There are several options available for glazing, each offering different levels of UV protection. Conservation UV blocking glass, Museum UV blocking glass, and high UV filtering acrylic are popular choices. These glazing materials help shield your artwork from the detrimental effects of UV light while still allowing optimal viewing. Discussing the available options with a framing expert can help you determine the most suitable glazing for your specific artwork.
Skillful Fitting and Sealing: Preventing Contaminants
Properly fitting and sealing your artwork within the frame is crucial to prevent dust, pollutants, and critters from entering and damaging your artwork. Skillful fitting ensures that the artwork is securely held in place, minimizing the risk of shifting or damage. Sealing the frame with archival materials creates a protective barrier, reducing the chances of contaminants entering the frame.
Controlled Environment: Protecting Against Humidity and Moisture
The environment in which your artwork is displayed plays a significant role in its preservation. Humidity and moisture can cause mold growth, warping, and degradation of artwork. Therefore, it's important to consider a temperature-controlled environment.
Maintaining stable humidity levels and avoiding extreme temperature fluctuations is vital. Ideally, artwork should be displayed in an area with controlled temperature and relative humidity, such as a climate-controlled room or area. This helps ensure that the artwork remains in optimal condition and minimises the risk of damage caused by environmental factors.
Preserving the Value of Your Artwork
Valuable artwork deserves the utmost care and protection to preserve its beauty and value for generations to come. Conservation framing, the use of archival materials, appropriate glazing, skillful fitting, and controlling the display environment are all essential steps in safeguarding your artwork.
As experts in conservation framing, we understand the intricacies of preserving valuable artwork. Our decades of experience and knowledge enable us to handle, care for, and preserve artworks with the utmost diligence. When you entrust your artwork to us, you can rest assured that we will take every necessary measure to ensure its longevity and safeguard its value. Book a consultation to discuss how to protect your artwork.
