Structural Repair and Support

Structural repair focuses on stabilizing and strengthening a painting’s physical support. Each treatment is guided by the type and extent of damage—whether mending tears, reinforcing a weakened canvas, reattaching flaking paint, or flattening distracting craquelure. Conservation-grade materials and methods are used to restore stability and ensure the artwork’s long-term preservation.

Oil on canvas seascape by Walter Dean. Before professional art restoration including adhesive impregnation to secure lifting craquelure, paint-layer consolidation, and removal of oxidized and yellowed varnish to reveal original color, detail, and sur
Oil on canvas seascape by Walter Dean. After professional art restoration including adhesive impregnation to secure lifting craquelure, paint-layer consolidation, and removal of oxidized and yellowed varnish to reveal original color, detail, and surf
Oil-on-canvas landscape with distant mountains, palm trees, grazing animals, and a small rider near a hillside dwelling. Before treatment, the painting showed a large tear, widespread paint loss, lifting and unstable craquelure, accumulated surface g
Oil-on-canvas landscape with distant mountains, palm trees, grazing animals, and a small rider near a hillside dwelling. After conservation, the tear was structurally repaired, losses were filled and color-matched, the paint layer was stabilized, sur
Oil on canvas depicting a woman in an interior. Before: severe vertical tear with lifting paint, multiple punctures, surface grime, and oxidized/yellowed varnish obscuring color.
Oil on canvas depicting a woman in an interior. After: structural tear repair, paint-layer stabilization, varnish removal, infill, and minimal color-matched retouching for accurate tonal recovery.
Before restoration of an oil landscape with mountains and open fields showing a puncture, flaking paint, surface grime, and oxidized varnish.
Before restoration of an oil landscape with mountains and open fields showing a puncture, flaking paint, surface grime, and oxidized varnish.
Oil painting of a horse-drawn carriage on a winter road. Condition issues included heavy grime, oxidized varnish, large tears, lifting paint, widespread craquelure, and multiple areas of loss.
Oil painting of a horse-drawn carriage on a winter road. Conservation included surface cleaning, varnish removal, tear mending, paint-layer stabilization, filling losses, and color-matched retouching. Final result shows improved clarity, saturation,
Oil portrait with severe planar distortion from being nailed to the front of the stretcher, plus surface grime, discolored varnish, and widespread craquelure that lifted across the composition.
Oil portrait with severe planar distortion from being nailed to the front of the stretcher, plus surface grime, discolored varnish, and widespread craquelure that lifted across the composition.
Before restoration of carved wood panel depicting residential street scene. Condition issues include a full-length structural split through the panel, surface grime, localized paint loss, and lifting paint along the fracture.
Before restoration of carved wood panel depicting residential street scene. Condition issues include a full-length structural split through the panel, surface grime, localized paint loss, and lifting paint along the fracture.
Before treatment. Oil-on-canvas landscape with an old tear and failing historic overpaint. Surface grime and oxidized varnish obscured color and contrast. Distortion around the old repair and weakened canvas fibers visible.
After treatment. Old overpaint removed. Oxidized varnish reduced. Tear given a stable structural support and edges realigned. Losses filled and retouched with correct conservation retouching. Original palette and detail restored.
Oil on canvas with a large vertical tear through the foreground. Heavy surface grime and oxidized varnish reduce clarity and color. Creased and distorted fibers visible around the damaged area.
Tear structurally supported with internal repair and stabilized canvas fibers. Surface grime and oxidized varnish removed for accurate color. Losses filled and retouched for uniform integration.
Before conservation. Severe cupping and widespread paint loss across the horse-driving scene, with lifted craquelure, unstable flake edges, embedded grime, and a darkened oxidized varnish layer obscuring contrast and color.
After conservation. Consolidated cupping and resecured lifting paint, corrected losses with stable fills and precise retouching, and removed oxidized varnish to restore clarity, depth, and tonal balance across the composition.
Oil-on-canvas winter landscape with a long vertical tear through the foreground, surface grime, yellowed varnish, and scattered abrasion across the snow and sky.
Tear structurally stabilized and filled, grime and oxidized varnish removed, losses retouched with color-matched reversible conservation paints, and overall clarity and contrast restored.

If your painting shows tears, punctures, lifting paint, or distracting craquelure, send clear photos for an initial evaluation. Local works can be picked up for assessment, and shipping options are available for clients outside the area.

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Surface Grime and Varnish Removal
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Retouching and Inpainting