1. Avoid touching the canvas of your painting
Your commissioned painting has arrived, and as you unpack it it is only natural, almost instinctive, to want to touch the canvas to feel the surface and texture of the paint. We advise against this and ask you to keep hands, cloths and other implements away from the canvas. Oil paint takes a long time to dry completely. Exactly how long depends on the paint thickness of the individual artwork and on the indoor climate in which the painting hangs. So see if you can keep your fingers off it and touch only the frame.
2. Hang your painting on a wall
After you receive your artwork, we encourage you to hang it on a wall soon afterwards - either temporarily or where it is actually meant to hang. If you stand the painting on the floor, dust, hair and other dirt can settle in the still-wet paint. Oil paint dries through contact with oxygen, so a good tip is to unpack it as soon as it arrives. A normal indoor climate in living spaces provides good conditions for an oil painting. It takes about 3 weeks after you receive your painting before it is 100% dry.
3. Avoid damp
If your painting is going to hang in a damp cellar, a cold loft space or a poorly ventilated room, the paint may crack. Genuine oil paint is a living substance, which can become damp and smeared if it is stored in damp rooms without air circulation. Your cellar or loft is therefore a poor place to keep an oil painting, as mould can take hold in the paint if the painting is left there for too long. A few months in a removal box is no problem, though. If you like, you can make some air holes in the box and the painting's packaging, and put it somewhere that is not too damp.
4. Avoid too much sunlight
Oil paint can lose some of its colour and gloss if it is in constant daily contact with sunlight. This is not the biggest problem here, but it is still worth being aware of. Choose where you hang your painting with care, and it will last for generations.
5. Do not wipe your painting with a wet cloth
As oil paint is a living substance, you should steer completely clear of rubbing or smearing the paint at all. Gently dust your hung painting a couple of times a year, and make sure the paint does not come into contact with any substances that could react with the oil paint.
6. Avoid hanging it above radiators
An oil painting does not do well when exposed to dryness and high temperatures for long periods. As the heating is often on in winter, it is a good idea to hang the painting so that it does not hang directly above a radiator, as the paint does not tolerate climatic stress. Those were 6 good and simple tips for storing and handling your painting from Fotoalsgemälde.ch. If the above has raised further questions, our answers to the "frequently asked questions" may be of help.
Read also: Frequently asked questions