It’s one thing to teach your children not to play rough with their favorite painting hanging in your house, but it would probably be much harder to teach your pets the same. Even the most educated dog does not know the value of a painting and accidents can happen.
Just look at this painting below. While a man and a woman were redoing the interior of their house, they removed their paint and put it on the ground for a second. In that second that the painting was lying on the ground, his dog walked by and, without knowing what it was, he stepped on the painting, creating this huge tear!
The poor dog didn’t know any better, but this unfortunate accident could have been prevented. With any type of pet in the house (cats, dogs, birds), you should always be very careful! These are just a few tips to follow to prevent a similar type of disaster from happening in your home.
Think ahead! Placing in a location that exposes art, antiques, collectibles, or heirlooms to danger is a bad bet.
Pets, skateboards, balls… while you’re standing there, maybe it’s watched, but when the phone rings and you’re distracted?
Use a piece of cardboard or otherwise create a temporary protective barrier.
One of the big mistakes this couple made was placing their painting on the floor. When you store a painting, you never want to leave it lying on the floor, vulnerable to people’s feet, sliding furniture, or walking dogs. If you’re only setting the piece aside for a short period of time, make sure you’re propping it up against something sturdy. It’s a good idea to support it on cardboard and put another cardboard against the back as well. This will help keep your feet from kicking and tearing the mat. Even with these precautions, though, you want to keep your painting in a low-traffic area, just to be safe.
Accidental stepping or kicking isn’t the only cause of paint chips and tears. Another thing to watch out for is the way you hang your painting! If it is not hung properly and firmly, your child, your dog, or even you could crash into the wall and cause a mess. If the cables are not placed correctly, they can also tear the paint. Here are some things to remember when hanging a painting on a wall:
-Quality and large eye hangers that hold the wire.
-Thick wire, preferably plasticized
-A nail in the wall hits a stud. Otherwise, use a multi-nail hanger made for drywall.
-Use the biggest hanger possible
-Use Museum Wax on the bottom two corners to anchor the painting against the wall so it won’t “jump” off the hook when things start to shake.
Following these tips will not guarantee that your paintwork will not crack in any situation, but following them will greatly reduce the chances of a similar accident occurring. Accidents happen at any time in the most random way, that’s why they are called accidents! While you can’t always prevent them from happening, being cautious will help reduce the amount of damage and cost resulting from them.
For more ways to store your stuff, search the YouTube channel.
How We Repair a Torn Fine Art Painting – Search “Repair a Torn Painting, Los Angeles,
PS Birds can get noisy too!