Can I safely remove painted, dried acrylic paintings from their stretchers for e

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   Laura Schneiderposted 11 years ago

   Can I safely remove painted, dried acrylic paintings from their stretchers for efficient storage?
   
   Can I safely remove painted, dried acrylic paintings from their stretchers and roll them up for efficient storage? If so, is there anything in particular I need to know to keep the paintings safe? I inherited MANY from my dad that I can't part with but don't have room to store, either.

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2. 85

   sparkleyfingerposted 11 years ago

   In theory, yes. Acrylic paint has the ability to stretch unlike other paints that loose their elasticity over time. I would recommend doing a trial run though, just to be sure... Get a cheap canvas and cover with acrylic, then dismantle and roll up for a month or so? See how it looks? Let us know how you get on... Oh, and perhaps speak to an art restoration place? They should have came across this before.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, sparkleyufinger! I asked at an art supply shop and they said the same thing you did: a test run and an art restoration place. I'll look into this and report back. Thanks again!
      
      Anyone else have more/different information?

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   whonunuwhoposted 11 years ago

   Yes, the paintings are virtually like plastic sheets with the acrylic that has become preserved in a solid state. You should be able to store them in cool dry area, and not exposed to a lot of higher temps and sunlight.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, whonunuwho! I was hoping that was the case, so thanks for confirming this. Cheers!
      
      --Laura

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