<p>It really depends on a lot of factors, not only salty air.</p>

<p>Does the temperature change drastically day to night?
How is the humidity level, very high? Very low? Changing a lot day to night?
Does the painting hang in a sunny (i.e. direct sunlight) place or a shaded location?</p>

<p>But yes, salty air will directy affect the oil paint itself (either by drying on the surface and leaving salty residue, salt is hygroscopic and will dry the paint out and probably lead to cracks in the paint) and the canvas. Depending on the type of frame used to stretch the canvas, it might be necessary to regularly check the tension, too. But especially a good treatment of the backside of the canvas will help a lot (e.g. sealing).</p>

<p>Problem is that usually walls are colder than the air in the room. This means that the painting which hangs on your wall is in the coldest area of the room (micro condensation can occur, leading to accelerated forming of cracks called "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craquelure" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Craquelure</a>" etc). </p>

<p>For an expensive painting it would be best to:</p>

<ul>
<li>get a proper frame (ask a specialist), UV filtering glass helps a lot (against UV B at least, UV A does still reach the painting)</li>
<li>a proper frame will be well sealed not allowing a flow of air (which will transport humidity, dust etc.)</li>
<li>try to make sure the painting gets max. around 150LUX of light </li>
<li>a temperature of 18 - 20° C would be best</li>
<li>humidity levels of 55-60% are optimal</li>
</ul>

<p>If the painting is not very expensive but important to you, I suggest to put it somewhere without direct sunlight and if possible not on an outside wall. Simply use a dry and lint-free cloth to carefully remove residues (salt or dust) from the surface of the painting.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-20T05:45:50.453Z
2017-09-20T05:45:50.453Z
Tony Delaney
<p>I was given an oil based painting drawn by my relative (very dear to me). I live near the beach and we've had trouble with moisture/dampness. The painting is framed but not covered by glass or anything. Would it get affected/damaged by the salty air?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-23T15:37:06.197Z
Veronika,
what’s the painting on, canvas, board, paper etc? Believe or not lots of the moisture penetrate the support of the paint itself and gets in from the unsealed side of the surface, usually the back.
rearThing
<preservation><oil-paint>
Oil painting in coastal environment
Veronika Stolfa
# Oil painting in coastal environment

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-09-18)

I was given an oil based painting drawn by my relative (very dear to me). I live near the beach and we've had trouble with moisture/dampness. The painting is framed but not covered by glass or anything. Would it get affected/damaged by the salty air?

**Tags:** preservation, oil-paint

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: username_0, what’s the painting on, canvas, board, paper etc? Believe or not lots of the moisture penetrate the support of the paint itself and gets in from the unsealed side of the surface, usually the back.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-09-20. Score: 3

It really depends on a lot of factors, not only salty air.

Does the temperature change drastically day to night?
How is the humidity level, very high? Very low? Changing a lot day to night?
Does the painting hang in a sunny (i.e. direct sunlight) place or a shaded location?

But yes, salty air will directy affect the oil paint itself (either by drying on the surface and leaving salty residue, salt is hygroscopic and will dry the paint out and probably lead to cracks in the paint) and the canvas. Depending on the type of frame used to stretch the canvas, it might be necessary to regularly check the tension, too. But especially a good treatment of the backside of the canvas will help a lot (e.g. sealing).

Problem is that usually walls are colder than the air in the room. This means that the painting which hangs on your wall is in the coldest area of the room (micro condensation can occur, leading to accelerated forming of cracks called "[Craquelure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craquelure)" etc).

For an expensive painting it would be best to:

* get a proper frame (ask a specialist), UV filtering glass helps a lot (against UV B at least, UV A does still reach the painting)
* a proper frame will be well sealed not allowing a flow of air (which will transport humidity, dust etc.)
* try to make sure the painting gets max. around 150LUX of light
* a temperature of 18 - 20° C would be best
* humidity levels of 55-60% are optimal

If the painting is not very expensive but important to you, I suggest to put it somewhere without direct sunlight and if possible not on an outside wall. Simply use a dry and lint-free cloth to carefully remove residues (salt or dust) from the surface of the painting.


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