Flood and Fire Damage

Works on paper that are damaged by a flood, fire or both need to be treated and stabilized quickly, but this is a difficult thing to accomplish considering all of the time it takes to organize your household and process an insurance claim.  There are things that you can do to help stabilize a damaged piece and buy time to have a claim processed and your works on paper restored.

1)         Photograph all damaged works, where they are and as they are, before doing anything to them.

2)         Once photos are taken, if the works are wet, remove all frames and framing materials, leaving the works exposed to the air.

3)         Place the works on a dry, clean surface and leave them out to dry, if necessary.

4)         In the case that mold has already begun to grow, dry the pieces and keep them in a dry environment.  Placing them in plastic bags and in a freezer helps slow the mold growth process as well.  Do not try to remove the mold, this can grind the spores into the paper, making the mold more difficult to remediate and clean.

6)         In the case of soot being on a work on paper, do not try to remove the soot.  This can cause the soot to be ground into the paper and will make it very difficult to remove.

7)         Contact ACA Paper Restoration to discuss what else you can do to save your works on paper.  In addition to restoration and conservation services, we can submit a restoration quote for your insurance claim, if necessary.