Conservation and restoration of outdoor murals

The conservation and restoration of outdoor murals is the process of caring for and maintaining murals, and includes documentation, examination, research, and treatment to insure their long-term viability, when desired.

Murals are most commonly defined as wall paintings, works of art integrated into a specific architectural space. The word mural is derived from the Latin word murus, meaning wall. Walls have long provided a direct support for aesthetic, political, and social ideas expressed with paint. Cave paintings could be considered the earliest murals, followed over time by wall paintings in tombs, temples, churches, civic buildings, and a variety of outdoor spaces. Modern murals grow out of this long tradition. From the beginning of the 20th century, murals have had a significant presence in the architecture of the Americas. Through the years murals have changed just as everyday life has changed. Murals were painted on church walls and carved into stone or wood on the outside, to educate those who cannot read. The tradition has carried on to today’s churches. Visual images and language are one of the most powerful forms of communication, both then and moreso now. Murals today share much of the history from past murals, though today’s murals can depict anything. The major job of murals today is to band communities together. In an age where everything is materialistic, and most of us don’t know our neighbors let alone anyone else in our community, finding a way to bring people together can be difficult. Murals have a very positive effect on communities, bring people together and bring pride to the community, and that pride tends to stay and spread to other parts of the community.

Outdoor contemporary murals are generally seen as temporary installation, varying from 10 to 20 years due to weathering and vandalism. Outdoor murals are susceptible to, depending on their physical location, extreme weather conditions. A few of the biggest problems facing murals are graffiti, physical destruction, and desaturation as the paint layers weather and are exposed to UV. UV radiation causes cracking, color change and fading. Oxidation chain reactions are the culprit on a chemical level. Environmental conditions are a major factor in mural deterioration. Freeze-thaw cycles and capillary rise affect the architectural support of the mural and lead to salt efflorescence, cracking, and lifting of the paint layers if incompatible paints or coatings are used and the mural extends to ground level. Murals that face South in direct UV rays are susceptible to fade and also binder deterioration.

Murals are traditionally commissioned on private buildings and structures, leaving ownership of the mural in the hands of the owner of the building. Gaining permission to conduct conservation is a key first step in the process. Annual inspections of mural will contribute to it lifetime. Inspections are encouraged to take place during the spring season. This will allow for any damage done during the winter months to not be overseen, and will also allow for conservation to being and take place during the summer.

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Wikipedia