Buying a genuine oil painting for display in your home or office is a cause for celebration.  Whether you purchased an old oil painting or commissioned a brand new oil portrait, you probably realized as soon as you removed the wrappings that you don’t have ‘just another picture’ to hang on the wall.

Oil paintings, which are not mounted behind glass (except in some museum circumstances for preservation), require special consideration regarding handling and maintenance.

A few tips will help you avoid making mistakes that might damage your oil painting and help you preserve it for many years as a keepsake or family heirloom.

Handling and Storage

Oil painting is a sturdy, long-lasting, and durable art form, and with proper care and handling will last for generations.  A visit to any good museum will confirm this, but keep in mind that museums go to great lengths to safeguard their masterpieces. 

1 Always handle an oil painting by the frame without touching the painted surface.

2 Never let any object press again either the front or back of an oil painting canvas, as it pliable and will cause a dent or hole.  If an accident occurs, have an expert repair the damage.  An amateur repair job may look okay at first but given time will inevitably show.

3 For temporary storage or transporting an oil painting, place cardboard or plywood on both front and back (slightly larger than the outside dimensions of the framed oil painting) and then wrap in ‘bubble wrap’ and tape or tie securely.

4 Permanent storage should be in a custom-sized plywood container with the painting braced to allow air flow on all sides without shifting.

5 Never expose an oil painting to extremes of heat, cold, or humidity, whether hanging on your wall or in storage.  Neither basements nor attics are good storage locations. The best place to store an oil painting is on the wall for all to enjoy.

6 Occasional dusting with a clean, soft-bristled brush is recommended. A very old or dirty oil painting should be taken to a professional restorer.

Hanging Your Oil Painting

Here’s the fun part.  Oil paintings, especially portrait oil paintings, demand pride of place in your home.  Involve your spouse or family in deciding the perfect location.

Hang your oil painting on two picture hooks which are appropriate to the wall (wood, plaster, drywall) and strong enough to secure the weight of the picture. Two hooks, rather than one, will allow the picture to maintain a horizontal position.

1 Choose a place for your painting that does not get direct sunlight or is subject to hot or cold drafts.

2 Hang high enough to be able to see the painting clearly from anywhere in the room. A spot over a mantelpiece or over a sofa (above head height of anyone sitting on the sofa) is usually ideal.

3 Avoid hanging oil paintings in hallways or on walls where there is frequent family movement or furniture may be brushed against the wall.

4 If you have central heat or air conditioning, that’s great.  If not, a rule of thumb is, if people are comfortable in the room your oil painting occupies, chances are your oil painting will be comfortable too.

If you don’t own a genuine oil painting yet, you can turn a favorite family photograph into an oil portrait as a way of displaying it and preserving it forever.