Preserving Outdoor Art: Reduce the Ravages of Sun, Wind and Rain

Sun, wind and rain, not to mention pollution, air salts and groundwater, can relentlessly wear away and damage art outdoors. Take steps to protect outdoor art pieces based on the materials they are made of.

First, no matter what kind of material your outdoor art is made from, following these five steps is a good beginning to keeping it safe:

1. Plan ahead. Don't wait until the first storm or after a number of years have gone by to figure out how to protect your outdoor art.

2. Bring lighter pieces indoors before storms, on especially brutal hot or freezing days, and during your vacations and other prolonged periods away from home.

3. Provide a way to anchor larger and heavier pieces to protect them in a storm. One way to do this is placing eye bolts into recessed concrete piers at least two feet from the base of a sculpture. Create sturdy harnesses that can be wrapped around the sculpture and hooked to the eye bolts.

4. In addition to preparing surfaces to protect outdoor sculptures, outdoor wall art and garden art from the elements, pay attention to each item's physical position. Make sure items will not fall on something hard, if they do fall. Keep other furniture and objects clear of the art, in case they fall, so they don't crash into the art.

5. Engage the help of a professional art conservationist for larger and more expensive pieces.

Outdoor Metal Art

Some metals actually are more beautiful if you allow them to weather and produce a natural patina (created as the elements wear down and chemically change the look of the metal's surface). However, in most cases, if you want your metal art to last awhile, you should treat the surface of the metal with a light coating of oil (some people use WD-40!) or wax twice a year after cleaning to seal and protect it. Kinetic sculpture needs to be greased occasionally at working joints, which also will protect the material from corrosion. If you want to restore the metal, use household polish, which also protects the surface for a period of time.

Outdoor Fiberglass, Resin, Glass and Plastic Art

Artwork made of modern and hard-surfaced material such as fiberglass, resin, glass and plastic is inherently more resistant to weather. However, it's still a good idea to apply a sealant or lacquer that not only waterproofs each piece, but provides an SPF filter to protect the outdoor art from the sun.

Because these pieces are lighter than metal and stone, it's doubly important to make sure they are anchored well, so the wind does not blow them over. It's also advisable to wrap delicate items such as these, if they can't be brought indoors.

Outdoor Painted Art

To protect outdoor art that has been pre-painted, simply apply acrylic varnish or lacquer with a brush, making sure it gets into all cracks and pits on the surface. With time, many paints fade, and it's perfectly okay to repaint items as needed. For best results, use an artist grade acrylic paint, which is more heavily pigmented and in most cases has more lightfast pigments.

Bare wood can be protected, while retaining the beautiful wood grain look, by applying clear water sealer. In some ways, sealer is better than varnish, because it allows water to evaporate from inside the wood to avoid splitting, rotting or warping.

Outdoor Fabric & Canvas Art

It might be tempting to think you can protect fabric and canvas in the same way as rigid pieces of outdoor art. However, remember that fabric flexes and bends. You need a different type of protective coating. Lighter fabrics can be sprayed with a spray, such as Scotchguard fabric and upholstery protector. For heavier fabrics that aren't expected to blow freely in the breeze, consider using a clear rubberized spray, such as Rubber Kote 501.

One of the beauties of outdoor art is that you get to enjoy it against a backdrop of nature, while breathing the fresh air and soaking up the sunshine. It's more than worth taking a little time to protect your art and assure that it will be around for a long time to bring you pleasure.