Encaustic Care Guide

Even though Encaustic paintings are very durable, you still have to handle them with great care. 

Just like any piece of artwork, you never want to hang an encaustic painting in direct sunlight. This creates a “magnifying glass” effect and can cause the painting to get warm and “sag” over time and fade the colors. That being said, encaustics have a melting point of 150° making it perfectly safe to hang in your home or office. Avoid letting the wax freeze, freezing could cause the wax to crack over time. They do best in stable temperatures 40-125 degrees F.  

Ensure that your painting is wrapped and packaged properly. It should be covered with wax paper or glassine paper first then wrapped with a protective layer like bubble wrap. For larger and heavier works, a wooden crate/box lined with insulation may be needed for shipping/transporting/storage. 

IF your painting does get warm and you are unsure how hot it actually got, DO NOT UNWRAP IT. Let it cool completely before unwrapping it and the wax paper should just pop off.

Always protect the surface and edges of a painting. Although the surface is completely dry, encaustic paintings can be scratched, gouged, or chipped if not handled with care. That being said wax is very easy to fix if anything does get damaged over time.

Encaustic paint will continue to cure and harden for about a year after completion; in this process the surface may lose some of its original luster and sheen. This is called “blooming” and looks like a cloudy effect over the surface of the wax. Not to worry this is natural and actually good for the painting. Just take a soft, lint free cloth or shirt and lightly buff the surface of the painting. Over some time you will not need to buff it as often and will have a beautiful, glass like shine to it. 

If you have any questions please contact me (: