Art in the bathroom?

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RRAF

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I've never specifically been asked this, but a good customer wants to hang his original lithographs (under glass) in his home bathroom. Obviously, he's worried about humidity.
I have some thoughts about what to tell him but I'd appreciate hearing from some of you as well regarding dustcovers and other precautions. You're always so helpful!
Thanks a bunch!
 
The best advise to give them is that a bathroom is the third worse place for art....... after the attic and basement

That excludes the garage ;)
 
I don't think it is good to hang anything of value in the bathroom.

Experience speaking - next thing you know someone's wayward hairspray is on the glass. Then some well-meaning person takes a wet cloth to the glass... you can guess the outcome.

It was a framed (by me) piece of my child's art work but still 'valuable' to me.
 
Humidity isn't good for the wood mouldings either, not to mention the art. I have a fouple of fine examples of that in my own bathroom, shame on me. Someday...
 
I had a nice watercolor above the toilet ... no problem with steam/humidity ... then the pipe fixture to the toilet broke ... had 2" of water throuhout the single storey home ... the broken fixture sprayed water all over the framed watercolor ... mat/frame ruined ... but art amazingly OK! You just never know what's gonna happen!
 
We are in the process of having our bathroom completely re-fitted.

The tiles are so expensive we'd never dream of covering any with a picture. That's what the inset and dado tiles are for!

If a customer insisted and the artwork was of any value, I'd make sure there was plenty of spacing from the glass and seal the glass into the frame as well as sealing the back, maybe even put a satchet of (insert word I cannot remember here)........... crystals which can be replaced every so often inside the frame

(Is it 'Silica'?)
 
Roboframer,

Dilythium? ;)
 
Silica Gel crystals.
Usually found in packaged goods in little sachets (remember "Do Not Eat Contents").

It is available in larger quantities of loose crystals, and you could somehow hide them behind a spaced mat, but really, once Silica Gel absorbs its lot of moisture, it stops working.
Because you can't stop moisture permeating into the package completely, it's not a suitable or long term solution for framing something in a wet area.

Is there a suitable or long term solution ? Not really.
But most likely, a good exhaust fan system, heat lights to disperse humidity, and good ventilation should make a reasonably safe option.
That with good airspace in the package to circulate air inside the package, and use UV glass to stop chemical reaction with UV light and moisture.

Certainly good exhaust, heat, and ventilation extends the life of mirror glass, which is another enemy of moisture / humidity too.

Still, if they are valuable, the safest option is to recommend against the idea . . .
Maybe hang copies in the bathroom, originals in another part of the house ?
 
Rim
I have had artwork in the bathroom for many years. I use plexi not glass. Never had a problem. I would ask the customer hom much do you value the artwork and how much are you going to enjoy the artwork where it is hanging? Make no promises but it should be fine.
 
Depending on how valuable etc. art is, how humid the bathroom gets etc. one could

- do the cost effective Corplast backboard sealed with aluminum rabbet sealing tape (Lineco) at the edges (covering the gap between backboard and frame) and then secured with wooden strainer to hold all very tight.

- do the more costly but more effective sealed framing system Hugh developed and wrote about PFM I believe - Marvelseal wrapped around back of framing package and electrical grade hot glue attached to front edges of glass. Framing needs to be done in quasi controlled environment where Relative Humidity is about 50% (or ideally lower).

In both cases glass not plexi as glass is moisture/water impermeable and plexi does allow slow moisture exchange.

Rebecca
 
I think we as a group tend to loose a little perspective when it comes to bathrooms and kitchens... in respect to humidity.

If you have a bathroom fan, and it is sized correctly, during a steamy shower... the mirror should at most get a little foggy near the top.

This means that while the shower area if full of hot steamy water... the general room humidity is temperarily only a little more humid than the ambiant house level.

For Billings, Montana... that means that during the shower, it might feel like Los Angeles.. but once you turn off the shower, and open the door.... you're back to the upper dry plains, and 30%.

If you are in Drestin, FL, well no matter what it aint getting under 80% so why worry.

As for glass verses acrylic.. I don't know why I would ever put glass any where near a bathroom or kitchen... but then I have also never had anything drop off the wall in those rooms. And I put glass in our bedrooms.... I just would have glass around where kids might rough-house.
 
Except that Scott was asking for educated advice about conservation and preservation in areas that are subject to high humidity and possible plumbing problems, to share with his client who may or may not be interested.

Glass has different chemical and physical properties than acrylic, again, something the client might,or might not, be interested in.

If breakage is a consideration, frames with glass can be securely fixed to the wall, just like mirrors.

Rebecca
 
everyone's concerned about the original $$$artwork getting soggy...why not simply get it copied/printed and mount the copy??????(keep the orig in mylar pocket/flat/in the back of the dark closet). best of BOTH worlds--the art is a protected as they can get it(short of hum/temp controlled vault), and they get to enjoy the image of that which is sitting in the closet appreciating in value(and only THEY know the difference)! AND what about the proximity of all those BRIGHT lights(unless this guy shaves in the dark?)??? Got to be a problem there too, even with UV glass.
 
"Art in the bathroom?"

OK so in MY street educated opinion... take the valuable original slap it between two sheet of 8-ply rag, stick in a airtight security box and ship it off to Salt Mountain and pay the Mormans $500/yr to keep it secure and safe for the next 1,000 years.

Or scan it, copy it, print it out as wall paper, cover the walls with it. Heck while they are forging the piece, might as well print it off on the toilet paper and enjoy it at both ends. :D

Mr Carter, what was that thing about lack of facts and idiot opinions?
 
Original art should never be hung in a bathroom.

About 26 years ago, I framed up several of my original prints for my parents. They've been hanging in their bathroom (with the only bath and shower in the house - and yes, both bath and shower are used
).

Today, these pieces, still hanging in their original spots, look brand new.

Having said that, original art should never be hung in a bathroom. ;)

Hmmm ... that wasn't a lot of help now, was it, Scott?
shrug.gif
 
How much preservation do you want?

If the art is VERY important to this customer, then perhaps he should find a less risky place to display it. I suggest making sure he understands the risks: mainly, paper-fiber stress and condensation from quick-changing temperature and humidity, and moisture buildup within the frame package.

If he makes an informed decision to display in the bathroom, then Rebecca's recommendation to use Hugh Phibbs' Marvelseal method method makes a lot of sense. The air space under the glazing should be generous.

Glass is gas-impermeable and inhibits transfer of everything. So, in long-term adverse conditions, glass would be better.

Acrylic is a better insulator. That is, it would take longer for condensation to form inside, so it would do a better job of slowing changes within the frame package, and inhibiting quick-change condensation.

Rebecca, please check me on this: My understanding of slica gel and other desiccants is that they work like regulators of moisture content. That is, they absorb humidity if gets is too high, and release humidity if it gets too low within the closed package. Desiccants need to be conditioned before their use; in this case, conditioned to low humidity.

However, over time, if moisture repeatedly finds its way into the frame, the desiccant could slowly re-condition itself to incresingly higher humidity.

A customer displayed framed art (not my framing) on his boat, and it got moldy. He thought the desiccant was defective, but it reconditioned itself to high moisture. Eventually, it could serve to keep humidity in the frame extraordinarily high. That would be bad, so the suggestion is to re-condition the desiccant periodically, to keep it dry.
 
Yes, silica gel need to be reconditioned on regular basis unless it is in a completely sealed environment, like the glass/Marvelseal system. Of course one needs some sort of system to determine what moisture content the gel is at at any given time like a humidity indicator card.

Perhaps the sheet form or Artsorb, with a Mylar or Plexi backing on the frame so one could read the card.

This of course isn't for everyone or every situation, but it's nice for many of us to know about the possiblities so they can be offered as options, or considered for special situation.

Rebecca
 
Many thanks for the valuable comments and suggestions. I'm so impressed with the Grumble and those who visit. I hope that someday I'll be informed enuf to help others too.
Thanks again!
 
"Many thanks for the valuable comments and suggestions."

Not so fast! The occasional frankenthread may pop up during serious discussions where someone might mention:

At my age, anything that happens in the bathroom is considered 'art'. :D
 
party.gif
I kinda figured my thread title might attract a little bathroom humor. Thanks D.B.
 
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