How Mural Preservation Works | Anemos Art Preservation

We know. It's hard to believe.

Substrates, paints, and climates all vary. Paired with exposure history, prior coatings, and the age of the work, the story of the mural has a bearing on longevity. Our work begins by reading that story.

We begin with a conversation, then an assessment shaped to the collection. We read what we see, talk through what's happening, and figure out what's possible. What you have is not lost, it just was never an option to be considered.

This is how we think about the work, the science behind it, the sequence we follow, and our limits when we take on a mural.

The science

Paint is made of pigment and binder.

The pigment is the color, and the binder is the medium that holds pigment together and bonds the paint to the wall. UV exposure, moisture, and weathering degrade the binder first. As the binder breaks down a number of things can occur that can make the mural read as faded. For most murals, the color is still there, but the binder is what's failing.

Pigment

Color-producing, insoluble solid particles made of minerals, metals, and organic compounds. For most murals pigment is the last thing to go, and it's still present long after the binder has started to fail.

Binder

This is the (usually) acrylic polymer that bonds pigment to itself and the wall. UV exposure and weathering degrade it first, which is why fading shows up before any true pigment loss.

Symptoms

Chalking (the fine powdery layer that comes off when touched), peeling, flaking, crazing, and hazing are all faces of the same condition: pigment coming unbound at the surface. Caught in time, the condition is treatable.

Consolidation

After careful assessment and cleaning, a microresin consolidant penetrates the surface and fuses all layers into a reinforced, flexible film. The color returns immediately and is further protected by a semi-sacrificial topcoat.

Paint anatomy diagram showing initial application, the layer after weathering, and the layer after Anemos treatment

Picture surface rust on a metal sheet. Though it looks unsalvageable, if you sand it down the metal comes right back to its shiny self. Same with paint! Clean the oxidation, rebind the shavings, and the mural surface typically comes back to its vital glory.

Assessment

The mural tells us what it's been through.

If it's been outdoors every day since it was painted, it will have a whole story to tell. We look at the paint surface, substrate, environmental exposure, and treatment history to determine what's possible, and in what order. Just like us, every wall is different and has different needs.

The earlier a mural is assessed the more options remain. Surface conditions that are easy to address at year five can become significantly more complex by year seven. Earlier is always more forgiving, but even if it looks significantly faded, there is usually a way.

Before any treatment begins we make sure the original artist is notified. Even though we are not altering the original work, it's a professional courtesy and a trust signal to the community that the work is being cared for.

What we look for

Prior topcoating (wax, acrylic, urethane, polyurethane)

Surface adhesion and crazing/cracking

Bubbling, delamination, and substrate separation

Water damage and moisture intrusion history

Surface oxidation and UV exposure level

Substrate condition (concrete, CMU, stucco, wood, etc.)

Treatment

The foundation for protection.

Surface preparation

A combination of warm water, pressure, and a biodegradable plant-based wash removes environmental buildup, grime, and/or previous coatings. On new murals, cleaning may only be a light rinse to remove debris.

Consolidation

A microresin consolidant penetrates all paint layers and re-fuses pigment, binder, and substrate into a reinforced, UV protected, flexible film. Consolidation can also repair where it has lifted or bubbled. A stable surface is what makes the protective coating work, as a coating applied over unstable paint would only seal in the damage.

Sealing

With the mural now stable, a semi-sacrificial protective coating with anti-graffiti protection and further UV resistance becomes the barrier against environmental exposure. This coating is fully reversible, meaning it can be removed without touching the paint beneath. Over time the coating can be refreshed without disturbing the paint below, a step that makes long-term preservation possible.

A semi-sacrificial layer means that when the coating wears out it gets removed and replaced. And if it ever gets tagged, knock on wood, it would be a breeze to remove without damaging the mural underneath as long as it's caught in time.

Graffiti wipes right off.

With a semi-sacrificial topcoat, graffiti wipes right off.
No more worries.

The protective cycle

A single treatment vs an ongoing schedule.

A single Anemos treatment stands on its own. It meaningfully extends the life of the mural, and for many clients that's the engagement they need. But murals that stay outdoors eventually ask for attention again. The protective coating has a lifespan, and when it reaches it, the coating can be refreshed, removed and reapplied before the mural beneath is ever exposed. The work stays protected and the clock resets.

That refresh can be scheduled as its own engagement when the time comes, or handled automatically through the Mural Maintenance Program. Either way, preservation keeps working.

For specialized care, see the Mural Maintenance Program timeline →

Yr 0

Initial foundational treatment, which involves cleaning, consolidation, and protection.

Yr 6

Topcoat reset. The existing coating is removed and reapplied, resetting the clock on UV protection.

Yr 12

Full system reset. Full reassessment; coating is removed and consolidation is reapplied to freshen up the binder, finishing with a new topcoat. This cycle repeats indefinitely.

What we don't do

We keep it all original.

Our preservation system works because it keeps what's already there. These limits are intentional; if we changed the work, it would stop being preservation and become alteration.

We don't alter original work

If a mural has deteriorated to the point where repainting is the only option, we say so clearly and refer out. What we never do is repaint over the original work as part of a treatment. The original work is what people fell in love with and we protect exactly that. Nothing is added, changed, or lost; no color touch-ups, no adjustments to the imagery or changes to the composition.

We don't overreach

Some murals are beyond stabilization and may have structural failures, severe substrate damage, or conditions requiring traditional conservation. We know what we do, so when a mural is outside our scope, we say so and refer to the right partner.

Even if it doesn't look like it, most fading murals can be brought back.