The Terms and techniques used by conservators can sometimes be confusing or misleading. Listed below are some of the most common terms and techniques to aide in the understanding of the art of conservation. In addition to approaching every painting conservatively in that only what needs attention is addressed and nothing excessive is ever performed, all of the materials used are modern, reversible and leave no lasting effects.

• Lining - The process by which a new piece of canvas is adhered to the back of the painting in order to provide it with structural integrity. The advent of archival and reversible synthetics have made lining less invasive than when performed with wax, yet this is a procedure kept for only the most unstable works.
• Strip lining - Adhering strips of new canvas to the tacking edges of a painting rather than the whole back. This is done when the tacking edge fidelity is questionable.
• Tacking edge - The outer edge of the canvas without image in it where the painting gets tacked or stapled to the stretcher.
• Impregnation - The process where by the canvas fibers are saturated with adhesive in order to provide stability and adhere severely flaking gesso and paint back to the canvas.
• Retouching - When there is paint loss or damage done to the visible paint layer the conservator must replace it while not over painting into the undamaged areas.
• Overpainting - Poor conservators often paint over areas that do not need retouching in an attempt to 'make the painting look better.' A very frowned upon practice and a sign of inexperience or lack of skill.
• Interleafing - When the cracking of a painting is so intense that it distracts from the image, or when the canvas has been so thoroughly torn with many missing pieces it is often necessary to mount the canvas to a rigid surface. An interleaf is usually a sheet of mylar backed with canvas, and faced with silk organza and then adhered, silk side to the painting.
• Silk organza - Very thin fabric made of pure silk-almost transparent and extremely strong.
• Facing - Temporarily adhering rice paper to the face of the painting to stabilize it for further work.
• Re-weaving - We prefer this method of addressing tears in a painting whereby the original fibers of canvas are woven back into the grid pattern and then stabilized with adhesive. This is an exhaustive technique but is the least invasive and most traditional
• Bridging - When re-weaving is not an option this is the next prefer method whereby small canvas fibers are adhered perpendicular over the tear or cut.
• Inlay - When a piece of canvas is missing a piece preferably from the edge of the painting, or of a similar weave will be cut to fit the void and then adhered in place.
• Reinforcing - When the tacking edge is somewhat stable and doesn't need a strip lining a strip of silk organza is adhered
• Stretcher/strainer - The support for a painting. While a stretcher can be expanded with keys, a strainer is fixed and cannot be expanded.
• Fill-in - Paint loss must be filled in with a putty before it can be retouched. The putty should be textured and sculpted to match the surrounding impasto.
• Impasto - The built up paint, generally with impressions of the brush. Grime and varnish collect in this texture and can be very difficult to clean.
• Vapor treatment - A method whereby the wrinkles, waves, or creases in a painitng can be relaxed. This procedure is performed on our custom vaccuum table which allows us to apply controled pressure, moisture and heat.
• Varnish - The transparent resin-based coating that is applied once the conservation is complete. The varnish not only protects the paint layer it can also add a sheen from matte to glossy.
• Crazing - The network of fine cracks wither in the varnish layer or in the paint layer.
• Bloom - Sometimes, for various reasons including exposure to moisture the varnish layer becomes cloudy and blotchy.
• Crosslinking - When the mollecular structure of the varnish bonds in an undesirable way the varnish layer becomes very stiff and insoluble. This can happen with poorly mixed varnishes, poor materials or inexperenced applicaations.