Protecting
Your Art work

So much of your time, energy, effort and creativity has been taken to make and bring your sculpture to life, that the right thing to do is to care for it properly.  This page will provide you with some information to help you care and preserve your art work for as long as possible.  Although we can't guarantee that your art will last forever, but with proper care and under normal conditions, you statue should bring you many years of joy and bragging rights. 

indoor art
Very little maintenance is required for any statues created to be displayed indoors.  It's important to remember that your statue needs to cure indoors for two (2) weeks until it is fully hardened.  During these two (2) weeks, please try to keep your statue away from direct sunlight/heat.  To help preserve any colour painted onto your statue, it is recommended to spray a light coat of varnish on it.  Even if you spray a light coat of hairspray on your statue, this will help to "lock-in" your paint colours.  Any non-yellowing  varnish will suffice and can be purchased at your local hardware store. Although this is not necessary, it's just a "nice to do".

Outdoor garden art
Statues destined to be placed outdoors in the garden require a little more maintenance work on an annual basis.  Paverpol fabric hardener is a polymer and can easily be placed outdoors to withstand the elements and you may choose not to varnish before placing your statue outdoors, but we suggest to spray or paint a coat of UV varnish on an annual basis to extend the longevity of your art work. 

Upon bringing your art work home, please ensure that you allow for your statue to fully dry and cure for two (2) weeks indoors before placing outside in your garden.  Garden statues that have already been coated with a layer of Paverplast/Paverpol have an extra coating of sealant to resist the elements (even in snow...ask your instructor if any Paverplast has been used for your statue).  To help protect the colour of your statue, UV coating spray is recommended.  For all other statues without a coating of Paverplast, it is recommended to protect your art from the elements with a good coat of outdoor UV varnish or sealant (available at your local hardware store) as an extra precaution.  Many students choose to display their garden art in the warmer months and then take indoors during the colder months.  This is a great option especially for those with harsh winter months.  Before returning the statues to the garden, the annual or seasonal coating of UV varnish would be recommended. This is the type of UV Spray that I would recommend to use (Krylon).

It's important for students to remember that Paverpol coated fabric (like plastic) will soften in direct sunlight or intense heat.  It will not lose it's shape, but you may notice a softening effect that will disappear when the sun goes down.  This is normal especially if the fabric has no wire or foundation underneath it.  If this is a concern for you, it is suggested to keep your art away from direct sunlight and place in an area with shade. 

If at some time you would like to coat your art with Paverplast, contact your instructor and they can work with you to apply this coating; however if you do decide to do this over a completed piece of artwork, you may need to repaint your art completely....but sometimes change can be fun. 

Last words on displaying outdoor art work; if you have used Art Stone and/or  Transparent Paverpol to create your art, this is NOT recommended for outdoor display.  However, if you used Transparent Paverpol as a coating or glue OVER regular Paverpol, you should be OK, but it is recommended to also spray or paint an annual coat of UV varnish to protect your work.