Lincrusta Sponge Down?
Any advice on how best to clean two 3′ X 3′ panels of what appears to be brown lincrusta? Issue: I am not sure whether this is ‘brown’ lincrusta or lincrusta that has been painted brown. In person the look and feel of the panel is much more beautiful and rich in tone than in…
Any advice on how best to clean two 3′ X 3′ panels of what appears to be brown lincrusta? Issue: I am not sure whether this is ‘brown’ lincrusta or lincrusta that has been painted brown. In person the look and feel of the panel is much more beautiful and rich in tone than in the attached photo (it looks like tanned leather). My concern is that I will perhaps remove the paint (if painted) with too much soap and water, or perhaps that I will not clean it enough if it is indeed ‘brown’ lincrusta and not brown paint. My guess is that the lincrusta is original to the home, which was built around 1899. I plan on starting with a test cleaning in a small section near the corner but was hoping to benefit from the forum’s sage advice.
Hi all you can clean Lincrusta with a mild detergent but do not scrub the surface use cotton wool and wipe the surface after applying with a small brush once cleaned down you may want to protect further with an oil based varnish.
oh and by the way the design is original from pre 1900 and is classed as an historical wallcovering the design will never be produced again, if it needed to be the cost would be in excess of £26k minimum.
I’ve taken a look at some much more fatigued sections of original lincrusta or analgypta with an eye toward restoring the patterns.
I would suggest purchasing a small selection of fine art brushes for the cleaning.
You might also want to check with some art supply stores to see if they carry something equivalent to the cleaning solution mentioned in the Driehaus Museum pdf.
Art framing specialists may also have some insight into a cleaning product.
Let us know how it goes.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It looks like a little more research is needed on my end to eliminate some of the possible risks associated with harsh cleaning techniques. The panels are located in the vestibule. I can’t imagine what one-hundred plus winters and summers has done to its ability to hold new paint/varnish after cleaning.
Lincrusta, which I believe is made of sawdust and linseed oil, is hard and solid if you try to press your fingernail into it. Anaglypta — which is embossed wallpaper — will be dented by your fingernail. However if the anaglypta is old enough, it tends to petrify and it can be hard to tell the difference. Lincrusta is still made in the UK and their website is lincrusta.com. Maybe they could offer you some advice?
One more thought after taking another look at your photo: Hard to say whether the dimension was flattened by the photo or is an accurate reflection. Based on the depth of relief, there’s a small possibility that your wallcovering is anaglypta rather than lincrusta. If anaglypta, you’d want to approach the cleaning as a paper conservation project.
BTW, there’s a beautiful slide show of the Driehaus/Nickerson lincrusta conservation, as well as some other preservation projects, at: http://bit.ly/cXBohm
I suspect that your lincrusta, like much of the period, was painted with oil paints and varnish to achieve the appearance of leather. That’s certainly true of the lincrusta at the Ballantine House/Newark Museum: http://bit.ly/bOIxNK
A conservation process for lincrusta used by Chicago’s Driehaus Museum is described at this link: http://bit.ly/d0PPPo
I can imagine this looks quite nice in person. Be very very gentle with it. Soap and water is probably going to do damage. If you’re going to test that route, start with a microfiber towel (or washcloth) rung very dry. As you mention the original finish may have been intentionally uneven to create a tanned leather look.