Conservation Lab

FSR Lab
Cleaning a painting (foreground) and lowering a work of art on paper into an immersion bath (background).

Modern restoration and conservation practices demand the use of the most up-to-date techniques, materials and equipment. Our conservation laboratory is supplied with a full range of art, conservation and chemical supplies to support the application of cleaning, repair, stabilization, restoration and preservation techniques.

Our 1200 square foot lab is located just outside Vancouver, Canada, in South Surrey. The building has physical security and smoke detection, monitored by a security firm. The facility is fitted with equipment such as a suction table for washing and stain removal, an immersion sink for washing paper and archival materials, a motorized flexible shaft tool for the repair and finishing of sculpture, an HPLV sprayer and full spectrum inpainting lights. We are the only private lab in western Canada with a heated suction table for cold lining of paper and paintings, heated lining of paintings, vapor treatments and consolidation.

FSR Lab
Cleaning a painting, preparing a cleaning solution in the fume hood, and repairing a native basket.

For examination and documentation, we have the use of stereo-binocular operating and table microscopes, ultraviolet fluorescence and photographic equipment. Safety equipment in the lab includes a fume hood and a mobile fume extraction arm.