How to Start an Art Restoration Business

Part 1 - How to start an Art Restoration business - Background

An art restoration business restores works of art for clients, such as paintings and sculptures. These businesses focus on repairing damage and degradation of art and usually attempt to return art to its original condition. The damage may be due to an accident – such as someone falling through a painting – or due to time and natural causes. Some of these businesses serve the general public, while others work for museums and similar organizations.

Our guide is in 3 parts:

• Part 1 - How to start an Art Restoration business - Background
• Part 2 - Our planner tool to see if this idea is the right fit for you
• Part 3 - Action plan to get started

What are the costs involved in opening an art restoration business?

Most of the initial costs of starting an art restoration business are educational costs. Completing a graduate degree in conservation is expensive. During your education, you are going to purchase a variety of art supplies to do your work which is also costly. Fortunately, starting your actual business will not require too much additional investment if you are doing it on your own and out of your home. As long as you have the proper art supplies, you can market yourself fairly inexpensively using online options and social media.

What are the ongoing expenses for an art restoration business?

The ongoing expenses for an art restoration business include rent for space (if you aren’t working out of your home), art supplies and equipment, staff wages, marketing costs, and association dues with the American Institute for Conservation (AIC). Other expenses include the cost of lab work and similar services, but these are costs you can pass on to the client directly.

Who is the target market?

The target market is anyone in possession of art that needs to be restored. These include private owners and larger institutions like museums. Many museums have restorationists on staff, so they may not be interested in hiring other businesses to do restoration work for them. However, there is always the chance that the restoration staff will need help so don’t rule museums and similar organizations out completely.

How does an art restoration business make money?

A small art restoration business can expect to earn between $50,000-$100,000 a year, depending on what types of clients it serves and how well-established it is.

How much can you charge customers?

Many art restorationists charge $100 per hour or more for their services. The work is something that only extremely skilled artists can do, so it makes sense that the cost for restoration is high. And if you are restoring something more precious, such as a historically significant piece of art for a collector, you can charge much more. The size of the job plays a big part on the cost as well. While a small painting may cost around $1,000 to restore, a large painting may cost $10,000 or more.

How much profit can an art restoration business make?

A small art restoration business can expect to earn between $50,000-$100,000 a year, depending on what types of clients it serves and how well-established it is.

How can you make your business more profitable?

You can make your business more profitable by developing a strong reputation for your services. When you are just opening your business, you will probably be doing more work for clients who do not have a lot of money to spend on your services. For instance, a family that wants to restore a painting grandma made when she was young. However, if you steadily demonstrate your knowledge and skill – and form strong relationships with others in the industry – you can gain the attention of clients with more money to spend, such as wealthy art collectors. It will take time, but the same is true for most businesses.

Day-to-Day and Growth

What happens during a typical day at an art restoration business?

A typical day at an art restoration business includes a lot of time spent restoring works of art – but it also includes other less exciting tasks. Art restorationists who run their own businesses need to spend time meeting clients, determining estimates, surveying artworks, marketing their services, and more. Often, the daytime will be spent handling these various tasks and the evenings and nights will be spent on restoration work.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful art restoration business?

You must have the necessary artistic skills to recreate the works of art you are asked to restore. Proper training in the right areas – such as painting if you are restoring paintings – is a must so you can do your work with confidence. Understanding the science of the art you focus on is a must as well. For example, you want to be capable of identifying what materials were used in the original piece, what chemical reactions have occurred to cause degradation, and how to correct the degradation without compromising the underlying materials.

What is the growth potential for an art restoration business?

The art restoration industry has remained relatively stable and will likely remain so. The number of artworks that need to be restored may not increase suddenly, as the market for new tech often does, but the number is also unlikely to decrease drastically, either. Museums and collectors will continue to need the services of art restorationists as time takes its toll on older works of art and accidents happen.  

What are some insider tips for jump starting an art restoration business?

Clients that come to you for restoration services are going to want to know that you have what it takes to do things right. That’s why it’s a good idea to complete your education in restoration and learn as much as you can about the process. Once you graduate, spend a few years working for other, well-established art restorationists to get more experience. You want to attract high-paying clients – but those clients expect you to know what you are doing and are unlikely to hire you straight out of school.

How and when to build a team

It’s impossible to do everything on your own when you are restoring art. At the least, you will need to send out samples to labs so you can identify what you are working with. But you will likely need more help than that if you want to serve multiple clients at the same time. It’s helpful to have a team that can take photographs, produce documentation, contact clients, create reports, and do all the other things that must happen before you can start restoration work.

Before you open for business, consider what kind of team you might need and where you might find them. If you can get the funding to hire some help, you are more likely to develop momentum and build a client base sooner rather than later.

Part 2 - Is an Art Restoration business the right fit for you?

Part 3 - Action plan to launch your Art Restoration business in 90 days