Can You Hang a Painting Above a Radiator?

You can, but it is the worst spot in most rooms for an original painting, and it is worth trying hard to find another wall. If there is no other wall, there are ways to make it less damaging.

It is a very British problem. Radiators usually sit under windows, the wall above them is often the only clear space in the room, and a painting there looks natural. The trouble is what the radiator does to the air.

What goes wrong

Heat rising off a radiator dries the painting and its support out, then the room cools and they take on moisture again. Canvas and wood respond to those changes by moving slightly, every day, all winter. Over years that can slacken or tighten a canvas and encourage cracking, especially in thicker, older paint.

The rising air also carries dust. Over time it leaves a grey shadow on the wall above a radiator, and it does the same to the lower edge of a painting. On a canvas with texture, that dust settles into the paint and is hard to remove safely.

Direct warmth is the other issue. A painting that is warm to the touch is in the wrong place. Heat speeds up the ageing of varnish and paint, and conservators warn against hanging paintings near any heat source.

If it has to go there

Hang it as high as the wall sensibly allows. The further the painting is from the heat, the less of it reaches the canvas.

Put a shelf above the radiator. A radiator shelf pushes the warm air out into the room instead of straight up the wall, and it catches some of the dust. It is the single most effective fix.

Turn the radiator down in that room, or fit a thermostatic valve and keep it low. A room that never gets hot is kinder to everything on the walls.

Choose what goes there carefully. A work on a box canvas or board will cope better than a painting on paper, which is much more sensitive to heat and humidity. It is not the place for anything you would be upset to see age.

Better walls to try first

An inside wall, away from radiators, fireplaces and direct sun, is ideal. The wall opposite a window gets good light without the heat. A hallway or landing with steady temperatures often works well too.

Kitchens and bathrooms are harder for different reasons, steam and grease, and fireplaces raise the same heat problem as radiators in a bigger way. Our guide to choosing a painting for your home covers sizing and placement, and hanging an unframed canvas covers fixings for every kind of wall.