Take it out of the room. A dust sheet protects a collection from drips, but not from the three things that actually do the damage during decorating or renovation: fine dust that gets under any cover, solvent vapour that settles on clear plastic and acrylic, and people carrying ladders past it. Everything below is about doing that move properly - and what to do when moving it is not possible.
What a renovation does to a display
| Hazard | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sanding and plaster dust | Very fine and abrasive. Gets under sheets and into cases, then scratches paint and acrylic when wiped off |
| Paint and solvent vapour | Settles on glazing, clear parts and acrylic panels; trapped inside a closed case, it can leave a haze |
| Drilling and hammering | Vibration walks cars along shelves and can loosen wall fixings nearby |
| People, ladders and furniture | Knocks - the most common way things actually get broken |
| Fresh paint | Still curing after it is dry to the touch; objects pressed against it can stick and pull the paint away |
Before work starts
- Photograph the display as it is. Front-on, per shelf. Putting a collection back exactly as it was is much easier from a photo than from memory, and the same photos double as a record - how to photograph collectibles for records.
- Take wall-mounted cases down. Do not paint around them. A case left on the wall gets knocked by the roller, collects spatter along its top edge, and leaves an unpainted outline behind it.
- Empty every case before moving it. A car loose inside a case being carried becomes a projectile inside its own box.
- Wrap cars individually and pack them snugly in a rigid box - the packing principles are in how to ship a collectible safely.
- Pack before the work begins, not once the room already smells of paint. You do not want to close a box around air full of solvent.
- Label the boxes by shelf. It turns reassembly into unpacking rather than rebuilding.
Where to put it
A room nobody is working in, inside the heated part of the house, off the floor. Not the garage and not the loft - a few weeks of temperature swings and damp can do more harm than the renovation would have. The reasoning is in what to do with collectibles you do not display.
If it has to stay in the room
- Move it to the middle of the room, away from the walls being worked on.
- Use plastic sheeting taped down at the bottom, not a loose fabric dust sheet. Fine dust travels under a draped cover and through fabric.
- Keep cabinet doors closed and tape the seams. A closed cabinet is not dust-tight.
- Leave sealed cases closed until the room has been cleaned - opening one while dust is still settling fills it.
- Ventilate while painting. Windows open, door to the rest of the house closed.
After the work
Clean in the right order
Room first, let the dust settle, clean again, then the outside of the cases, and only then open anything. Wipe cases wet, never dry - renovation dust is exactly the grit that hazes acrylic when dragged across it. Method in how to clean a display case.
Air the room before the cars go back into closed cases
Wait until the paint smell has gone. Solvent vapour sealed into a case with the cars is how clear parts and acrylic panels pick up a haze - covered in keeping an acrylic case from yellowing.
Wait before re-hanging on fresh paint
Dry to the touch is not cured. Follow the full cure guidance on the tin, which is longer than the recoat time.
- Adhesive mounts need fully cured paint. On fresh paint they bond poorly, and when they fail they take the new paint with them. Detail in displaying collectibles without drilling.
- Screw fixings can go back sooner, but avoid pressing a case flat against soft paint - it can stick and lift a patch when the case is next moved.
Use the bare wall
A freshly painted, empty wall is the one moment re-planning a display costs nothing. Check the height - centre the main piece around eye level, roughly 150 cm - move anything that sat in a sun path, and put fixings where they should have been the first time. How to hang it is in how to hang a display case on the wall.
FAQ
Should I remove my collection before painting a room?
Yes, if you can. A dust sheet stops drips but not fine sanding dust, solvent vapour or knocks from ladders. Photograph the display, take wall cases down, empty and pack them before work starts, and store everything in a room that is not being worked on.
Can paint fumes damage diecast cars?
Solvent vapour can settle on clear parts and acrylic, and trapped inside a closed case it can leave a haze. Ventilate while painting and wait until the smell has gone before sealing cars back into cases.
Is covering the display with a sheet enough?
Not for sanding or plaster dust, which gets under a draped fabric cover. If the collection has to stay in the room, move it to the middle and use plastic sheeting taped down at the bottom.
How long before I can re-hang a display case after painting?
Wait for the full cure on the paint tin, not just touch-dry. Adhesive mounts need fully cured paint or they fail and lift it; screw fixings can go back sooner, but do not press a case flat against paint that is still soft.
Where should I store a collection during a renovation?
In a room nobody is working in, inside the heated part of the house and off the floor. Avoid the garage and loft, where weeks of temperature swings and damp can do more harm than the renovation.