getting back painted over marks

jsbujtor

How can I door frame pen and pencil growth chart height marks that were painted over. The Painter, despite strict instructions, painted right over it by the time I got home. Three days later, the paint company said there's no way to remove only that layer of paint and keep the pen and pencil marks.

It's been months now as we were away. Now the Benjamin Moore white gloss painted door frame is fully hardened and I'm hoping someone has figured out how to see those marks again! Got marks beneath it from when the kids were 2 years old all the way up till 14 on there.

Could there be a special light, like infrared or xray that could see though the paint to the height marks? Appreciate any tips. Thanks, Jim and Alaina

sdsester

This is so sad! My first suggestion would be to explore the art restoration world and see if you can find a sympathetic person to help guide you. Your nearest art museum or university would be possible starting points. Non-destructive testing and imaging methods might also work so explore those too. I know they make infrared detectors that can see cracks through paint on aircraft. Whether or not they could detect graphite marks I do not know. Don't hold me to this but I believe the art restoration folks at Harvard were working on "bugs" that would only eat certain layers of paint and varnish without damaging layers underneath. They were being used to clean paintings and furniture, layer by layer, as I remember. Good luck!

jsbujtor

Thanks for the advice. I'll see if I can locate someone with an infrared light.

sdsester

I suspect the infrared detector is more than a light but I do not know. Hope you have some museum, university or other such resources near you. This might be an interesting project for someone and the PR value could be great. Start with the public relations offices if you have trouble navigating the places.