Saving damaged items from becoming total losses
The biggest challenge when restoring electronics and art is the misconception of what can be saved after an incident.
Whether it is a fire, flood or another event that caused property damage, artwork is often overlooked or an afterthought, according to Tim Swett, president and owner of Art Recovery Technologies (ART) of Tampa and Orlando in Florida, who says the biggest challenge facing art restoration services is a lack of awareness.
“When I’m talking to someone, the common response is ‘we don’t see much artwork,’” Swett says. “That’s funny to me because I see artwork everywhere. It might be a painting, work on paper, something original, a limited-edition print, glass art, a sculpture or taxidermy. A lot of people collect pretty extensively.”
A reoccurring discussion he has with people is what they do when they find artwork on the walls. Many simply throw it away and include it in the claim.
“It could just be something a family member made. How do you put a value on that? It might not be museum quality, but it is meaningful to the person who owns it,” Swett explains. “The contractors do a great job making it a beautiful house again, but the blank walls continue the loss. We can restore a customer’s sense of home.”
When it comes to claims involving art, fire and smoke are typically at hand despite water claims being more common.
“A lot of times, water doesn’t affect the art. Where we do get involved is when a property has sat for a while after a water issue, and it becomes a mold and mildew loss,” he says.
Although a piece of work might be considered a loss, the ability to clean and restore a piece of art ranges from dry-cleaning to bleaching processes, depending on the type of damage and piece of work to full-frame restoration. Even torn canvas can be saved, according to Swett, who says: “If it is an old canvas, we can put a new piece on the back and inpainting if necessary. It is pretty fulfilling to watch the artist I hire put those skills to use.”
He does note the inpainting process uses an isolation layer, so it is reversible.
Restore vs. replace
More pertinent to insurance professionals, restoration jobs start with detailed itemizing of the objects, and the costs to clean and restore.
“We typically have a quote back within 24 hours of a walk-through, so very quickly, an adjuster will know the costs, and if they should go through with restoring versus replacing an item,” Swett says.
Similar to ART, sibling company ERS of Suncoast Florida can help adjusters quickly sort through what is restorable and what should be replaced when it comes to damaged electronics. An adjuster can have an estimate within 48 hours.
“They are able to cut checks and get the contents portion of a claim off their desk faster,” says Bryan Cash, part-owner of ERS and TEX of Suncoast Florida.
He adds that while most of the company’s work concerns claims from fire and smoke damage, the water and mold area is perhaps the biggest missed opportunity for adjusters when it comes to restoration services.
“Our biggest competition is mainly dumpsters. Either there are misconceptions about electronics and water or soot, or they just don’t know what can be done,” Cash says.
Another issue impacting the potential for electronic restoration is “tunnel vision” on the part of dry-out companies called in to handle a water claim.
“They are just there to do the dry out; they don’t do the build back. That is why it is important for adjusters and carriers to ask the insured, ‘are there electronics or textiles affected, and do we need to send an expert out,’” he explains. “It is a missed opportunity there.”
Unlike electronics and art, textiles restoration is a more established sector, according to Cash, who adds: “A lot more people are educated on the necessity of textile restoration.”
He notes there is no one size fits all, do everything washing machine out there. This rings particularly true when dealing with items such as rugs, which can be expensive and more cost-effective to clean.
“Different pieces need to be handled differently. There are different methods and processes depending on the material and dyes used,” he says. “Anything that can be treated in bulk laundry, we will go that route. If it calls for a specific treatment, whether dry cleaning or hand cleaning, we’ll do that.”
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