Colloids and Material Science are nowadays providing innovative and effective technological solutions in a wide range of applicative fields. In the last decade, nanomaterials have been specifically designed to ensure the long-term restoration and preservation of movable and immovable artworks. The main tasks to address by conservation scientists concern the cleaning, the deacidification and the consolidation of different kinds of artistic substrates. The aim of the present contribution is to provide an up-to-date overview on the synthesis and preparation of colloidal systems tailored to the consolidation and protection of wall paintings, plasters and stones, highlighting the most recent improvements. Two case studies, widely representative of typical consolidation problems, are presented, i.e. the preservation of wall paintings belonging to a Mesoamerican archeological site and the consolidation of two Italian Renaissance buildings. (c) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.