This study presents an initial investigation into the surface characteristics of the uppermost paint layer of paintings, i.e., the finished final paint surface. The primary focus is on how to characterize differences in surface morphology between intact and damaged paint in order to understand how small local disruptions (primarily abrasion) at the very surface of otherwise intact paint affect the overall visual impression of a painting. To what extent does surface abrasion or the additive effect of small areas of surface abrasion interfere with our reading of the picture? When viewing a painting, a broad spectrum of the surface phenomena contributes to our perception (natural aging, such as color fading and shifts in color, discolored varnish, cracks, results of restorations, etc.). To better understand this phenomenon, differences between intact and abraded surface areas of the same paint layer were examined using a variety of analytical techniques. Gross abrasion that exposes distinctly different lower paint layers was not considered. A way was sought to record subtle visual differences and to qualify and quantify them, with the goal of using this information in restoration strategies.