Cassidy's Moving and Storage

How to Pack Artwork for Moving

If you happen to be an art lover and the solar day to move your house has come, you volition definitely need to take special care of the important artworks that give character to your home. For some people, ensuring that valuable pieces get in intact without damage is but as of import equally moving all the other furniture.

All of your paintings, prints, statues and even mirrors can be packed in what's called a mirror box or an artwork box. For larger, heavy items yous may demand a wooden crate, equally you'll see below. The smaller items can be packed in China cartons. They accept two layers of paper-thin to keep your artwork rubber.

In principle there are two basic stages to packing artwork: protecting the piece, and padding the box you'll be placing it in.

If you desire to leave protecting your investment to the professional movers, Cassidy's can help with a complimentary quote to get it taken care of!

Artwork Packing Checklist

In order to go your art pieces and framed photos to your new home safely, they will need added protection before going into the moving truck. With the right supplies, nosotros'll pack paintings and framed art properly with the extra protection they need. Hither are some supplies you'll demand to get the job done right.

  • Moving boxes or wooden crates
  • Apartment moving picture box or specialty moving box
  • Styrofoam or Cardboard corner protectors
  • Protective cloth (bubble wrap, packing peanuts,
  • Plastic Wrap
  • Painter'southward Tape
  • Markers & Labelling equipment

Depending on your fine art pieces and style, the items you need may vary but the items above will help get your moving going. Keep reading for our best tips to pack all your framed artwork and wall art.

Moving Framed Artwork and Prints

Investing in a flat moving picture box will help continue your paintings and prints rubber. They will toll more than but are worth information technology. Attempt to find ane that is larger than your artwork by about 3 or four inches on each side. If it'south larger you'll have to utilise more padding materials, and if it'due south smaller y'all won't have plenty room for padding and you run the risk of damage.

Packing Steps

At present it'south time to protect your artwork and pack information technology.

  1. Mark an '10'. If your painting or print has a glass cover, accept some masking tape and place an X across the glass. This will prevent the drinking glass from moving around every bit much if it gets broken. Naturally, if your painting doesn't accept drinking glass or is a piece of canvas art you'll skip this step.
  2. Plastic or palette wrap. If your moving picture isn't covered in glass it is critical to protect the painted face. A great option is to wrap the painting in several layers of plastic wrap from your kitchen. You tin can also buy sheets of palette wrap, which is basically the aforementioned matter. The wrap will stay put and prevent friction damage if the artwork moves a bit inside the box. This is also a great option for glass-covered watercolours and art prints.
  3. Cardboard corners. If the frame of the painting is valuable or unique, you lot may desire to purchase or make cardboard corner protectors for your piece. This volition get over the cling wrap if you practise this footstep and it gives you an extra layer of protection.
  4. Bubble wrap. The next footstep is to provide padding. Several layers of chimera wrap volition piece of work. Be generous, cover both horizontal and vertical dimensions, and seal the bubble wrap with tape. Crumpled newspaper is an eco-friendly culling to chimera wrap, simply is more time-consuming. With a canvas painting, you may want to place a piece of cardboard on the face up of information technology to avoid warping.  Bubble wrap will help you pack artwork similar a professional!
  5. Prepare the bottom of the box. Identify wadded newsprint on the bottom of your box. You can and so put the artwork in the box and tin can work on filling the sides and the top. Your moving box volition demand to be slightly larger than the art piece when you pack pictures to avert breaking the frame.
  6. Examination. Shut the box but don't seal information technology. Gently move the box back and forth and meet if you lot feel the painting inside shifting. If yous do, you need to open the box and add more padding until everything stays put.
  7. Seal and label. Once that is done, you lot can tape the box closed and mark them as "delicate items" and "artwork" and then the movers will know to take extra intendance. Y'all tin can besides purchase rolls of brightly coloured stickers to clearly place your fragile boxes.

If your artworks are valuable, you may want to pack one per box. If it wouldn't be the end of the world if they were damaged, you lot can effort fitting a few in the box. If yous do this ensure in that location is extra bubble wrap between the paintings.

Don't Pack Multiple Artworks In One Box

If possible, try to give each piece its ain box. Smaller photo frames that are the same size and are well protected may exist fine, merely when you pack framed art pieces together, they will typically end up damaging each other. Wall art and framed artwork tin be dissimilar sizes with fragile pieces and in the moving truck, i crash-land can brand all the departure!

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Packing Sculptures

Protection

The challenge with any sculpture large or small is that any parts that extend or holes are vulnerable. If you imagine a sculpture of a swan, for example, the neck and head are vulnerable to existence snapped off.

  • To fix this, you'll demand to first cover the sculpture in cling wrap to protect the finish. Utilise smaller pieces and arrive and around all the nooks and crannies to provide support.
  • Then you'll be rolling up strips of chimera wrap and wrapping them around the vulnerable parts of the sculpture.
  • Once yous've congenital up the fragile areas, utilize more bubble wrap to wrap the entire sculpture. Yous should end up with a sphere or egg shape that you tin identify inside a box, and brace with padding.

Every bit with paintings, you'll need to pad the box and test it, as outlined above.

Larger Sculptures

If you have a sculpture that is a few feet tall and has the weight to match, you lot have a bigger challenge on your hands.

Figure out the judge weight of the item will assistance y'all determine how to handle this, and whether yous need a wooden crate or if a cardboard box volition do. Nigh single-walled boxes volition be able to hold upwardly to 40 pounds or and so during moving, so if your weight exceeds that you will need a forest crate instead.

A lot of modern sculptures are made from plaster moulds, which means they're hollow and their weight is not all that bad. If that is the case, you can piece of work with a single adept-sized paper-thin box with sufficient padding, but you demand to exist certain nearly its strength during moving.

The safest and sturdiest way you can take care of larger items is to use wood crates. Yous can buy these online or even at a shipping supplier.

Wood crates are not simply a heavy-duty solution for shipping valuable items, they're very noticeable in a sea of cardboard boxes. That means they're less likely to get dropped, flipped or damaged. If they go mishandled, they will also be a lot more than probable to survive the moving process also.

Insurance

If your artwork is very valuable, enquire your mover nigh extra insurance. Make sure it'south on a value basis and non with the usual weight-based insurance.

Make no mistake, packing artwork is a delicate and important job. If y'all care nigh your fine art and are unable to accept advisable care, information technology's best left to professional movers who have experience with the artwork.

Natalie Miller is an art enthusiast, who profoundly values beautiful displays of artwork. She's practiced in preserving valuable paintings and statues during difficult to manage removal operations. She loves sharing tips and tricks on keeping items safe during house moves.

Hire Professional Movers

Whether you're looking for total packing services, local moving or long-distance moving, Cassidy's is here to serve the people of Ottawa. Nosotros have experienced movers who accept proper preparation and knowledge about moving homes in an efficient and safe manner. Get your artwork moved with Cassidy's today!

Request A QUOTE FOR MOVING YOUR ARTWORK

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