Artwork Transport Guide

moving-artworkArtwork comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, making it hard to move them without damage – unless they are packed and transported properly.

Packing artwork for a move is something of an art itself, so if you’re going to move with your favourite paintings, sculptures or decorations here’s what you’re going to need to do to keep those cracks, dents and scratches at bay.

Learn how to move paintings and artwork in this helpful art transport guide

Step 1: Art Packing Materials

It is critical to have the proper packing tools before beginning to transfer your artwork or framed goods to ensure that they will be protected throughout shipping. Here’s a list of things you’re going to need when packing artwork for a move.  

packing-materials

 

As well as the items above, there’s another essential thing you’ll need when moving art: Time. Packing up artwork for a move will take a little more care and nuance than if you were boxing up a bunch of books or clothes.

By taking the extra time to pack your artwork properly, you’ll stand the best chance of them reaching the other side untouched.

masking tape cardboard boxStep 2 :X Marks the Glass.

Take some masking tape and make an X over the glass cover of your painting or poster.

If the glass breaks, this will keep the pieces from moving around. If your artwork doesn’t have a glass cover, you can skip this step.  

 

plastic-wrapStep Three: Plastic Wrap.

It’s important to safeguard the painted surface if your painting isn’t protected by glass.

Wrapping the artwork in numerous layers of plastic wrap from your kitchen is an excellent alternative.

If the artwork moves around inside the box, the wrap will stay in place and avoid friction damage. This will also work for glass-covered watercolours and art prints.

 

Step Four: Corner Protection.

If the painting’s frame is costly or fragile, you should buy or build cardboard corner guards for it.

You can put these over the clingfilm covering which will also help to keep it in place.

Step Five: Bubble wrap.

bubble-wrap

Next up comes most of the padding. Multiple layers of bubble wrap will be necessary, so be liberal with the bubble wrap, covering both the horizontal and vertical dimensions and securing it with tape.

Crumpled newspaper is a more time-consuming but environmentally beneficial alternative to bubble wrap. 

Don’t forget the bottom of the box. Cover the bottom of your box with crumpled-up newspaper. After that, you can put the artwork in the box and begin filling the sides and top with the extra padding. 

Test out the packing. Close but do not seal the box. Gently shake the box back and forth to observe whether the artwork within moves. If this is the case, you should open the box and apply extra padding until everything is secure.

Close up and label. After that, tape the box shut and label it “fragile objects” and “artwork” so the movers know to take additional precautions. You can also buy rolls of brightly coloured stickers to label your delicate goods.

Important: avoid packing multiple pieces in one box.

Try to give each component its own packaging if at all feasible. Smaller photo frames that are the same size and adequately maintained may be alright, but if you bundle framed art pieces together, they are likely to damage each other.

With fragile pieces, wall art and framed artwork might be different sizes, and one bump might be all it takes for them to bash together.

Moving Small Sculptures

The challenge with sculptures is that they are often different shapes, meaning there is no one-size-fits-all approach. If you imagine a sculpture of a person, for example, the arms, legs and head can easily break off if not handled properly.

Bathroom Interior With Golden Buddha Sculpture And Modern White

Moving Large Sculptures

If you’re working with a sculpture that’s a few feet tall and weighs a lot, you’re in for a little more work.

large-elephant-sculpture

How to Move Prints and Framed Artwork

Purchasing a flat picture box can assist to protect your paintings and prints. While they will be more expensive than typical boxes, the protection they give will be well worth it.

We recommend getting one that has a few inches of space on each side to allow padding materials to fit

Move Your Artwork with Professional Movers

ZOOM Removals GuaranteeThe best thing you can do when moving art is to work with experienced movers like ZOOM.

Our team has years of experience in moving all kinds of cargo, including fragile and difficult items such as artwork.

As well as providing you with the packing materials you need, they can help you with art packing and labelling too.

Our moving trucks are also fitted with protective measures to ensure that all cargo is secured in place during the move and will arrive in perfect condition.

Artwork Packaging Boxes

When you move with ZOOM Removalists Sydney, take advantage of our free moving boxes

Read more

In A Hurry? Leave Your Number

Get Unlimited FREE Boxes

Learn more
It appears you're using an old version of Internet Explorer for safer and optimum browsing experience please upgrade your browser.