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How to Keep Your Artwork Safe During a Move

websitebuilder • July 1, 2018

Packaging Tape Inside the Box — Redondo Beach, CA — Redondo Van & Storage

Whether you need to move a large collection of artwork or just a few prized pieces, you may fear that they will become damaged during the moving process. It would be disheartening to open a moving box that contains damaged artwork, especially if you own any one-of-a-kind paintings that are irreplaceable.

Luckily, when you take the right steps to package your artwork properly, you can look forward to it staying in great shape during the moving process. Read on to learn the steps to packing your artwork before moving to protect it from damage and how to prevent damage in the moving truck.

1. Protect Glass From Breakage

If you have artwork covered with glass, then of course, you need to take steps to keep the glass from breaking during transport. The first step is to cover the glass with painters tape. Painters tape will help protect the glass from breakage and, if the glass does break, it will hold the broken pieces of glass together so their sharp edges do not pierce your painting.

Do not use masking tape to perform this step. Painters tape has less adhesive on it that is less likely to remain on the glass after you remove the tape.

2. Cover Each Painting With a Layer of Glassine

Glassine is a special type of craft paper that can protect your paintings from grease, water, and even oil. Covering your paintings with a thick layer of glassine will protect them from many types of damage during shipping. If you prefer, you can cover your paintings with acid-free tissue paper instead, although it will not protect your paintings as well as glassine will.

3. Cover Each Painting with Palette Wrap

Next, wrap each painting very snugly with palette wrap, which is plastic wrap that is wound in a large roll and equipped with handles to make wrapping items easier. Palette wrap will protect your paintings from scratches and moisture damage. Wrap several layers of this plastic wrap around each painting to provide superior protection.

4. Place Artwork Between Two Layers of Cardboard

While your artwork will later be boxed, placing one layer of cardboard on each side of your paintings will further protect them from damage that could occur during the moving process. Cut cardboard pieces just a bit wider and taller than your paintings and tape them together with painters tape after placing them on your paintings.

5. Cover Paintings in Bubble Wrap

Once your paintings are covered in cardboard, the next step is to wrap them in bubble wrap. This will not only protect them against punctures and other types of damage that could occur if something heavy in the moving truck bumps into their boxes but also against fluctuations in temperature since the air in bubble wrap acts as insulation.

6. Pack Your Paintings in the Right Boxes

You don't want to choose just any old box to place your artwork in when packing it. You should pack artwork in mirror boxes, also called picture boxes. Unlike typical boxes, each mirror box set comes with four separate sections of cardboard. Each section is slid over one corner of your painting, protecting the corners of your painting from damage.

These boxes are also designed to hug your artwork securely, minimizing shifting during the moving process that could damage the pieces.

7. Pad Box Interiors

While your mirror boxes should fit snugly over your paintings, make sure you fill up any extra space with tissue paper or bubble wrap. The extra padding will keep paintings from shifting in their boxes during the moving process.

8. Seal Boxes with Strong Packing Tape

No matter how well you prepare your paintings for placement in their boxes, your paintings could become damaged if the packing tape you use breaks during transit and allows your painting and packing materials to spill out. Choose high-quality packing tape to secure your boxes with.

In addition, be sure to write the words "fragile" and "artwork" on the box of each piece of artwork, so anyone handling the boxes knows to handle them with care.

9. Place Boxes Upright Near the Moving Truck Floor

It is important to pack your paintings into the moving truck in an upright position, resting on the edges of their boxes. If you lay them flat, then any object in the truck that falls on them can easily damage not just one painting but potentially an entire stack of them.

If an object falls on the boxes when they are standing upright, the frames will protect the paintings from damage. Frames can typically be replaced much more easily and affordably than the artwork inside of them. In addition, be sure your art collection is placed near the bottom of the moving truck. Since heat rises, your artwork will have less of a chance of being damaged by heat.

Finally, choose a trustworthy moving company when transporting an art collection. Contact Redondo Van & Storage for all of your moving needs.

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