Packing art is always a tricky subject, but packing paintings for moving comes with its own hazards. For example, if you are moving framed art, you need to protect not only the painting itself but also the glass cover to ensure it won’t break in transit and damage the surface of the artwork. Overall, whether it is a tiny painting or a large wall-size mural, the art packing process requires the utmost care and scrupulous attention to detail. Read on some handy tips on how to pack paintings for their safe relocation.

Tips on packing paintings for moving

1. Create an ‘X’ mark on the glass

If your painting is covered with glass, create an ‘X’ mark on the glass using artist or painters tape. In that way, you will prevent the glass from getting broken during the move. If your painting is not covered with glass, just skip to the next tip.

2. Wrap the painting in glassine paper

If you are moving an unframed artwork, it is extremely important to protect the painted surface. When packing paintings for moving, you need to carefully cover each piece with glassine paper or another archival-quality acid-free paper. Such wrapping will protect your artwork against moisture and dust. Secure the paper with artist tape.

3. Protect the corners

Use cardboard corner protectors to protect the corners of framed- and unframed mounted art, especially  if you are moving a painting with a particularly valuable or unique frame. Secure all four corners with artist tape to provide your precious painting with additional protection during transportation.

4. Wrap the painting in bubble wrap

Bubble wrap is known to be one of the best and most reliable packaging materials used for packing paintings for moving. Not only does it properly protect artworks from dust and moisture, but it effectively prevents particularly fragile items from potential mechanical damage. Wrap each piece individually in several layers of bubble wrap.

5. Choose a cardboard box of the right size

You need to choose the moving box of the right size. It should not be too small or tight for the artwork, as well as it should not be too big to avoid shifting of your painting inside the box. It is highly recommended that you pack each artwork in a separate box. Keep in mind that you may also need professional art crating services for your most valuable and fragile items. Once you are done with packing paintings for moving, tape the boxes shut and mark them as “fragile” and “art” so that the movers know to handle them with extra care.

Ask for help

If you do not know how to pack paintings properly and do not want to cause a great deal of harm to them, entrust this job to a reputable art moving company. Professional art movers provide expert art shipping and packaging services for any kind of art, serving artists, galleries, museums, auction houses, and collectors on a daily basis.

Art packing is both science and art. So, whether it will lead to an impressive victory or a dramatic loss ultimately depends on you.

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