How to Pack Fine Art for Moving?

Artwork plays a key role in elevating the value of a space.

Whether you’re a professional art collector or simply enjoy making your home more beautiful, you’ll recognise the need to safeguard them during a move. Knowing how to pack fine art for moving doesn’t have to be complicated. With these straightforward steps, you can ensure that your paintings are in a pristine state when they arrive in their new home.

1. Get the Right-Sized Boxes for Your Artwork 

Before you start packing your paintings, you need to sort them by size and get the right-sized boxes for the frames. Small and medium-sized artwork can be grouped together in most cases. Larger pieces, however, should be packed separately in individual boxes. The boxes should be slightly bigger than the frame size. A professional packing service is the best way to ensure that your artwork stays safe during the move as they’ll have the expertise needed to handle them correctly. 

2. Identify Glass Items 

If your paintings are in frames with glass surfaces, you need to make sure that they’re sealed properly so the glass doesn’t crack and damage the painting whilst in transit. Using masking tape across the glass surface will help, and you can even tape it in the shape of a cross to both seal and identify these paintings. 

3. Wrap Your Paintings

Regardless of whether your paintings have a glass surface, you need to protect the face of the artwork. First, you’ll have to lay wrapping paper on a flat surface and place the painting on top of it. Then, wrap the ends of the paper around the frame and secure it with tape. Make sure you wrap each frame individually in packing paper and repeat the process with bubble wrap so they’re completely secure.  

4. Tighten and Seal Your Packing Boxes 

In addition to packing your frames properly, you need to place them properly in the packing boxes. Test the boxes before loading on the van to see if anything moves. You can secure the boxes with newspaper to ensure that the frames are sealed properly. 

It’s easier if someone holds the box while you place the paintings inside them. If this isn’t possible, you can place the box flat on one side and slide the frames individually. Once they’re packed, seal the box with tape to make sure they’re secure.

5. Put Labels on Packing Boxes 

You should always label your boxes so it’s easy to identify them. The name of the room you’re going to place the painting in and the word ‘fragile’ should suffice. You can also add more detail such as the name of the painting if you’ve got an idea of how you’d like to decorate your new home. The important thing is to label the box on both sides so that it’s visible for all those transporting each item.

6. Load Correctly onto Moving Vans

All your hard work will have been for nought if you don’t load your boxes correctly onto the moving van. A common mistake that people tend to make is to place the paintings flat down. Instead, you should place the frames on their edge and make sure they don’t fall over. Placing heavy objects in between individual artwork boxes will prevent them from toppling over. 

Moving fragile items such as artwork can be daunting. But, in most cases, damage can come from not knowing how to pack fine art properly for a move. These tips will help you ensure that your paintings are protected while being transported to their new home. 

At Bishop’s Move, we have a dedicated team that specialises in moving antiques and fine art. Our professional art handlers will treat your paintings with utmost care so that they arrive damage-free at their destination. Then you can worry about the more important things, like enjoying your new home.