How to Pack Paintings for Moving Across the Country

How Do You Pack Pictures and Paintings for Moving

Whether you have oil on canvases, framed photos or glass covered aquarels, your artwork collection has monetary, as well as sentimental value. Even if you are moving to a smaller home, your collection will find its place. The basic principles you should go by when packaging fragile items, is to protect the item itself and pad the box.

How Do You Pack up Artwork Tips

If you’re wondering how do you pack oil paintings, the first step is to get packing materials for moving. Parchment paper and painter’s tape, along with cardboard packages and bubble wrap, will secure your valuable pieces, whether they have a glass surface or heavy antique frames. Even better, you can easily find cheap moving supplies.

When wondering how to pack art for moving, parchment paper is the easy answer. It will help you protect your canvas, as it won’t stick and risk damaging its surface. It also helps protect your arts from any water or oil. When it comes to the painter’s tape, it is far better to use while storing your arts, than plain tape, because it doesn’t leave any residue that is impossible to remove from a canvas.

Choose the Surface for Packing and Bring Bubble Wrap to the Rescue

No, you can’t just lay your paintings anywhere and begin packing. You need to choose a flat surface that you can find in your home, that is wide enough to lay them facing down, such as a large table or floor. Bubble wrap is the material that will come to the rescue in this stage. Pad the surface with some bubble wrap, or a blanket.

Place the parchment paper over it. It should be big enough to cover the whole painting with it, just like a birthday present. Then, use the bubble wrap and cover front and back, and seal the ends with tape. If you were worrying on how do you pack a canvas painting, this is the right way to protect its surface from scratching, as bubble wrap also protects items from shock and vibration.

How to Pack Paintings With Glass Surfaces and Frames

If your canvases are protected by glass, or you have lots of framed photos, the best thing you can do is to use the painter’s tape and make an X on the glass surface. It will give some protection from breakage, and more importantly, keep the glass from shattering if it cracks. And if you make a mistake of using sticky tape for that, you better find some tutorial on how to remove tape residue.

Know How to Pack Framed Art for Moving – Protect Those Corners

Some of the art pieces are probably framed, and you’ll need some extra protection. You shouldn’t worry about chipped corners of your framed art, if you’ve protected them by using a simple solution – cardboard and tape. It’s a necessary step if your frame is valuable and you don’t want it to get damaged.

Cardboard Boxes are a Simple Solution

After applying cardboard and tape to the corners on an art piece, let’s see how to pack framed pictures for moving. Framed canvases and those without frames should each go into separate boxes. Always choose a box that is a bit bigger than the artwork itself. After you’ve protected the piece, put it in a padded box and fill all the gaps with packing paper, bubble wrap, or foam.

Before taping the box closed, you should wiggle it a bit and see if it feels like it’s shifting inside. If you feel it shifting, that also means it could damage during transport, so you should add some more cushioning to fill in the box. Remember, cross-country moving is a bumpy ride, and making packages secure will help you have a stress-free moving experience.

Everything Is Easier With Labeling

Labeling is one of those easy tricks that help you a lot when getting organized to move. Label all the boxes with fine art as fragile, so you or your long-distance movers can take extra care when handling them. Include them also in your household inventory list. They will make sure nothing is placed upon fragile items so they won’t get crushed.

One more step when it comes to labeling the boxes is to put some description of the art item inside, and the room you’ll be hanging the paintings in.

Things to Avoid When Packing a Picture

Moving out for the first time can also mean making some packing mistakes. Here are some things you should try to avoid when relocating artwork:

• You should avoid packing a canvas together with other pieces. Do this only if it’s smaller art items you’re boxing up, and put some padding between each item.
• When loading those artwork boxes into the truck, always avoid laying them flat. Try to put them somewhere where they’ll be surrounded by mattresses, or large furniture that won’t shift during the ride.

Consider Hiring Cross Country Moving Company to Help You Pack Up Pictures

Packing up pictures, especially valuable family photos or delicate artwork, can be more challenging than it seems. Framed pictures, in particular, are fragile and prone to damage during long-distance moves if not packed properly. Hiring a professional cross-country moving company can alleviate the stress of protecting these cherished memories.

Companies like East Coast West Coast Movers have the expertise and materials needed to carefully pack and secure your pictures, ensuring that frames, glass, and artwork remain intact throughout the journey. They use custom padding, specialty boxes, and techniques designed to minimize any risk of damage during transit, giving you peace of mind.

In addition to ensuring the safety of your items, professional movers can also save you time and energy by managing this meticulous task. Rather than spending hours carefully wrapping each frame and worrying about whether they will survive the move, you can focus on other aspects of your relocation.

For example, East Coast West Coast Movers are a one-stop shop for all of your relocation needs. No matter if you need professional packing assistance, or even a car shipping service, we got you covered. Our team also offers 30 days of free storage units, which come with insurance. Give us a call when you decide to relocate, and we’ll make the whole process quick and easy.

Or You Can Leave It to the Professionals – Use Cross Country Moving Services

Perhaps you are an art enthusiast and want to know also how to package sculptures. With this guide, you’ve learned how to take good care of your artwork collection for relocation, and that can be applied to other valuable breakables. We know it is a lot to handle. So, if you still think you can’t manage packaging those valuable items on your own, you should cross-country movers and ask for packing services.

A reliable long-distance moving company, such as East Coast West Coast Movers, can transport everything intact. Just know that packaging and relocation always require great effort. So call our professional East Coast movers and book your long-distance moving services. Sit back and relax, and let the long-distance moving of your collection go smoothly.