Effective ways to prepare artwork for moving

Moving is never a stress-free process and moving artwork is all the less so. Art is very fragile, and in order to prepare artwork for moving, you will have to pay more care than you might expect. But don’t worry! There’s always a solution and we at Movage Moving + Storage are here to present it. Just by following some easy steps and putting in a little time and effort, all your beloved artwork will have a safe trip to your new home.

1. Proper packing materials

When you prepare artwork for moving, you have to be careful to not damage it. Art is not a cheap investment and you surely want to keep it completely intact. It’s in your best interest to acquire all the proper packing and moving materials. For some, there are alternative options, but we always suggest just going by the list.

• bubble wrap
• packing tape
• cardboard boxes, or even wooden crates if you want to be extra careful
• wax paper
• masking tape
• markers or pens
• glassine paper or mailing tubes if necessary

Be sure that you set aside enough time for packing your artwork. It might not seem like a lot of work, but it is meticulous and should be done carefully and slowly.

2. Preparing the art for moving

You’re all set to begin wrapping your art. First, you must check which artwork should be transported in which way. If your art doesn’t have a glass cover, you should consider glassine paper. Glassine paper will protect your artwork and you can find it in almost every art store. If you have a piece of artwork that can be rolled, and rolling it might ensure its safety, you should consider mailing tubes.

Now let’s talk about the most common type of artwork that needs transport: Framed paintings.

Step 1

First and foremost, you have to get boxes of appropriate sizes for your artwork. You can buy them in bulk, but you could also request a local shop to give them to you if they were planning on throwing them away anyways.

It’s not significantly cost-effective, but it is a good way of reducing your waste. Be careful to pack each artwork individually so that they don’t damage each other!

Step 2

As already mentioned, if your artwork doesn’t have a glass cover, you should wrap it in glassine paper. But if it does have a glass cover, it’s in your interest that this glass doesn’t break into a million pieces. This is where the masking tape comes in. Using masking tape, be sure to make an X over the glass cover. This will secure the glass and even if the glass breaks, it will stay in one place and not make a huge mess.

Step 3

Now it’s time for wrapping! Be sure to wrap each and every piece of artwork in at least two layers of bubble wrap. Again, if they do not have a glass cover, this will be two layers of glassine paper or wax paper. Note: Don’t wrap your artwork in a newspaper, the newspaper has a high chance of damaging your art!

If after this step you are still worried about your art and want to protect it, even more, you can purchase specialized cardboard or Styrofoam corner protectors.

Step 4

Place your wrapped art in boxes of appropriate size. When you prepare artwork for moving, and later on in the move itself, it’s crucial to place artwork in boxes that are a very similar size to the artwork. If the box is too big, during transportation the artwork might be tossed around and even damaged.

Step 5

Remember to properly label the boxes! Write down which piece of art it is, and also “Fragile” so as to notify the moving company or yourself during transport. This can be a make-or-break situation, so be sure to not forget.

3. Moving the art

It’s time to pick a transport method! Your house moving company can be a good choice, but there are solutions such as art movers NYC, which specialize in moving artwork safely. They are specially trained for this kind of work and are a team you can depend on. Some art requires special care and special transport, so if you have a very expensive piece or a very sentimental one, you should always leave it to the professionals.

There is always the option of you moving your art by yourself and this option might be the most cost-effective. But we would just like to warn you that there is a higher chance of the art being damaged if someone with little experience is moving it.

With services such as climate-controlled NJ, you can keep your bigger pieces of art, or just ones that aren’t suited for your new home in a safe environment. For pieces of art, it is crucial that they are kept in places where temperatures range between 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit (21-24 degrees Celsius). This can also be achieved with a humidifier at home. Severe climates can cause yellowing of paper, cracked paint, and mold growth.

4. A few more tips for along the way

Anyone who owns art knows how big of an investment it can be. Some artworks retail for up to a few thousand dollars. It might be wise to ensure some of your more expensive artwork, and take pictures of it before the move. This way you can tell if anything happened to it, and you’re also insured if something does.

If you don’t plan on hiring professionals, just be extra careful. We would advise moving only the secure artworks at once and then later other things, so as to give them space and so that nothing squishes them.

You will see that putting in some extra effort and going the long mile to prepare artwork for moving will pay off immensely once you decorate your new home with some beautiful pieces of art!