Art is a valuable possession, both financially and sentimentally. In addition, framed artwork is both large and unwieldy to carry, and fairly fragile as well. Therefore, when moving homes, you need to ensure that your artwork is properly packed so that it does not become damaged while in transit. You can always talk to a residential moving company to help you transport your valuable art, but thankfully, you can accomplish this yourself by using a few simple packing supplies and the right packing techniques.
What You'll Need
You'll need a roll of painter's tape, a roll of bubble wrap or packing blankets, and several sturdy boxes that are large enough to snugly fit each individually framed piece of art. All of these items can be found at most moving and storage supply stores if you don't already own them.
Packing Framed Artwork
The first thing that you should do is secure the glass. This is because the glass is the most likely part of your framed art to break, and glass shards can quickly shred the canvas of the art itself. In order to hold the glass together even if it breaks apart, you should use the painter's tape to create a grid over the surface of the glass. Avoid using any other types of tape, as they can leave residue on the glass of the frame.
Next, you should wrap the entire frame in bubble wrap or a packing blanket. This will help cushion any physical damage that your artwork may experience while in transit. Be sure to secure the padding with additional painter's tape so that it will not unexpectedly slip off.
Then, you should put the wrapped frame into a box to make the moving process easier. Make sure that the box is completely filled, with no room for the picture and frame inside to shift, and add more padding as needed. You'll want to mark the box as fragile and detail the contents to ensure that it is handled with care (and to make the unpacking process a little easier).
Once you've fully packed up your artwork, you'll want to put it into the truck in a specific location where it is unable to shift around and where it is unlikely for anything to fall on it. Avoid stacking anything on top of your packed picture frames, no matter how much padding you've put into the box. Standing your artwork up, usually stacked next to large objects (like mattresses or desks) that can hold it in place, is the best way to transport your art.
