Moving into your new home is an exciting thing, but the transport of your belongings can be a really delicate process that requires a lot of work and attention, so you can receive them completely, without any damage.
All these things can become even more complicated if you have artwork to move. These pieces of art can be worth thousands or millions of dollars, and you surely don’t want someone to drop them by accident.
Moving companies sometimes want to pack all the things up, without ensuring everything is fine, so people end up with damaged belongings, and forever lost pieces of art, that they were collecting for years.
One of the best ways to be sure is to hire a service that is specialized in this, like Convelio, so they can pack all the artwork properly, move it to their vehicles, and ship it to you. They will also take care of packing it up and keeping the arts in proper condition. Also, accidents can happen all the time, but it’s always good to make sure you did everything in your power, instead of asking yourself could you do it better?
But, if you are sure you can do it all by yourself, we are here to suggest some tips and tricks on how to keep the artwork safe and secure, and transport it to your new home:
Table of Contents
1. Choose proper boxes
Source: unsplash.com
It’s pretty difficult to choose the exact size of a box when you need to pack your artwork, but it’s one of the key steps you need to take is to measure the paintings and statues properly, and have the right dimensions of the box. Also, there are special artwork boxes that are usually padded, so they can secure the item inside, and prevent sliding and moving. It’s always better to buy more of them, instead of not having enough boxes to pack your things up.
2. Always use plastic wrap to cover the artwork
Plastic wrap can help you prevent dust and scratches on the surface. Make sure you don’t put the paint or the statue inside the box without at least covering it with a piece of textile, or even better, plastic wrap. It will protect it from dust and other particles that may disrupt the balance on the surface, and cause scratches and other damages caused by the transport.
3. Don’t forget about the bubble wrap
Source: unsplash.com
No matter how comforting the bubble wrap is for us, it has a very different purpose. The air bubbles are there to create enough cushioning around the packed items. The air will help bypass the hits during the transport, without letting any damage be caused. Apply a few layers of bubble wrap around your items before you pack them, and you can make sure additional padding is there, to protect them.
4. Cover the paintings with glassine
Glassine is a type of paper that will protect your paintings from oils, water, moisture, and grease. You should do that before you cover it completely with foils and boxes. This will serve as a tissue between the colors and the packing surfaces, and prevent any potential damage during the transport.
5. Seal and label every box
Source: unsplash.com
The boxes must be sealed, even if that means you need to add more wrap around the box. Use duct tape to ensure it is sealed completely. Don’t forget to label every box with your name and address. Also, always make sure you label it as a fragile item, and that it requires additional attention when packed and transported. Use strong tape to seal, and also, add a label that says “artwork”, so the people can know how to handle the package.
6. Be very careful with the statues
Smaller ones are easier to pack, and you probably won’t have trouble packing them up in smaller boxes and using every type of padding possible. But, packing and transporting the big ones can really be a problem. It requires extra skills and attention. What you can do is wrap it up completely. If you are not sure, you can hire someone from the gallery or the museum, so they can provide the best conditions when protecting the statue. Also, the statues often come with small details, and you have to make sure everything is properly protected.
7. Always monitor the transport process
Source: unsplash.com
You can’t leave all the things to the people who work for artwork transport companies. You have to monitor the whole process, so you can be sure they are handling the items properly. Don’t leave the workers unattended, and of course, try to help them by giving strict instructions on how to place the items in the vehicle, and which ones are priority through the whole process.
How to find a reliable company?
Today, it’s pretty easy to locate one of them and ask for a quote. Also, the internet is letting us check their previous work and qualifications, so we can know we are hiring the best ones around.
Use it to search for the potential companies you can hire, or you can ask your friends who did something like that previously. It’s not a tragedy for an artwork to be damaged, as long as you and your family are alive and healthy, but we know how much do you appreciate your collection and that you will do anything to protect it.
Conclusion
Finding a good company to work with is the first step you need to take, so you can organize the whole process. Packing is not simple, because you need to use enough wraps, padding, and duct tape to seal the packages. If someone else is doing that for you, be there and watch the whole process, and note them if some piece of art is different than the others, so they can handle it with more attention.
We hope that this article was helpful enough and that you will enjoy your new home with all that artwork you own and appreciate.
