In most cases, small- and medium-sized artwork can be grouped and packed together.
You’ll need a box that is bigger than the picture and frame.
You will use the cardboard to “build” a custom box so you might safely transport the artwork.
The Spruce / Michele Lee
This will stop the glass from totally shattering or moving around too much if it breaks.
Lay the frame glass side down against the paper.
Wrap the ends of the paper around the frame, just like a present.
The Spruce / Michele Lee
Never wrap artwork or frames in the newspaper.
While it works well for padding, newsprint can leave marks on the artwork.
Wrap the packing tape all the way around the frame both lengthwise and widthwise.
The Spruce / Michele Lee
This will ensure the paper stays in place during the move.
Repeat the process with bubble wrap.
You want to ensure the glass doesn’t break during the move.
The Spruce / Michele Lee
Test Movement
Before you seal up the box, test it for movement.
Gently exit the box and wiggle it a bit to see if anything feels like it’s shifting.
Add crumpled newspaper to pad the artwork if it feels like the frames are going to move around.
The Spruce / Michele Lee
Stand the box on the sealed end and gently slide the wrapped frame into the box.
The picture will absorb pressure easier if it’s standing on its edge than if it’s flat.
Pack pictures on their edges and in a place where they won’t fall over.
The Spruce / Michele Lee
Wedge them between heavy objects that will not shift during the move.
Materials should allow air to circulate while at the same time protecting pieces.
Pack canvas art that is not on a stretcher by rolling it updo not fold it.
The Spruce / Michele Lee
But it has to be completely dry and it can’t be rolled too tightly.
Loosely roll the canvas so the painting or print is on the outside, not the inside.
Put the artwork in a tube that’s larger than the canvas.
The Spruce / Michele Lee
Avoid bubble wrapping the canvas which can cause a humid environment inside a tube.
Then put that tube inside a larger tube.
It’s literally an art to know how to store unframed paintings so they stay undamaged.
The Spruce / Michele Lee
Transport unframed paintings using the correct interleaf barrier, which is a material that separates the paintings.
Use acid-free rigid dividers and cushioning or padding along with interleaf barriers to keep the artwork from being jostled.
Pack artwork for moving vertically, as you wouldhardcover books, in a heavy-duty, acid-free cardboard box.
