If the time to move has come you need to know how to take special care about your art collection. If you are an art lover taking care of your artwork is one of the most important things. The art you have gives life to your current home, and it will surely do the same in your new one. To tackle the problem of moving artwork, we have created this article so you know how to properly pack and move your art collection. So, without any further ado, let’s dive in!
Pack and move your art collection
In order to properly pack and move your art collection, you need to be properly organized. Proper organization is vital to everything in life and that applies to moving your art collection as well! The best way to create good organization is by making a moving checklist. A checklist should contain everything from calling your local movers Los Angeles, to waving them goodbye and unpacking. Every single step you plan on taking during your move should be listed on your checklist. One of the first steps is getting the proper packing materials.
Getting the proper packing materials
When you want to move your art collection you can never be too safe. You want the best packing material there is and it would be wise if you are financially able to hire special packing services. Professional packers have handled art moves a lot of times and that gives them the expertise you can trust when moving your artwork. If you do not have enough money to get professional packers, then you need to take things into your own hands.
Go to your local hardware store and get as many boxes as you have art pieces. There are specialized artwork boxes, also called the mirror boxes. If you have sculptures or large paintings, you may be inclined to look online for wooden crates. In addition, you should get air-filled wrap, and enough packing paper and packing tape. If you have big sculptures, make sure that you have a furniture dolly, so you can get the crate to the moving truck with ease.
Another thing to consider is getting different sized boxes. Your art probably consists of all shapes and sizes and you want to accommodate each piece accordingly. Another benefit of getting different sized boxes is that the furniture delivery service Los Angeles will be able to efficiently pack the art inside the moving truck. They will be able to put the heavier and bulkier stuff on the bottom, and lighter and smaller stuff on top. The movers will, in addition, be able to fill the empty spaces with smaller boxes. This will, in turn, reduce the tumbling of the boxes inside the moving truck. Talking about space-efficiency!
Packing your artwork
So, if you went to the hardware store and got enough material, it is time to get packing! Grab your boxes and your packing tape and get started. If you have artwork with glass panels, you should get some packing tape and create an X across the glass. This will give the glass much-needed sustain. It will also prevent the glass from moving if it breaks.
If your art piece does not have a glass panel, then you cannot use tape. What you can use is styrofoam. Get enough styrofoam and put it on the frame. Make sure to secure the edges and put tape to keep the styrofoam pieces together. Another thing you can do is wrap the painting in packing paper prior to placing styrofoam on the frame. After that, put the painting inside the box and tape it shut. If there is excess space inside the box, see if you can fit another painting in. However, you absolutely must repeat the same steps with the new art piece. You do not want the paintings to tumble during the move and cause damage to one another.
If you think that the styrofoam will not be enough to protect your paintings, get some air-filled wrap and put it between the paintings. You can use some old moving blankets to provide padding as well.
Packing sculptures
An important part of any art collection are the sculptures. They may be harder to pack and move because they are very bulky. Moving robust items generally, require hiring professional service. However, if you are not keen on spending money on packing, make sure to read this part carefully.
When packing a sculpture, there are usually parts of it that are more vulnerable to damage. For example, if you have a statue of a man with extended arms, the arms are the vulnerable spot. They are the part of the statue that is most likely to break if some accident happens. So, in order to avoid that you need to get a lot of air-filled wrap and put several layers on the vulnerable spot. You can also put a cardboard layer after the bubble wrapping and then tape it securely. After wrapping the vulnerable parts, use the wrap to pack the rest of the sculpture safely. When you do that, try to get it in a wooden crate. An extra hand from your friend may be necessary so make sure to deal with that before you start packing.
If you have a larger sculpture that you need to pack and move, you will need to use a furniture dolly. So, you should basically do the same thing as with smaller sculptures when it comes to packing. When it comes to moving, that is the tricky part. Ask your friend to help you with putting the sculpture on the furniture dolly and move it to the wooden crate. Then you should seal the crate and label it as fragile.
With all that said, you should be ready to pack and move your art collection. Good luck with your move!