Artwork Transport Guide

Artwork comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, making it hard to move them without damage – unless they are packed and transported properly.

Packing artwork for a move is something of an art itself, so if you’re going to move with your favourite paintings, sculptures or decorations here’s what you’re going to need to do to keep those cracks, dents and scratches at bay.

Learn how to move paintings and artwork in this helpful art transport guide

Step 1: Art Packing Materials

It is critical to have the proper packing tools before beginning to transfer your artwork or framed goods to ensure that they will be protected throughout shipping. Here’s a list of things you’re going to need when packing artwork for a move.  

• Bubble wrap
• Wax or glassine paper
• Styrofoam corner edges or folded cardboard edges 
• Strong cardboard boxes or wooden crates
• Marker pens for labelling
• Strong packing tape
• Moving blankets for extra padding

As well as the items above, there’s another essential thing you’ll need when moving art: Time. Packing up artwork for a move will take a little more care and nuance than if you were boxing up a bunch of books or clothes.

By taking the extra time to pack your artwork properly, you’ll stand the best chance of them reaching the other side untouched.

Step 2 :X Marks the Glass.

Take some masking tape and make an X over the glass cover of your painting or poster.

If the glass breaks, this will keep the pieces from moving around. If your artwork doesn’t have a glass cover, you can skip this step.  

Step Three: Plastic Wrap.

It’s important to safeguard the painted surface if your painting isn’t protected by glass.

Wrapping the artwork in numerous layers of plastic wrap from your kitchen is an excellent alternative.

If the artwork moves around inside the box, the wrap will stay in place and avoid friction damage. This will also work for glass-covered watercolours and art prints.

Step Four: Corner Protection.

If the painting’s frame is costly or fragile, you should buy or build cardboard corner guards for it.

You can put these over the clingfilm covering which will also help to keep it in place.

Step Five: Bubble wrap.

Next up comes most of the padding. Multiple layers of bubble wrap will be necessary, so be liberal with the bubble wrap, covering both the horizontal and vertical dimensions and securing it with tape.

Crumpled newspaper is a more time-consuming but environmentally beneficial alternative to bubble wrap. 

Don’t forget the bottom of the box. Cover the bottom of your box with crumpled-up newspaper. After that, you can put the artwork in the box and begin filling the sides and top with the extra padding. 

Test out the packing. Close but do not seal the box. Gently shake the box back and forth to observe whether the artwork within moves. If this is the case, you should open the box and apply extra padding until everything is secure.

Close up and label. After that, tape the box shut and label it “fragile objects” and “artwork” so the movers know to take additional precautions. You can also buy rolls of brightly coloured stickers to label your delicate goods.

Important: avoid packing multiple pieces in one box.

Try to give each component its own packaging if at all feasible. Smaller photo frames that are the same size and adequately maintained may be alright, but if you bundle framed art pieces together, they are likely to damage each other.

With fragile pieces, wall art and framed artwork might be different sizes, and one bump might be all it takes for them to bash together.

Moving Small Sculptures

The challenge with sculptures is that they are often different shapes, meaning there is no one-size-fits-all approach. If you imagine a sculpture of a person, for example, the arms, legs and head can easily break off if not handled properly.

• To start with, first wrap the sculpture in cling wrap to protect the finish. To offer stability, use smaller pieces and go in and around all the nooks and crannies. 
• Then, roll up pieces of bubble wrap and wrap them around the sculpture’s most susceptible areas. 
• After you’ve built up the delicate portions, cover the entire sculpture with bubble wrap. You should end up a spherical or egg shape that you can place inside a box and brace with padding.
• You’ll need to cushion the box and test it, just like you would with paintings.

Moving Large Sculptures

If you’re working with a sculpture that’s a few feet tall and weighs a lot, you’re in for a little more work.

• Determine the estimated weight of the object to decide how to handle it and whether a wooden container is required, or if a cardboard box would suffice. When moving, most single-walled boxes can only accommodate about 40 pounds, so if the weight of the sculpture surpasses that, a wooden crate will be necessary.
• Many modern sculptures are produced using plaster moulds, which means they’re hollow and light. If that’s the case, you can get away with a single large cardboard box with plenty of cushioning, but you’ll want to make sure it’ll hold up during the move.
• Wooden boxes are the safest and most durable way to transport heavy objects, plus when shipped with a bunch of cardboard boxes, they will stand out more for your removalists.

How to Move Prints and Framed Artwork

Purchasing a flat picture box can assist to protect your paintings and prints. While they will be more expensive than typical boxes, the protection they give will be well worth it.

We recommend getting one that has a few inches of space on each side to allow padding materials to fit

Move Your Artwork with Professional Movers

The best thing you can do when moving art is to work with experienced movers like ZOOM.

Our team has years of experience in moving all kinds of cargo, including fragile and difficult items such as artwork.

As well as providing you with the packing materials you need, they can help you with art packing and labelling too.

Our moving trucks are also fitted with protective measures to ensure that all cargo is secured in place during the move and will arrive in perfect condition.

Artwork Packaging Boxes

When you move with ZOOM Removalists Sydney, take advantage of our free moving boxes