Packing Artwork from our Friends at PackRat

How To Pack & Store Your Artwork

From Picasso to Finger-Painting, 1-800-PACK-RAT has You Covered

We have a confession to make, 1-800-PACK-RAT fans. When it’s time to move, we’re picky about how we pack and store our artwork. You can’t find those velvet Elvis paintings just anywhere, you know.

Seriously, artwork can be a big investment, and you want to protect yours when you’re moving or putting it into storage. Art doesn’t even have to be expensive to be valuable. Just think about your children’s baby pictures, the paintings your kids made in school, or the souvenir watercolor you bought to remind you of a great vacation in the islands.

Artwork can also be value because it’s irreplaceable. A friend of ours has a one-of-a-kind oil painting of her great-grandmother in her elegant dining room (although we bet great-grandma wouldn’t look so snooty if she knew a picture of cigar-smoking, poker-playing dogs was hanging one floor below).

Whether you’ve got a signed Andy Warhol, or your kindergartner’s first finger-painting, we can help when it’s time to pack and store your masterpieces. Check out these tips:

• Use special packing materials to protect your artwork, like sheets of sturdy cardboard, picture and mirror boxes, bubble wrap, and acid-free paper. Ask us—we can help if you need supplies.
• Don’t roll unframed artwork, to avoid bends and creases. Instead, package it between layers of sturdy cardboard. If you’re worried that the piece will slide around inside, use acid-free paper to make four triangles, leaving one end open on each. Place a paper triangle over each corner of the art. Then add the cardboard layers and secure them with tape.
• Don’t store your artwork in cardboard for a long time, to avoid possible damage from acid.
• For extra protection, tape sheets of corrugated cardboard on the top and bottom of your packaged artwork. If you prefer, use bubble wrap.
• Pack framed artwork in heavy-duty mirror or picture boxes. If the framed piece is really large, you may have to join a couple of boxes together. First, wrap the framed art in bubble wrap. Then slip it into the box or boxes.
• Mark your artwork as “fragile,” and don’t store it flat. Store artwork on its edge, as you would a mirror.

Packing and storing valuable artwork is a snap when you’ve working with 1-800-PACK-RAT. Just give us a call when you’re ready to transport your velvet Elvis. We’ll take such good care of him, you’ll practically hear the King mumbling, “Thank you, thank you very much!