Relocating Artwork
One of the biggest concerns people have when relocating is how to pack properly. Packing takes time and efforts and if you can't do it, then it's better to trust a professional moving company to do it for you. A proper packing, however, guarantees the safety of your belongings, surviving the travel or storage. There are essential items which everyone knows how to pack and which don't require extra care or specific packing material. One of the hardest items to pack and transport, though, is framed artwork, antique sculptures or statues and other valuable, expensive pieces of art. Even with the best movers, the packing of these is significantly harder than usual. Even if you think you know how to pack and transport those valuables, the disadvantage is that if you deal with them on your own, you receive no insurance. If you hire professional movers a part of your contract is to list valuables and fragile items which require extra care and you get insurance for them. Pieces of art often cannot be replaced and their sentimental value is what matters to the owner, but in the case of any damage, at least you will get its value back. Make an inventory of your most important and expensive items. If you are worried about certain pieces of art, let the movers pack them. After all these items will have insurance, which ensures that the movers will be extra careful. The first stage of proper packing of artwork is using quality moving supplies. Use only professional-grade boxes. They are not as pricey as many people think, but ensure safety for your pieces of art. If you need a pack of cartons, you can buy them online and get a discount. Artwork requires all the necessary packing material, such as bubble wrap, tape, packing paper and corner protectors. Don't use newspapers to wrap paintings, because the ink will ruin the paint. It's best to wrap the whole painting in packing paper, which is clean, dry and plain. Then wrap all of this in bubble wrap, but don't use it directly on the painting, because it can react to the paint. If you need to pack mirrors and framed artwork, buy special boxes for pictures. They are large, flat and protect the paintings from moisture. Put the corner protectors inside the box and multiple sheets to fill in the empty space. After you pack the box, tape it and label it accordingly: valuable and fragile. Put the boxes aside until it's time to load them in the truck. When you pack them inside the truck, paintings should be standing up ; remove any heavy items close by. For sculptures, statues and antiques you will need special boxes, which are usually bigger than the items. Once you put the piece of art, fill the whole space around it with bubble wrap, foam and paper. If you are moving unframed art, never roll them, because their corners will get creased. Put them in boxes the same way as the framed art - between thick layers of paper and packing material. Give instructions to the movers for each box to avoid any misunderstanding. If you can afford to buy expensive, original pieces of art, be generous enough to afford paying for their proper, quality moving. If you know nothing about art and how to keep it safe, trust the movers and let them deal with it. When it comes to valuables with sentimental worth, make no compromise.