Tips for packing your artwork for storage

Every art piece is unique and quite valuable. In addition, the artwork is rather delicate. That’s why it’s important to know how to store artwork properly. Whenever you have to move or store art pieces, you have to be especially careful. If you are an enthusiastic art collector, you have to know these tips for packing your artwork for storage. Follow these tips and your art pieces will stay in pristine condition for as long your desire.

Our team at NYC Mini Storage knows how important it is to store artwork the right way. There are a lot of things you must pay attention to. After all, you aren’t storing your kid’s primary school drawings. You are dealing with expensive, collectible art pieces. So, let’s do our best to keep them in one piece. Our simple, yet useful tips will help you preserve your treasured art collection.

Know the risks of packing your artwork for storage

First of all, understand the risks that can happen when handling valuable art pieces. There are a lot of factors that can damage your paintings, graphics, and sculpture pieces. Here are some of the common risks.

• Breaking or tearing – When you don’t handle artwork with the care it requires, you can easily break it or tear it. This is especially important when you have bulky sculptures and massive paintings.
• Stains and marks – Wearing gloves is a must when you are packing your artwork for storage. Avoid touching and moving your artwork with bare hands. If you forget to use gloves, you will leave your greasy fingerprints all over your cherished art pieces. We are sure you want to avoid that.
• Bad storage conditions – There is no way you can store art in an attic or basement. Without a doubt, it’s one of the worst things you can do to your art collection. If you want your art to last for generations, you must store it in a storage unit with perfect conditions.

It’s important to understand the risks. This way you will know the things that you must avoid. Likewise, you will know how to handle different artwork. Every piece of artwork is different and requires specific conditions. Storing wooden and metal sculptures isn’t the same, just like storing oil and watercolor painting isn’t the same. So take the time to learn how you can properly store each piece in your art collection.

Pack your artwork with the utmost care

So when you are packing your artwork for storage you have to be extra careful. As we mentioned above, you want to wear gloves so that you minimize contact with your skin. Once you got your pair of gloves on, get a plastic wrap and wrap your paintings with it. Be careful, you don’t want to wrap your artwork too tightly. Wrapping your art pieces in plastic will keep them clean.

When you are dealing with bulky and awkwardly shaped sculptures it might be hard to wrap them. That’s why it’s important to plan how you will wrap them and how you will transport them to a storage unit. Research what is the best storage pickup NYC, to ensure your artwork remains in one piece. It’s important to hire experienced professionals who know how to transport valuable artwork.

When you finish wrapping every piece with plastic, put them in styrofoam boxes. Fill up the space with bubble wrap or packing peanuts so that your artwork doesn’t move inside the box too much. After you packed it in a styrofoam box, get enough cardboard boxes of different sizes. Try to find high-quality materials. Since you are packing valuable artwork for storage you really don’t want to be a cheapskate. By acquiring proper materials you ensure your art collection stays in perfect condition.

Storing bulky art pieces

Storing bulky and large art pieces is quite difficult. It’s even worse when you have to store awkwardly shaped sculptures. It’s difficult to pack them, transport and store them. Consider making a unique wooden crate that can fully protect your sculptures. Of course, it might cost you a couple of extra dollars, but buying proper materials will ensure your artwork won’t break.

Also, if you are an avid collector of vintage cars, choose the best storage unit for your prized possessions. Check out what is the optimal car storage NYC. After all, vintage cars are a work of art too. By choosing the right storage unit for your vehicle, it will stay in amazing conditions for many years to come.

Transport your artwork with care

Once you are all packed and ready, think about how you can transport your art collection to the storage unit. See what storage near NYC you can find, so that you don’t have to travel for a long time. Be careful of how you pack your artwork in the car. Heavy items always have to be on the bottom. Always place framed artwork vertically. If you haven’t already now is the time you should start thinking about insuring your art collection.

Get a climate-controlled storage unit

Avoid storing your art pieces in damp or dry places. The best option is a climate-controlled storage unit, where the temperature is consistent and humidity is moderate. Go to Manhattan storage NYC for the best climate-controlled units you can find in the city. Once you get to your unit be careful of how you place your art pieces inside. Don’t place framed artwork on top of each other. It’s recommended to use a rack so that you can separate them. Canvases can become deformed if there is too much weight on them. The same goes for frames.

Don’t forget about your artwork in storage

Be careful not to forget about your valuable art collection once you place it in a storage unit. Make sure you pay a visit from time to time, to do routine check-ups. As we already know humidity can damage artwork, so verify that there is no humidity inside the unit.

We hope our simple tips for packing your artwork for storage help you out. Find the right climate-controlled storage unit, choose high-quality materials, and your art collection will stay in perfect condition.