How to Protect Your Art And Frames

How to Protect Your Art and Frames

There are times when you need to move your art; whether you are moving from one home to another, or placing them into or removing them from storage, or during a remodel. 

As you reach that stage of physically moving your artwork, here are some great ideas to protect your frames from damage during transport or move. Let's look at them from the lowest cost and lightly protected to higher cost and ultimate in damage prevention.

From the simple and low cost...

•  Cardboard corners

For a very simple protection, you can purchase cardboard corners made just for frames.  These are nice, however only the corners are protected.  See this site for examples of what is available:  <http://www.twikart.com/>  . If this is all you need, they are easy and you are ready to move your art!

• Pipe insulation***

To protect the entire frame, select 3/4-inch pipe insulation (See image). There is a cut lengthwise and they come in 8-foot lengths. Cut to the lengths of your frame and slip them on. They are inexpensive and you can find them at your favorite home improvement store. I tape the corners so they stay put (tape is on the top edges of the insulation, not touching the frame or glass). 

• Bags

For a bit more protection, you can place the artwork in a plastic bag before adding the pipe insulation.  You can purchase bags very inexpensively from <http://www.uline.com/>. 

• Bubble wrap

Next level of protection would be to wrap your painting in bubble wrap after placing the pipe insulation on the corners. This is good for protecting the glass (aka glazing).  Depending on the size of your artwork, you can purchase bubble wrap bags into which you can slip your artwork.

...to maximum protection with a higher budget...

If you need the most amount of protection, here are few ideas that fit a range of budgets:

• cardboard, place on front and/or back of painting, include pipe insulation.

• Insulfoam® or R-Tech® is half-inch foam insulation, which comes in approximately 4-ft x 8-ft. sheets that you can cut down to size.    You can find Insulfoam at your favorite home improvement store at great prices. Place on front and/or back and include the pipe insulation. Note: It acts much like  styrofoam and when you cut them, they can get messy.  I tape the edges.  This is a green product.

• Foam core (framing quality) from online sources such as Documounts in Oregon:   They have great prices for foam core and mat board. Cut to size and place on front and/or back along with pipe insulation.

... to the ultimate in protection:

There are times that you just need the best in packing.  For those pieces here are several options:

• Cardboard boxes come in many sizes. . has boxes and a quick internet search will supply you with more options.

• Strong Box:  Air Float Systems sells boxes specifically for art. The boxes include three layers of foam inside.  See their products: 

Personally, I have used Airfloat boxes and have been very pleased with them.

Storage tips:

When storing multiple paintings in boxes,  place framed art face to face, then back to back and repeat. This will keep the wire and metal framing from scratching or gouging the front side of the adjacent artwork.  Always place a cardboard, foam core, or towels between each one.

*** This idea of the pipe insulation came from my very dear friend and fabulous artist, Yasmin Sayyed.com.