You do not need to think about shipping fine art. There are a lot of companies that deal with it. You can simply hire them and leave the hardest job to the professionals. However, there are situations where you need to pack your art on your own. In that case, you can ask packaging companies in Saudi Arabia for precise guidelines on how to do it. They could help you in preparing documentation, too. There are a few things that you need to know before packing fine art.
- If the painting is higher than 48 inches, you must put it on one side in a wood crate – there are a lot of packages that you can buy or make it by measures of your painting;
- If you have a painting that is not in a frame, you can roll it – but protect it before rolling with plastic or special paper;
- Speaking about the rolling, you can put it in special rolled canvas packages, and protect it from above with another layer of paper;
- Framed painting needs longer, and more careful protection since frames are usually costly and rare – use cardboard corners or paper for that;
- One of the reasons why shipping fine art could be hard is documentation – in cases that you have valuable pieces of art, you need proof that you are the owner and special allowance for it.
If any of these scare you, there are logistics companies in Bahrain that are specialized for these types of jobs. You can hire them or use their help in preparing. However, packing of fine art should not be so hard in the end. Just act like with any other valuable and possible large item in your home.
You will need special equipment for shipping fine art
It is essential to understand how to pack fine art properly. You cannot only use a large box for that. It is especially worth for situations where pieces of art are extremely large and sensitive. However, shipping fine art could be challenging is you are not in business with art at all. So, make sure that you have good organization and preparation before starting.
Prepare glassine paper
There is a special acid-free glassine paper that you should prepare before shipping fine art. It is a special paper that will not damage your pieces of art and protect it from other stuff in the box. That is especially important for air freight to Saudi Arabia where you cannot check or control your boxes. Since it is costly, you should use it as the only the first layer, and add the paper above.
Packing tape is must-have when shipping fine art is about
Although always needed in moving, packing tape is significant when moving fine art. You will need to secure pieces of art in the box, and then secure the box itself. It is best to use duct tape since it is the strongest and easy for use.
Prepare as much Styrofoam you can
Cargo transportation in Saudi Arabia will surely not leave your packages and boxes unprotected. However, you should conserve and protect your boxes adequately. The easiest is to put a lot of Styrofoam or peanuts that will protect art from damaging.
Use heavy mailing tube
If paintings are not framed, you can roll them. However, you should protect them, too. Firstly, put a layer of glassine paper on the paint. After rolling, the paint is the best to put in a sturdy package. The best is mailing tubes, made of hard materials. You can buy them on the internet. That is the way how embassies pack their pieces of arts when moving.
Packing could be challenging when shipping fine art
There is the whole list of the possible troubles that could occur when shipping fine art. In some cases, you will need not only boxes but special paper and protection material. Do not forget that you cannot use ordinary packing supplies for fine art. In many cases, plastic, paper, and cardboard could damage your piece of art.
Never pack the wet painting
Even though these are not that common situations, you should know that painting needs time to dry off. If you planned to buy paint directly from the painter, ask him when he made it. If he has painted it recently (a few days or weeks), it is better to wait for packing and transporting.
Separate paintings from each other
If you have more than one painting, the best way to transport them is to put in a wood crate or large box. However, do not put them unprotected there. You can use cardboard and put between paintings. There are also great foam board made just for these situations. Also, put cardboard corners on every painting, so protect frames and the paint itself.
What do not do when shipping fine art
There are severe warnings that you should understand and adopt when shipping fine art. In many cases, people make mistakes because they consider pieces of art as any other large and expensive furniture. Unfortunately, mistakes could irreversibly damage your pieces of art.
Never put plastic directly on the paint or any other piece of art
One of the important warnings that the National Gallery of Art will tell you is that you never put materials that could damage your pieces of art. Most people simply think that plastic protects the paint from dust and small scratches. It is true, but the plastic itself could produce condensation and damage fine pieces of art.
Do not put glass unprotected
Although this should be obvious, people forget that glass is extremely fragile and sensitive. You should put them in boxes separately and protect from damaging in the box. However, when shipping fine art is about, you should also make sure that you have protected glass from scratching. Use special paper for protection.
Never put tape directly on the piece of art
Whenever you use tape, never put it directly on the fine art. It is very important to protect it from glue on the tape and damaging. Simply wrap the fine art in paper before, and then put tape on it.
