It may take weeks, months, and even years for an artist to create a single piece of art. They put their heart and soul into their work, making it truly valuable. It is no wonder that art can inspire, engage, and transform any space into a unique one. Art can literally change your life, provided that you take care of it properly. What does it mean? While art is timeless, almost every artwork can be easily damaged, especially while in transit or storage. The good news is that you can avoid it if you consider environmental conditions when packing, shipping, and storing your art pieces. For example, do you know how to protect artwork from moisture? Below you can find several art packing tips that will help.
Art Packing Tips: Protecting Artwork from Moisture
Moisture can easily damage a piece of art, especially if it is a painting or work on paper. Here are just some of the threats to your artwork:
- growth of mold on the canvas;
- cracking, blistering, and flaking of the paint layer that can also become separated from the canvas or panel;
- structural damage to paintings on wood, including splitting, warping, and breaking of the panel support;
- excessive expansion and contraction of the canvas due to humidity changes, which results in loose canvas;
- chemical reaction of the moisture to the components of the artwork, leading to corrosion of metals, blooming of the varnish layer, etc.
So, how to protect artwork from moisture? If you store your art in your home, you should simply control the temperature and humidity levels to reduce the risk of damage. Keep the humidity level at around 40-60% and temperature at around 70 °F to 75 °F during summer and 65 °F to 70 °F during winter. It is also recommended that you frame your art pieces for their better protection.
In case you need to ship artwork to another place, pay particular attention to its packing. If possible, hire an art logistics company offering professional art packing and crating services to eliminate any risk of damage. If not, after wrapping your artwork in glassine paper, cover it with special art plastic that is 4mm plastic used for moisture protection. Add pieces of triple-wall cardboard for extra protection and pack the artwork in a durable box.
Whatever art packing and shipping help you need, please feel free to contact Fine Art Shippers. Our services are top-notch and available at very competitive rates.