How to Ship a Large Painting? A Professional’s Checklist

How to Ship a Large Painting? A Professional’s Checklist

Extra-size paintings are a very stylish element of interior design. They look great in large, spacious settings, adding a particular esthetic feel to them. However, bringing such a painting to your premises or moving one to another location often turns into a challenge, especially if the fine art object is too large to fit your door and window frames. How to ship a large painting safely, and what procedures are acceptable in this process? Read on to find out.

How to Ship a Large Painting? Main Considerations

The painting’s large size may become the main barrier to its safe transportation. If the canvas is extra-sized and doesn’t fit the door and window frames, professional art handlers consider unstretching to ensure a safe, smooth transit. In this case, the painting is removed from the stretchers, carefully rolled, and packed in a sturdy cardboard tube of corresponding size for safer and more compact transportation.

To unstretch the painting safely, art handlers should perform the procedure in a clean, climate-controlled environment. Since the process involves direct contact with the canvas, it is advisable to wear gloves with non-adhesive properties to prevent the paint layer’s damage. Art handlers are supposed to remove staples, tacks, and nails from the structure with a flat, professional tool to avoid damage to the canvas.

How to Ship a Large Painting? A Professional’s ChecklistThe painting is placed onto a flat surface after unstretching and covered by acid-free archival tissue paper or glassine paper as interleaving material. After that, it may be rolled safely without the risk of the paint sticking to other parts of the canvas. If the painting is old and the layer of paint is fragile, art handlers roll the painting with the painted side out so that the surface doesn’t crack.

Turn to Fine Art Shippers for Professional Assistance

Are you puzzled by the need to ship a large canvas and can’t choose the safest option? Then, it’s time to engage professionals in the project. Fine Art Shippers knows everything about how to ship a large painting and can assist you at all stages of the procedure. Our experienced and well-trained art handlers can package the item comprehensively to ensure its safe moving and transportation.

If the artwork is too large for safe handling, we can remove it from the stretches, roll the canvas, and pack it in a tube for further transit. Contact us today to discuss the details of your particular art shipment.