Expert Tips on Packing & Moving Valuables
by Katherine
5 Materials
$100
5 Hours
Easy
Packing and moving valuables is stressful! Learn the right way to wrap and secure silver, antique furniture, ceramics, glass, and 2-D art with these tips and tricks.
Knee deep in corrugate, tape, and tissue? Pulling your hair out because you just can’t figure out the best way to pack Grandmother’s silver or your wedding china? It’s moving season as if you didn’t know, and I’m here to help with the conundrums of packing and moving valuables!
You may not know this about me, but by day I manage the treasures of an international auction house, which means I shuffle around, pack, and move valuable decorative arts, paintings, and antique furniture all day every day. I’ve learned a few tips and tricks to packing valuable possessions that I want to share with you lovely readers, so the next time you’ve got to move something precious to you, a family heirloom or an expensive painting, you know the right way to do it!
The very first thing to do is make an inventory and gather your packing materials.
A comprehensive inventory is a vital step in moving, although it is an often overlooked step in the process. It will help you assess meaningful and expensive possessions and keep track of everything. Add notes about the condition of these items and where and how they are packed. Documenting these items is key to filing an insurance claim if something goes wrong, and it will help you organize your unpacking!
See my full packing materials list on penderandpeony.com
Another important consideration before you start packing and moving valuables is the distance you are relocating; the type of transport; and the length of time your valuables will be packed. These considerations will impact your packing choices. The longer items are stored the more important it is to ensure extra padding because frankly the more your boxes are touched, unloaded, stacked, and transported the more likely something will be dropped.
How to Pack Sterling Silver & Other Metals
Metal serving wares and sterling silver antiques are a fairly sturdy material, but these valuables can be vulnerable to scratching, tarnish, and dents during moving. Protect silver by first cleaning and polishing it, especially if your moving boxes will be stored for a few weeks or more.
Wrap your silver in silver cloth, which is a soft flannel like fabric that helps prevent tarnishing and scratching. Many silver items come with their own covers, so be sure to use these. You can also use a soft muslin fabric, if you cannot buy silver cloth. This is the most important step to packing silver! Certain plastics can be very harmful to silver and cause tarnish stains that won’t polish off.
After wrapping the item in cloth, further protect it with bubble wrap. Take extra care with hollow handles to avoid denting. Joints and hinges on silver serving wares can be particularly vulnerable, so take care with these areas too.
Packing Valuable 2-D Art
Packing and transporting art, especially paintings, can be risky. You should always examine the painting to see if there is any lifting paint that looks like it is about to flake off. You should also examine the stretchers for strength and stability. If there is flaking and the stretchers are unstable, take extra care to cushion the frame and painting from excessive vibrations.
Travel conditions like vibration, temperature fluctuations, moisture, and impacts can significantly affect your art works, if not immediately over the long term. It is best to use mirror packs, egg foam, and polyethylene sheeting to avoid damage.
To pack a work of 2-D art:
- Fold the mirror pack together and tape the end. If this is not big enough to house the painting, put together another box and turn it so the open ends slide together.
- Place a strip of egg foam at the bottom of the box.
- Wrap your art work in the polyethylene sheeting like you would a present, taping up the ends to seal and prevent moisture from reaching the art work. If the art work is behind glass or plexi, it is a good idea to tape the glass in an “x” then wrap in bubble.
- Slide the wrapped art work into the mirror boxes. You want a snug fit around the painting to minimize movement of the frame within the box. Use egg foam to fill out the sides and top.
- Slide another mirror pack or two down over top to enclose the art work.
- Tape the top and bottom boxes together. Mark the top of the box with an arrow pointing up and by writing the word “top” on at least 2 sides of the box. Mirror packs are usually already marked “Do Not Lay Flat.”
- When moving and transporting the packed work of art keep it upright and oriented the way you would hang it.
Note: This packing method is good for packing low to moderately priced art in very good condition. For fragile works and/or very valuable art, it should be packed in special corrugate crates like a Masterpak or by professional art handlers and packers who can build custom wooden crates.
How to Pack Ceramics & Glass
This may be the category of valuables that you are most worried about packing, and rightly so. These items are the most fragile and likely to break during packing and moving. Take extra care with packing these possessions for transport to avoid cracks, breaks, and scratches. Don’t skimp on the packing materials and buy enough to wrap in layers!
The key to packing and moving valuables is to assess the weak points of each item and give those areas extra padding or support. Weak points include protrusions like handles; rims and bases that are easily chipped; joints; and decorations that are easily tangled or pulled off.
Additionally, work over a table with some padding on the top, so that if an item slips out of your hands while packing, it does not drop far and lands on a soft surface.
Head over to the blog for more information on how to pack antique furniture as well as my list of packing DON'TS!
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3 comments
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I love the ideas we are about to move again, and i will definitely use some of them. So far I only found a good truck hire company https://www.abel.com.au/ , i still have to pack up everything and load it. But with your advice i think it will be great.
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Hire professional movers in Sharjah because moving requires a lot of energy and you therefore want to spend your time getting into your new home, and then a moving and packing of your old home can consume your energy. visit
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