How to Pack and Ship a Painting Safely

A painting rarely wears out on the wall. It wears out on the road. A piece that has hung without trouble for years can lose a corner, crack its glass or pick up a permanent mark on its surface in a single delivery. This guide covers how to pack a painting for shipping from start to finish: what should touch the surface, how to protect the corners, how big the box should be, and how to handle a painting when you move house or put it into storage. The decision you are making looks small but shapes the outcome: can you pack this piece yourself, or do its surface and size mean it should go to a specialist?

How to pack a painting: start with the surface

Packing materials are chosen according to the surface. The same box and the same foam do not suit every piece, so first be clear about what your piece must not touch.

Canvas

A canvas surface breathes and is sensitive to pressure. If weight rests on it, or a hard corner presses into it, the fabric can keep a dent. Bubble wrap should never touch canvas directly: in a hot van or a sunny storeroom the pattern of the bubbles can transfer to the surface. The first layer is a non-stick interleaving sheet (acid-free tissue or silicone release paper), then soft foam.

Acrylic (plexi)

An acrylic face scratches easily; even paper can leave a mark if a speck of dust is trapped and rubs. If the factory protective film is still on, pack it with the film in place. If not, lay a soft, lint-free polyethylene foam sheet on the face and make sure it cannot slide inside the pack. For the care differences between the two surfaces, see our article on acrylic print vs canvas.

Glazed frames

With glass the risk runs both ways: the glass can break, and broken glass cuts the artwork and the mount beneath it. So with glazed pieces the aim is less to stop the glass breaking than to keep it in place if it does. A low-tack, residue-free protective film, or a grid of low-tack masking tape, can be applied to the glass, followed by a rigid board. If the piece has UV glass and an acid-free mount, our guide to archival quality framing explains why those layers matter; packing is the last step in protecting that investment.

What you need

A good pack is not about expensive materials but about the right materials in the right order. For most pieces this is enough:

Acid-free tissue or silicone paper: the first layer in contact with the surface. Corner protectors: cardboard or foam pieces that fit over the four corners of the frame. Polyethylene foam sheet or bubble wrap: the shock-absorbing layer, over the interleaving, never on the surface. Two rigid boards: corrugated card or foam board sized to cover the front and back. A double-wall cardboard box: ordinary single-wall boxes crush easily with pieces of 50 × 70 cm and above. Void fill and wide packing tape.

The box should be about 5–8 cm larger than the wrapped piece on every side, with that space filled. A tighter box passes every knock straight to the frame; a much bigger one lets the piece shift around inside.

Step by step

The sequence below works for most canvas, acrylic and framed pieces; the surface-specific differences are covered above.

1. Measure and photograph. Before packing, photograph the front, the back, the corners and any signature or label. If damage occurs, these pictures show whether it happened in transit.

2. Secure hanging wire and fittings. Wire, hooks or brackets on the back can move during the journey and press on the surface or the backing board. Pull the wire taut and tape it down; put removable fittings in a separate envelope.

3. Lay the interleaving. Cover the face with acid-free or silicone paper. Do not tape the paper to the surface; fold it round and tape it at the back edge.

4. Protect the corners. Fit a corner protector to each of the four corners. Corners take most of the damage in shipping, because a dropped parcel usually lands on one.

5. Wrap the shock layer. Wrap the piece at least twice in foam sheet or bubble wrap, bubbles facing outwards.

6. Add the rigid boards. Place a board on the front and one on the back and tape them at the edges. This layer means that anything pressing on the box loads the board rather than the surface.

7. Box it and fill the gaps. Centre the piece in the box and fill the 5–8 cm on each side. Give the box a gentle shake before closing: if you hear movement, there is not enough fill.

8. Seal and label. Tape every seam. Mark the box "fragile", "keep upright" and which side is the front. Not every carrier reads the labels, but the ones who do will handle it better.

How size changes things

A piece of 50 × 70 cm travels comfortably in a double-wall box packed this way. As size increases, two things change: weight and flex. Above about 100 cm the sides of a box can bow, and the larger the glass, the higher the risk of breakage. At these sizes a box with timber-reinforced corners, or a light wooden crate, is often the better choice. For large glazed pieces, acrylic glazing instead of glass is also worth considering for the journey; the decision depends on where the piece will hang.

Moving house with paintings

When you move home or office, paintings travel in the same van as the furniture, and this is where they are most often damaged.

Carry paintings upright on their edges, not flat. Things get stacked on a painting lying flat; nobody stacks things on one standing up. If you lean pieces against each other in the van, place them front to front and back to back with card in between, so that one frame's fittings never touch another's surface. Rest them against a side panel or a wall where they can be strapped, not beside boxes of books or heavy furniture.

Heat and humidity are part of the journey too. A piece left for hours in a closed vehicle in summer can reach temperatures that are bad for adhesives, films and canvas. In winter, a parcel coming from a cold van into a warm house can form condensation; leave it unopened at room temperature for a few hours, ideally a day. We cover how paintings react to damp and sunlight in our guide on how to clean and care for wall art.

Storing paintings

If a painting will not be hung for a while, keep it in its packing or in similar packing.

Store pieces upright and at least 10 cm off the floor; flooding or damp floors reach the lowest pieces first. Avoid exterior walls, radiators, basements and lofts, where temperature and humidity swing from day to day. If you line several pieces up, put the larger ones at the back and the smaller ones in front, with a rigid board between each. Write the contents and date on the pack, so that months later you know what is inside without opening it.

Shipping and delivery

When shipping, declare the contents and value correctly. Many carriers have separate rules for artwork and glass, and some exclude glazed frames from cover altogether, so check before you send. Ask the recipient to open the parcel and inspect it while the courier is there, since a damage report can often only be made at that moment.

If the painting is a gift, think about the person unpacking it: keep anything that needs cutting well away from the surface, and mark the front. For size, theme and delivery questions when choosing one, see our guide to choosing a wall art gift.

Common mistakes

Wrapping bubble wrap directly around canvas or acrylic: it can leave bubble marks and scuffs.

Taping paper or tape to the surface: removing it can lift paint from a surface or film from acrylic.

Leaving the corners unprotected: most shipping damage happens at the corners.

Using a box that fits exactly: with no room for fill, every knock reaches the frame.

Carrying the painting flat and putting weight on top of it.

Opening a parcel straight away after a cold journey: condensation can mark the inside of the glass and the surface.

Not photographing before packing: if damage happens, you have no evidence.

Packing at Aurecort

Aurecort pieces are made one by one in the Aurecort studio in Kadıköy, and the standard size for canvas, acrylic and framed pieces is 50 × 70 cm; you can see the series on the Framed Art Series page. The packing method and delivery terms are agreed at the quotation stage, depending on the surface, the size and the destination. For signage and print work beyond tennis, visit Aurecort Reklam. For the latest from the courts, see our tennis this week posts on the blog.

Frequently asked questions

Can a painting be shipped safely by courier?

A properly packed painting can be shipped safely. Interleaving, corner protectors, rigid boards and a well-filled double-wall box remove most of the risk. For glazed and large pieces, ask the carrier about its rules for glass and artwork in advance.

Can bubble wrap go directly on a painting?

Not on canvas or acrylic: acid-free or silicone paper should go on first. Bubble wrap is used over that layer, with the bubbles facing outwards.

How do you pack a framed picture with glass?

Apply a residue-free protective film or a grid of low-tack tape to the glass, then add corner protectors, foam and two rigid boards. The aim is that if the glass breaks, the pieces stay in place and do not damage the artwork underneath.

How should paintings be stored?

Upright, raised off the floor, away from exterior walls and heat sources. Put a rigid board between pieces and write the contents on each pack. Avoid basements and lofts, where temperature and humidity change a lot.

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