Art Collection: Plastic Leads to Mold, Sunlight Fades Colors, and Other Things You Need to Know Before Storing Artwork.
There are a lot of risks when you are thinking of fine art handlingand storing art. Although nerve-wracking, if you know what you’re doing, you can save monthly costs by putting together an at-home storage space. Even if you are working with consultants or a storage unit, it’s good to know what you’re looking for.
Prepare an Environment That Suits the Condition of the Artwork.
How to Choose the Right Storage Room?
Choosing a room for the art piece is one of the most important things you need to decide, but you need to know what to look for when choosing a room in your house. The room must be finished. Avoid attics or basements unless they are finished and have climate control. Be sure there are no air vents or open windows. If there is a vent in your storage space, you can speak to a specialist about creating a deflective device so the air doesn’t blow directly on the artwork. You also want to be thoughtful about dust, mould, and any musty smells that could be the indicator of a bigger problem.
How to Prepare Your Art for Storage?
Clean it: Use a clean microfiber cloth to remove any dust from hard surfaces. We suggest using a wood polish or metal polish if necessary to avoid any rust or scuffing. You can consult a hardware store to see what polish is best for your piece. This will stop dust particles, or worse, rust or damage, from settling on your art. Another option is consulting your appraiser for a condition report and having the piece professionally cleaned.
How to Ensure Correct Documentation When Storing Art?
Although there are basic practices you can follow to protect your artwork, if you’re storing it you need to be prepared for the worst. Archiving your collection before you pack it up is absolutely necessary for protecting yourself against damage or loss.
How to Keep Your Artwork Off the Ground?
If you have space, you can also hang your artwork in the storage unit. Art is meant to be hung. This is also a great way to avoid having to add protection if it’s stacked against other pieces. Smith describes a storage space made with rows of chain link fences installed about five feet from each other. The art hangs on S hooks all over the fences. If you do need to stack pieces in a small space, be sure to store your art like books on a bookshelf, not piled, flat-side down.
How to Store Your Art if You Don’t Have Room at Home?
Now that you know the specifics of art storage, you’re fully equipped to store your artwork at home –if you have space. If you don’t have room to set up an at-home-storage situation, you have two options: you can store your artwork in a climate controlled storage unit or you can work with an art-specific storage facility. As long as the unit meets the conditions above, you should be safe.
There is one thing to consider when deciding between these two: your neighbours. If you’re working within a storage unit facility, although these buildings have climate control, they don’t have content control.
Exert Due Diligence When Storing Artwork
Hopefully, by this point, you’re feeling calmer and prepared to store your artwork. With a little advice from the professionals and fierce attention to detail, you have all the tools to safely secure your art collection.
Follow these simple steps when packing a painting.
Fine art handling and storing is always a matter of taking care of very elegantly. You definitely need to follow these steps to handle and pack your art.
Wrap in plastic: Using a plastic for wrapping is the best way to keep it clean and protect the finish.
Minimize contact: The important step to conserving the artworks during transportation or storage is to minimize human contact.
Pack with dense packing material: Make sure to fill space with bubble pack to avoid bouncing and breaking. And also avoid any packing material that can get smashed over time.
Important points to keep in mind
- Store the painting vertically.
- Be careful when driving.
- Pick a reliable carrier.
- Protect the painting with other objects
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