LIOO Moving · Packing Guides

How to Pack Artwork & Mirrors for Moving

Glass, canvas, and frames each fail differently — pack them for how they break

Reviewed by Tavion McCullough, Operations Manager

Framed glass shatters, canvas dents and sticks, gilded frames chip at the corners. One method does not fit all three, so this guide splits by material.

Key Takeaways

• Tape on glass does not prevent a break, and in tests cited by Canadian conservators a taped pane often did no better for the painting behind it.

• Keep tape off painted canvas and gilded frames, and peel it off glass soon after the move.

• Stand mirrors and framed art on edge in a mirror or picture box. A piece too big for one box can go in two telescoped together.

• Carry a frame by a bottom edge and a side edge, never by the top.

• LIOO doesn’t build crates, and its Terms exclude marble or stone items and items of extraordinary value from damage claims.

Framed glass & mirrors The X-tape method

Framed glass and mirrors travel on edge in a padded box, with tape on the glass only to contain shards.

• Low-tack X across the glass. Painter’s tape, corner to corner. It won’t stop a break. It may hold shards in place, but the tests cited by the Canadian Conservation Institute found damage to a painting was often similar with or without tape. For a valuable piece the institute covers the outside of the glass fully with strips. Follow the glass maker’s directions on coated glass, and peel the tape off slowly as soon as the move ends.

• Corners first: cardboard or foam corner protectors.

• Paper, then bubble, then a picture box sized close to the piece. Fill gaps so it can’t slide. U-Haul’s Mirror & Picture Box fits frames up to 37 by 27 inches, and two telescoped together fit pieces up to 54 inches wide (U-Haul).

• On edge, always. A mirror flat on a truck bed is a drum head for every vibration. Mark which edge is up. Atlas Van Lines also places mirrors and pictures on edge in boxes or mirror boxes.

• Hands low. Hold a framed piece by one bottom edge and one side edge, never by the top of the frame, and put more than one person on a large piece (Museums Galleries Scotland).

Canvas & paintings Protect the surface

Canvas and paintings need the wrap kept off the paint itself.

• Glassine paper against the surface (or clean paper if unavailable) — bubble wrap directly on paint can imprint texture and trap moisture. Tape and adhesive stay off painted canvas and gilded frames (Museums Galleries Scotland), and printed newspaper stays off paintings because the ink can smudge them (Atlas Van Lines).

• Wrap loose, corners padded, box on edge like framed pieces. The exception is flaking paint. Museums Galleries Scotland says to carry a flaking painting horizontally and contact a conservator. For stacked canvases, cardboard between every piece.

• Watch temperature. Long hours in a hot truck are hard on oil and acrylic — load art last, unload it first. The Canadian Conservation Institute specifies an air-conditioned vehicle for a painting in transit, so in an Atlanta summer a small valuable piece is better off in your own air-conditioned car.

High-value pieces When DIY is the wrong call

Marble-top consoles, gilded and antique frames, oversized mirrors, and anything appraised or irreplaceable travel differently: custom padding, never shrink wrap on finished surfaces, stone and glass on edge, condition noted before the truck. That is the standard antique and high-value moving protocol. If a piece would hurt to lose, list it for the crew rather than packing it yourself, and read the limits below first. Everyday framed prints, posters, and shelf decor can ride the normal packing service flow. LIOO’s Terms of Service exclude items packed by the customer, marble or stone items and items of extraordinary value from damage claims, list collectibles and sentimental items as not transported, and recommend additional insurance for high-value items. LIOO doesn’t build crates, so a piece that truly needs one should go to a fine-art or crating specialist.

Common questions