Wrapping a painting is always a complex mission!
- The paintings you send are always different in terms of format.
- A large-format painting can be both imposing and fragile.
- It’s virtually impossible to find packaging in the right format for shipping paintings.
- It’s always scary to leave your work in the hands of a deliveryman in a hurry…
Don’t panic! I’ll show you how to find solid, low-cost cardboard that you can shape to ship your paintings.
My experience of sending paintings
As you know, I send out a considerable flow of paintings, and I’d like to share with you all my little tricks to make sure your painting arrives complete and safe!
In just a few years, I’ve sent over 200 paintings to France, Switzerland, Belgium & Canada.
Of these 200 paintings, two arrived damaged, but I have to tell you that this was probably due to my beginner’s mistakes on my very first shipments.
Today, I’m able to send large parts without the slightest problem, and at lower cost.
Mistakes not to make
Do not use cardboard and wrap your board only in Kraft paper.
Don’t laugh! I’ve seen it many times! Some take their painting and wrap it directly in a generous layer of Kraft paper, without using cardboard. This is a big mistake, as your parcel is bound to take a beating in transit, and I’ll leave you to imagine the state of the painting when it arrives.
You can use this type of paper, but only as a finish over cardboard packaging.
Use single-flute cardboard
Single-flute cardboard is not strong enough for shipping paintings.
In fact, if you remember, I explained to you that I’d had problems sending two paintings when I first started out. This was due to the fact that my cardboard packaging was single-flute. Don’t make the same mistake I did!
Packages in a format totally different from your painting
We tend to want to find a ready-made cardboard box, put the board in it and stuff it with paper to fill the empty space. Don’t do it! This is because your painting will wander around in the box during transport, and this can cause considerable damage to your canvas.
Choosing the ideal box
You need to find a sturdy cardboard box, one that will be able to secure your painting in all circumstances. To achieve this, you need to use a double-flute or, ideally, triple-flute cardboard.
Where to find the boxes?
I naturally turned to the specialists in the field, such as Cartonmarket and Raja, and was quickly surprised and disappointed by what I found. The references for sending paintings were very limited in terms of format, and let’s face it, I wasn’t prepared to spend several dozen euros on a single box! So I quickly abandoned the idea.
So I asked myself, where am I going to find cardboard, and in large format! Then I remembered that every day, behind most stores and stores, I saw dumpsters full of cardboard boxes.
That’s how I got the boxes for most of my shipments. Just ask in the stores if you can pick up a few boxes from their skips(I know it’s not easy when you’re shy – I am!). But honestly, you’ll see that the sellers will be happy that you can take it off their hands! It usually suits them!
Bike stores!
The best advice I can give you right now is to go and get your boxes from bike store skips! In fact, these are the best cardboard boxes for packing your paintings, with the following advantages:
- They’re big! Ideal even for very large rooms
- They’re sturdy: made of double or even triple fluting!
- It’s free!
Ecological approach
Collecting your boxes is not only free, it’s also very environmentally friendly. In effect, you’re reclaiming used cardboard for recycling. So no waste, it’s really time to be eco-responsible…
How do I wrap my painting?
In hindsight, my advice is to make your own packaging for your paintings,using large sheets of cardboard. It takes a bit of work, but it’s the perfect way to make beautiful, sturdy parcels in the perfect size!
What about you?
How do you go about shipping your paintings? Please share your story in the comments below!
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