How to pack a painting for a move or after a sale?

Paintings, frames, canvases… how to pack them safely before transport or sale? In this article, we guide you step-by-step to choose the right materials (cardboard, foam, bubble pouch, etc.) and guarantee the safety of your artworks.

Historically, at La Bulle, our core business is art packaging. It was only later that we developed a whole range of display stands for art objects and then custom-made art bases. Initially, La Bulle was a junk cart and Jojo, the founding father, wandering the aisles of the Puces de Paris, as well as antique fairs across France. La Bulle became a landmark in the world of antique dealers. It was the place to find everything needed to create a proper art package. Bubble wrap rolls, tape, among other things, delighted professionals. Indeed, for them, it was a guarantee of seriousness with their customers. Ensuring quality packaging after a sale. A veritable mobile packaging store was born, to the delight of everyone.
In an effort to meet the needs of these customers as closely as possible, Joël adapted his offer. From bubble wrap rolls, he quickly offered bubble pouches in a new format. This format was for paintings. By offering this unique format, La Bulle became a reference for antique dealers.
Years passed and the packaging store settled at 28 bis rue Paul Bert in the heart of the Puces de Saint-Ouen. The service diversified, and today La Bulle can offer you a custom packaging service, including the creation of wooden crates with internal padding material to keep your artwork safe. We create quality packaging for the transport of your artworks.
Please note that we do not handle shipping.
After all these years of listening to our customers about their art packaging needs, we are able to give you expert advice regarding the packaging of your art objects.

So, you need to pack your art object for a move or after a sale, and you don't know where to start. Here are the 5 essential products for creating quality art packaging.

Double corrugated art packaging box
Good art packaging necessarily involves choosing a good box.
Choose between double or triple corrugated; this is an important step in creating your art packaging.
Single corrugated cardboard is a standard packaging box suitable for low-value items. If you want to package high-quality artworks, opt for the more rigid and resistant triple corrugated cardboard.
The size of the box is also crucial.
Indeed, a box that is too small will cause your object to be pressed against the packaging walls and receive all the vibrations from any impact.
A box that is too large will allow your art object to move around inside the packaging.
In all cases, it is necessary to use cushioning systems. Triple corrugated cardboard boxes are perfect for protecting your artworks during transport,
a move, or simply for storing your art objects.
 

If you have paintings to pack, the ideal is to use a painting box.
Easy to use, it is sized according to your painting.
For maximum protection, we recommend combining it with a bubble wrap pouch designed specifically for packing paintings.

Triple corrugated cardboard boxes

Cushioning material, like flowpack or kraft paper

Cushioning material is an essential element for creating good art packaging.
It can be of several types.
You can use kraft paper, available in rolls and ideal for creating a kind of nest on which you place your art objects.
You can also use wheat starch cushioning, also known as bio part or chips.
You place your "chips" inside the box and place your object on top. Don't forget to cover your object with chips to ensure ideal protection.
Cushioning chips are recommended for three-dimensional artworks.

Tape is often the last step in packaging, but certainly not the least important. Quality adhesive tape ensures a strong and durable seal for your cardboard box, even with repeated handling. Avoid thin or low-quality tapes that may come unstuck due to weight or temperature fluctuations. At La Bulle, we recommend using reinforced adhesive or water-activated kraft tape, which is both aesthetic and ecological. Apply it to all openings of the box, paying special attention to corners and stress areas, to ensure the best possible hold for your art packaging.

In the wonderful world of art packaging, there is a specific challenge: the painting.
Packing a painting is no easy feat.
Often large and fragile, its packaging requires suitable products.
The uniqueness of painting packaging led us to the creation of bubble wrap pouches adapted to the dimensions of your artworks.
To properly pack a painting or a frame, you need:

When packing a painting, simply putting it in a cardboard box is not enough.
No, the job also involves protecting it from the inside. So, you start with foam corners that you place on each of the angles.
Several sizes of foam corners are available to best adapt to the size of your painting's frame. At La Bulle, we sell foam corners in our packaging store, as well as on our online shop.

Discover the foam corner

 

 We have created an area entirely dedicated to art packaging in the heart of the Puces de Paris Saint-Ouen market.
The location is ideal for this, as the Puces de Saint-Ouen is the largest antique market in the world. Every weekend, art lovers from all over the world, antique hunters, and other art enthusiasts pass through it.
Our station is perfectly located at 28 bis rue Paul Bert, opposite our workshop-boutique. You will find all the products mentioned above: bubble pouches, tape, packaging boxes, and cushioning material, essential for quality packaging.
But we wanted to go further and offer you a complete bespoke packaging service.

When you visit us at what could also be called a packing station.

Imagine it like a Texaco service station.

We offer a range of services; you'll find the basic products for packaging.

We can create simple packaging for you that requires little expertise, such as for a plexiglass photo frame, but also more sophisticated art packaging like robust and solid wooden crates.

Each project is handled with the same high standard: to ensure optimal protection, whether your artwork is destined for transport, shipping, or simply storage. Thanks to our expertise and professional materials, we provide packaging that is safe, precise, and respectful of your most precious pieces.

Available as part of our custom packaging service

We follow the contours of the object as closely as possible.

How do we proceed? You can also create this type of packaging if you have the right equipment.
First, you need to create an impression of your object in foam, then insert the object into the crate and, most importantly, secure it well.
The secret to well-made packaging: the object must not move inside the cardboard or wooden crate.
Hence the creation of an impression where the bird here is placed for maximum security.
Insertion of the impression into the crate Double-protection wooden-cardboard crate

In summary, good art packaging primarily involves using quality and suitable materials.
Undamaged packaging boxes, tape that adheres well, bubble pouches thick enough for maximum protection, as well as foam corners of the correct size.
Regarding self-packing, carefully pack your object and protect it from the box walls so that it has minimal contact with any potential impact vibrations.
Finally, for custom packaging, entrust your objects to us; we will pack them with precision.
You are ready to start art packaging!
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