Yes. Framed prints, posters, mirrors and everyday pictures store well in a unit when they’re wrapped, stood upright and kept off the floor. For original paintings, or anything you couldn’t replace, call us before you book and we’ll talk through whether a unit is the right place and how to set your cover.
Why originals deserve a quick call
Our units are clean, dry and secure, watched around the clock by a professional CCTV monitoring company, and every unit has its own alarm. They aren’t heated or climate-controlled, though, and fine art can be sensitive to changes in humidity over a long stay. For most pictures, good packing handles that. For a valuable or irreplaceable original, a specialist art store may suit it better, and we’d rather help you decide that before moving day than after.
How to pack framed pictures
- Run glass tape across the glass, so that if it ever cracks the pieces stay together and off the picture, then cover the front with acid-free tissue.
- For an unglazed oil or acrylic painting, lay glassine paper over the front, and make sure nothing presses on the paint.
- Fit corner protectors, because frames are weakest at the corners. Our Box Shop sells foam ones made for picture frames and mirrors.
- Wrap the frame in bubble wrap for the journey, and carry each picture by both sides, never by the hanging wire.
- In the unit, stand pictures upright on edge, on blocks or a pallet, never stacked flat. Put the largest at the back and a sheet of card between each one.
Once they’re in place, open up the bubble wrap so air can move, and lay a breathable cover, such as a cotton sheet, over the stack. Sealed plastic left on for months can trap moisture. Unframed prints and drawings are the one thing to store flat, in an acid-free folder or box, raised off the floor.
Getting your cover right
Everything you store is covered by our contents protection or your own insurance. For a print, you declare what it would cost to buy new. For a work of art that can’t be bought new, you use its current market value, so if you’re not sure what a painting is worth, it can help to have it valued first. Contents protection is there for events such as fire, a burst pipe or a break-in. It doesn’t cover gradual damage from damp in the air, which is why the packing above matters.
Artists, galleries and framers
Easels, stretchers, empty frames and display stands store well. Paint, solvents and anything flammable stay out, and a freshly finished painting is best kept at home until it no longer smells of paint. The unit is for storage only, not a studio. If you’re storing a body of original work, call us first so we can help you plan the space and the cover.
To find a unit, get a price online or call us on 0800 2545585 and tell us about any originals.
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