Packing Paintings for Transporting

You Need:

• Lattice Strips
• Finishing Nails
• Heavy Plastic (a drop cloth will do)
• Thick foam core,
• gator board, or styrofoam

First, cut the lattice strips so that they fit to make a frame around your painting. The lattice should be wider than the stretcher frame of your painting. When you are nailing the lattice to your piece, make sure it over laps the front of your painting by at least 1/2 an inch. This temporary frame protects the corners of your painting and makes handling a wet painting a lot easier to move.

Once you have attached the temporary lattice frame, you can attach the plastic. Tightly stretch it over the front of your painting and staple to the lattice frame. The plastic should not touch the front of the painting if the painting is wet. (If it is dry, than it doesn't matter.) The plastic protects the front of your painting from being harmed.

Now put a piece of foam core, gator board or heavy styrofoam on either side of the painting. (This makes a painting sandwich!) These pieces will be touching the front of the lattice frame and the back of the painting stretcher frame. They will not touch the actual canvas front of the painting. Then tape or tie the two pieces together. The painting is now ready to be safely transported.

For transporting more than one painting, follow the instructions above, then put a piece of foam core, gator board or heavy styrofoam board between the two paintings. (The paintings should be facing into each other-image to image.) Also put a piece of foam core, etc. on the outside of the paintings. Then tie or tape the two pieces together. The paintings can now be transported safely.