What you get
- Numbered inventory that matches every package
- Wrapping chosen for each medium
- Paintings secured upright, never stacked flat
- Crate advice for valuable or unusual pieces
- Timing planned around heat and humidity
Start with a list and a photograph
Before anything is wrapped, we go through the pieces with you and make a simple inventory. Each work gets a reference number and a matching label on its packaging, and we suggest you photograph every piece front and back, including any existing marks. This is good practice for any collection, large or small. If a work has value beyond the sentimental, also speak to your own insurer before moving day and ask how it is covered during transport. It is a short call that is much better made in advance.
Wrapping chosen for the piece
Plastic pressed directly against an oil painting is a poor idea. Paint and varnish can react to it, particularly in heat. So we choose layers based on what the work actually is. Tell us about the medium if you know it, and share any instructions from the gallery or artist that sold it.
- Canvas and oils: a clean, soft first layer, nothing rubbing against the surface, then corner protection and rigid sheets on both sides.
- Framed works on paper: glass taped or protected as appropriate, with a firm backing to stop flexing.
- Sculpture and ceramics: padded in layers and fixed so nothing can shift, with fragile points supported.
- Antique furniture: soft blankets over old finishes, and no tape anywhere near the veneer.
Some valuable or unusual pieces need a purpose-built crate. If we think yours does, we will say so, and include it in the quote before you commit to anything.
Upright, secured and out of the sun
Paintings travel on edge, not flat, and not stacked against one another. In the truck, they are secured in their own section, away from boxes and furniture that can shift. Heat and humidity are real concerns here, because a UAE summer afternoon can be hard on old glue, canvas and timber. So we plan timing with that in mind, limit outdoor waiting at each end and take the direct route between addresses wherever possible.
Placing it at the other end
When the art arrives, it should stay wrapped until the room is ready. There is no reason to unpack a painting next to a painter touching up the wall. We carry each piece to the room you choose, unwrap it with you and check it against the list. Rest paintings against padded blocks until you have decided on the final position, and away from air-conditioning vents and direct afternoon sun. A home's balance often comes down to where one important piece hangs. Take your time with that part, because we will already have done the hard bit.
