How to Pack Pictures and Mirrors for Moving

The process of packing an entire household will be, by far, the most time-consuming task in your moving calendar.

That is why we advise people moving home to start their packing projects as soon as they learn that they will be moving.

To help people on the move, a large section of our moving blog is dedicated to the arduous process of packing up your home for a move.

We’ve got packing tips covering each major room in your home, as well as most major household items found in them.

And we continue to offer the best packing tips in this guide to packing pictures and mirrors for your upcoming home move.

You may also like to read: The Top 10 Packing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them. Because packing for a home move is not something most people do regularly, it is easy to make costly mistakes. In this guide, we share the top 10 most common packing mistakes and how to avoid them.

Throughout this article, we will refer to Bubble Wrap® (the trademark of Sealed Air Corporation) and the name by which most people refer to air-filled plastic packaging.

What Do I Need for Packing Pictures and Mirrors?

One of the most important aspects of safe packing is gathering together all packing materials in the required quantities.

You may not fully realise it, but good quality packing materials will contribute greatly to the safety of the overall packing process.

In a desperate attempt to save some money, one of the common packing mistakes that most people make when packing up their things before moving day is to either use substandard packing supplies or get really stingy with them.

Keep in mind that both pre-move scenarios can be equally dangerous, not only for the packed items themselves but for all participants in the house move as well.

When packing fragile and potentially expensive framed artwork, the choice of what packing supplies to use and where to find them becomes a vital one.

Read on to learn what you need to pack pictures for a move.

#1 Cardboard boxes

The cardboard boxes you use for moving framed art should be clean, sturdy, and in excellent overall condition.

Their sizes do matter as you will be wrapping up picture or photo frames of different sizes, and even shapes, so you need to have a pretty good idea about the dimensions and quantity of your breakable items before getting your boxes.

Ideally, whilst expensive, specialised packing boxes for framed pictures, photos, and paintings called picture boxes offer the best protection.

However, to save some money, for larger pieces of art or mirrors, a bicycle box is ideal.

For valuable artwork, you may consider using custom art crates which your local removal company will be able to help you with.

You will also need some sheets of cardboard to protect the glass on your pictures and mirrors – more of which later.

#2 Bubble wrap®

Bubble wrap is essential for the success of your packing project.

It’s no secret that the air-filled plastic material provides the ultimate protection when wrapping up extremely fragile items that are prone to damage during the various stages of the house-moving process.

#3 Pool noodles

Pool noodles or foam pipe lagging are ideal for protecting the edges of the frames during their relocation.

#4 Blankets

Thick blankets are ideal as another layer of protection and can be used as a cheap alternative to bubble wrap®.

#5 Packing tape

Try to purchase the best packing tape you can afford. Cheap tape is a nightmare to work with and often is less adhesive than the more expensive variety, so tends to come unstuck the moment you move that item.

Also, get a roll of wide masking tape which will be used to help protect the glass on your mirrors and pictures.

#6 A set of colour markers or coloured tapes

A single black marker is also fine, of course, but different colours will grab the attention of whoever’s handling your packed picture frames and mirrors and alert them to the fragile nature of what’s inside the picture boxes.

Big red letters (FRAGILE, ARTWORK, THIS SIDE UP) should be noticed more easily than smaller black inscriptions.

As soon as you have assembled the recommended materials for packing pictures for moving, you can progress to the actual packing process itself.

You may also like to read: The Top 10 Most Commonly Damaged Items During a Home Move. In this guide, we list the top 10 most commonly damaged items when moving home, and share how to pack them properly to prevent any damage to your precious items.

How to Pack Pictures for Moving Home

Now that you have the supplies ready, let’s follow the consecutive steps to packing pictures when moving house.

#1 Gather your pictures and mirrors

Gather all your pictures and mirrors together as it is easier to pack them if you can group similar-sized pictures in the same box.

#2 Decide which pictures you want to pack

Sort through your assembled pictures and decide if you want to take them with you to your new home or want to give them away, sell them, or donate them.

Remember that the more things you have to pack and move, the more expensive your relocation cost will be.

#3 Protect the glass

Using the masking tape, place an ‘X’ on the glass ensuring that the tape does not touch the frame, which could leave a residue when removed.

The idea is that in the unlikely event that the glass shatters, the tape will hold the fragments in place and help prevent any injuries whilst unpacking them.

Now cut sheets of cardboard to cover the glass on each frame and place the cardboard over the glass.

There is no need to tape them in place as the entire item will be wrapped later in the process.

#5 Protect the frames

Attach the pool noodles around the edge of each frame by just cutting along the length of the pool noodles and pushing it onto the frame edge.

This will also help keep the cardboard in place on the glass.

#4 Wrap the frames

Lay out the bubble wrap® or blankets, ensuring that they are big enough to wrap the entire frame at least twice.

Now place the frames, with the glass facing you, into the centre of the packing material.

Wrap the entire frame several times in the bubble wrap® or blanket, ensuring that the cardboard and edging protection cannot move about or come off.

#5 Tape the package

Now a couple of turns of packing tape should be used to keep the wrapped frames as a tight bundle.

#6 Prepare the packing box

It is OK to pack multiple pictures into one box as long as the weight does not exceed 20kg, which is the maximum safe handling weight of any box.

Group like-sized pictures together as this makes packing easier.

Select a box that is about 10cm larger on all sides than the pictures you are packing.

Pad the bottom of the box with scrunched-up paper, bubble wrap®, or an old towel or blanket. The idea is to create a cushion at the bottom of the box that your pictures will nestle into.

Place your wrapped frames into the box leaving about 10cm on the sides and top for more packing protection.

The frames should never be laid flat in the box, always on their edges.

Ensure that the pictures cannot move around inside the box by filling all the empty spaces with scrunched-up paper, bubble wrap®, or towels.

Add a final layer of protection on top of the frames, which should protrude slightly above the walls of the box.

When you close the box lid, the top layer will compress and add further protection.

Now seal the boxes with good-quality tape.

#7 Label the box

The final step is to mark the box as fragile, artwork, glass, this way up.

This will ensure that the loaders take extra care when handling these boxes.

IMPORTANT: If your framed artwork is antique and/or extremely valuable, then you are strongly recommended to do two things: 1) Have them packed and possibly crated by professional packers, and 2) Purchase additional insurance for them.

You may also like to read: How to Pack Awkward and Odd-Shaped Items. It may be that you have artwork or mirrors that do not fit into conventionally sized boxes. In this guide, we explain how to make bespoke-sized cardboard boxes as well as share packing tips for commonly found odd-shaped things in a home.

How to Pack a Mirror for Moving

Now that you are aware of how to pack paintings when moving, or any other framed art for that matter, it’s time to say a few words about packing mirrors when moving house.

The steps to wrapping up mirrors for safe transportation are roughly the same as the ones described above.

The main challenge here comes from the easily breakable reflective surface of mirrors – something you should protect at all costs.

An initial double layer of Bubble wrap® over the delicate surface is a must, as is additional paper padding before the mirror is inserted into the picture box.

Should you own an antique mirror or one that is too valuable to you for one reason or another, speak with your movers about possible crating solutions and explore the various insurance options as well.

You may also like to read: Home Moving Insurance – Do I Need It? One of the most common home moving mistakes is that people underinsure their belongings. In this guide, we tell you all you need to know about home moving insurance.

Bonus Tips for Packing Pictures and Mirrors for Moving

Here’s some final advice on how to pack pictures and mirrors for moving.

• You’ve probably guessed by now that safety is everything when moving pictures, paintings, and mirrors to another home. Therefore, don’t waste valuable time trying to make your packed breakables look presentable, but concentrate on making them as safe and protected as they can be.
• Packing fragile pictures, paintings, and mirrors is a delicate task that requires experience above all. If you don’t have enough time to dedicate to the packing process, or if you’re moving long-distance, or if you own antique and/or valuable framed objects, then you should do the sensible thing and hire professional packers to get the peace of mind you deserve.
• If you’ve decided to move on your own rather than hire professional relocation services, then make sure you position the packed framed items in the moving vehicle vertically, not horizontally. Also, you want to prevent heavy items from coming into contact with your breakables during transit and never stack other items on top of the picture boxes.
• A final reminder about insurance. You should be aware that many insurance companies, and indeed removal companies, will not insure your items if you have packed them yourself, so check any insurance policy very carefully.

You may also like to read: Are Professional Packers Worth the Cost? Packing for a home move is one of the most time-consuming and arduous tasks to be done. Most people who have moved home will tell you that hiring professional packers was the best value for money thing they did during their home move. In this guide, we look at what professional packers do, how much on average they cost, and how they will make your home move so much easier.

Good luck with your home move and don’t forget to visit our home moving blog for lots more tips on how to make your home move easier, cheaper, and safer.

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