Large, bulky antiques strike fear into the hearts of all soon-to-be movers. Fragile and expensive is a tricky combination, and as such must be packed and loaded with the utmost care to prevent the unmentionable from happening.
The following items are the most common type of antiques and collectibles that are at risk of being damaged while being moved:
- Antique wooden furniture
- Large ceramics and sculptures
- Oversized mirrors and paintings
Padding, Padding, Padding
Moving antiques is not the time to be stingy with packing materials. Every corner and surface needs to be padded with heavy moving blankets (or thick comforters and blankets for the thrifty do-it-yourselfer). Moving any piece of furniture without padding all but ensures that the piece will arrive with unforseen scratches, gouges, or tears. So again, it is of the utmost importance to tightly pad all furniture!
Pay special attention to delicate legs, drawer knobs, and glass doors when wrapping. For added security, cut apart some large moving boxes and tape them over the moving blankets covering any glass doors and remove all door knobs and legs whenever possible.
How to Prevent Sticky Tape Marks
If you’ve ever taken a moment to watch a mover at work, you may wonder, “Why do they use so much tape?” Tape is the bedrock of proper packing: too little, and everything falls apart. But the last thing you want is sticky tape residue rubbed onto the finish of your grandmother’s antique armoire you inherited when you wed or on your priceless 1920s antique walnut china cabinet. Forget the Goo Gone and opt for packing prevention instead by taping sticky side up on exposed furniture and then re-taping over the sticky layer.
This is moot when using the packing services of a professional moving company, since movers typically shrink wrap all large items after securing them in thick moving blankets.
Get Insurance and an Appraisal
If you have a painting or art piece valued over $20,000 (or something similar) get it appraised. Then present the appraisal paperwork to a moving insurance company so that you can get coverage that will compensate you for the full value of the item if anything should occur. You can also visit MovingInsurance.com for more information.