Sizes and weights
Typical ranges for what we actually meet in Central London rather than one manufacturer's specification. Measure yours before you rely on them.
| Type | Size | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Framed print or photograph | up to about 100 x 70cm3 to 10kg | 3 to 10kg |
| Large framed canvas | 100 to 200cm on the long edge8 to 25kg | 8 to 25kg |
| Overmantel or large mirror | 120 to 200cm, glass and often gilt framed20 to 50kg | 20 to 50kg |
| Sculpture or ceramic | varies, usually crated rather than wrappedvaries | varies |
For reference, a standard UK internal door is 762mm. Older Central London stock is often narrower. Full door and van measurements.
Will it fit?
How does a large piece go through a door?
On its edge and at an angle, which means the diagonal of the doorway rather than its width is what you have against the height of the piece. A 762mm by 1981mm door has a diagonal of about 212cm, so a 200cm painting goes through where a straight measurement says it does not.
Should it ever be carried flat?
No. Framed work and canvases travel and are carried vertically, on the long edge, with a hand at each end. Carried flat a large canvas flexes across its middle and a stretched canvas that has flexed can craze. Flat is also how corners get knocked, because nobody can see them.
What goes against the surface?
Nothing plastic. Glassine or acid free tissue against the work, then a board or foam, then bubble wrap on the outside of that. Bubble wrap directly against a varnished or oiled surface can bond to it in a warm van, and that is not a reversible mistake.
What about glazed pieces?
Glass is taped in a cross or covered with low tack film so that if it breaks it does not travel into the work. It is the cheapest precaution on this page and the one most often skipped.
How we move artwork
- Each piece is wrapped individually, with a non plastic layer against the surface
- Glazing is taped or filmed so broken glass cannot reach the work
- Corners get purpose made protectors rather than folded cardboard
- Pieces travel vertically in the van, in a rack or against a padded side, never stacked flat
- Nothing is placed on top of a wrapped piece at any point
- For high value work we crate rather than wrap, which is quoted separately
When this stops being a routine job
Anything of significant value, anything unframed or unglazed, and anything going into or out of a gallery or a saleroom with its own handling requirements. We crate rather than wrap for those, arrange declared cover, and want the details a week ahead rather than on the day.
The insurance conversation, which is the important one
Our goods in transit cover applies to artwork as it does to anything else, with a per item limit like any policy. For prints, photographs and decorative pieces that is the end of it.
For anything worth more than a few thousand pounds, tell us the value when you book. We declare it, and where the figure warrants it we arrange specific cover rather than relying on the standard policy. The failure mode here is not a mover refusing to pay, it is a piece quietly being worth four times the per item limit and nobody having said so.
Mirrors, which are art for these purposes
A large overmantel or gilt framed mirror is handled exactly like a painting: filmed or taped glass, non plastic layer against the frame, corner protection, carried on edge and never laid flat.
The difference is weight. A 180cm gilt mirror can be 40kg with all of it in a fragile frame, and it is a two person carry on any staircase. Old gilt frames in particular are gesso over timber and they chip if anything touches them, which is why they get the same treatment as the paintings rather than being treated as furniture.
Before we arrive
- Tell us the value at the quote stage so the insurance is declared rather than assumed
- Photograph each piece before it is wrapped, including any existing damage
- Take pieces off the wall yourself if you are comfortable, or leave them and say so
- Say if anything is unframed, unglazed or newly varnished, since all three change the handling
- Have somewhere at the other end where pieces can stand upright rather than being laid down
What tends to go wrong
Bubble wrap straight onto the surface
In a warm van the plastic can bond to varnish or oil paint and lift it when removed. It is one of the most common ways art is damaged in transit and it is entirely avoidable with a sheet of glassine or acid free tissue underneath.
Stacking pieces flat
A stack of framed work puts the weight of everything above onto the glass and stretchers below. Pieces travel upright, separated, in a rack or against a padded side. It takes more van space and it is the correct way.
Assuming standard insurance covers it
Goods in transit policies generally carry a per item limit, and a painting worth more than that limit is underinsured by default rather than by anyone's dishonesty. Declaring the value at the quote stage is the whole fix and it takes one sentence.
Artwork and painting transport: common questions
How much does it cost to transport artwork in London?
Between £100 and £460 including VAT, most near £195. A few framed pieces with good access is £100 to £170. A larger collection, or work that needs crating rather than wrapping, runs £240 to £460. Crating is quoted separately because it is made to the piece.
How do you wrap a painting?
Glassine or acid free tissue against the surface, then board or foam, then bubble wrap on the outside of that. Never plastic directly against the work, because in a warm van it can bond to varnish and lift it. Glazing is taped or filmed so broken glass cannot reach the piece.
Do paintings travel flat or upright?
Upright, always, on the long edge, in a rack or against a padded side with nothing on top. Carried or stacked flat, a large canvas flexes across its middle and can craze, and the corners get knocked because nobody can see them.
Is my artwork insured?
Our goods in transit cover applies, with a per item limit as any policy has. For anything worth more than a few thousand pounds, tell us the value at the quote stage and we declare it or arrange specific cover. Underinsurance here comes from nobody mentioning the value, not from anyone refusing to pay.
Can you crate a piece rather than wrap it?
Yes, and for high value or unglazed work it is the right answer. A crate is made to the piece, so it is quoted separately and needs about a week. For anything going to a saleroom or a gallery with its own handling requirements, it is usually what they will ask for.
Do you move large mirrors?
Yes, handled exactly like paintings: glass filmed or taped, non plastic layer against the frame, corner protection and carried on edge. A 180cm gilt mirror can be 40kg in a gesso frame that chips if anything touches it, so it is a two person carry throughout.
Other single items
Moving more than one thing?
This page is about artwork on its own. The single item and furniture delivery page covers the service generally, and what a move costs prices a whole flat or house.
Across Central London
We move artwork anywhere in the 37 areas we cover. What changes between them is the parking and the staircase, which is what decides where in the band you land.