Picture and Painting storage advice

Posted on by Domestic Abuse Help

Tips and advice for packing picture,  paintings and artwork

Foam corner padding & protection

Foam picture frame protection

You may have priceless artwork hanging in the great hall or a lovely photograph taken outside Sydney opera house or just your childrens first piece of artwork, framed and on the wall.  But if you are moving house, relocating abroad sending a picture or painting by courier or just putting your artwork into self storage for a while you need to know what materials are available and how best to wrap and protect your valuables?

So to save damaging the frames which can be costly even for a relatively simple one, not to mention the picture or the irreplaceable painting you need to wrap them well and protect them as much as possible.

Here is a guide from The Box Warehouse on packing, storing or posting your framed works of art:

Remember we all have our own opinions and putting more packaging around your valuables will always protect them more, but may cost more too. 

•Firstly cut a piece of thick ideally double walled cardboard to the shape of the glass covering the picture, if it is a painting then still cover with the rectangle of cardboard, but also put a layer of bubblewrap between the painting and the cardboard to avoid damage.  Doubling or even more layers would certainly offer more protection, bubblewrap is a universal cushion and would also help protect the glass in the frames too.

•Using masking tape, tape the cardboard to the picture frame to hold the thick cardboard layer in place,  the cardboard will most likely be cut from an old possibly used cardboard box which you nolonger need.

•Then using the U profile foam lengths or pre made foam corners, protect the edges/ corners and use masking tape again to hold in place.  The lengths of foam are 2m long and can be easily cut to size using a sharp pair of scissors, they can be quickly and easily made into corners or for added strength go completely around the frame.  Alternatively use the premade foam corners and tape into place.

•Finally wrap the whole picture frame in cardboard and using plenty of tape, to hold it firmly on the frame, then post or put into storage, you should be safe now.

•If putting into storage remember to label them up as taking all that wrapping off will be a real problem?

Handle with care label

Handle with care

•Using printed tape or large warning labels such as handle with care or fragile will always help as it warns anyone that the contents are breakable or easily damaged?

More helpful hints and tips on packaging, posting and storing your furniture, property and valuables.

Written by Paul Hopkins of The Box Warehouse Ltd

www.theboxwarehouse.co.uk

Recycling as opposed to reusing Boxes

Posted on by Domestic Abuse Help

Reusing boxes is easy, take a box that has been used and use it again, simple. They might be slightly damaged, dented or have tape all over them and possibly metal staples, but there is no waste as there are no trees cut down, minimal transportation and zero manufacturing, in other words they are carbon footprint of virtually zero.
We at The Box Warehouse try to get hold of as many reusable boxes as possible, but unfortunately too many boxes are being stored, transported to sorting facilities who remove all the tape string and metal staples, then they are sent to the paper pulping factory to turn the used cardboard removal boxes into paper, which is then transported to the box corrugation factory to be turned into cardboard, which is then transported to the box manufacturer where the cardboard rolls/ sheets are then made into boxes. These boxes are then stored in their warehouse until transported to wholesalers, retails and other end users, such as warehouses and retail house movers. Please tell me how much work and effort went into remaking, storing and transporting these boxes to reproduce cardboard boxes which look nice and clean yet do the same practical job as a second hand box which is reused.
I think the ‘Green’ movement has gone crazy, mad or is just plain stupid, when companies are not allowed to let people have the used boxes as the Green way is to recycle them, how stupid! We sell mostly ‘recycled’ boxes made from waste reconstituted wood pulp from previously used boxes. Our customers think they are being green asking for recycled boxes, when second had used boxes would be far greener for the ecology of the world.
Recycled compared to New wood pulp Boxes
As above, there are many processes involved in recycling cardboard to then be made into new boxes.
Boxes made from a high percentage of recycled materials are generally found to be of a lesser quality than boxes made from new wood pulp. The little know fact about making boxes direct from the trees is that all the trees that are cut down are replaced on average by around 3 new sapling which will grow into trees, this is sustainable growth, so in the long-term there will actually be far more trees growing all over Europe than we have today. So where is the ecological disaster from cutting down all those trees, there isnt one, the disaster is how huge the carbon footprint is when boxes are recycled.
In my humble opinion, the best way to save the world is to reuse everything and not recycle. In the case of cardboard, using new boxes which are superior in quality to boxes made from recycled box pulp and have a smaller carbon footprint, then newly made boxer are much greener after all.
So please don’t ask what percentage of your boxes are made from recycled paper, ask do you sell second hand boxes first and then ask for ‘new’ boxes and stop the huge waste of manpower and energy and help to actually save the planet not just be seen to be ‘doing the right thing!’
Author: Paul Hopkins, Director at The Box Warehouse Ltd

http://www.theboxwarehouse.co.uk