Fine Art and Antique Movers in Tampa
Most art damage in a move is predictable: plastic sealed against a canvas, a painting laid flat under something heavy, tape on a frame, or a piece left sitting in a hot truck. Here’s exactly how we pack each kind of piece, so you can judge our work against it.
A packing method for each type of piece
| Piece | How it’s packed |
|---|---|
| Canvas painting | Glassine paper against the paint first, never plastic or bubble wrap directly on the surface. Then padding, corner guards and a carton. Travels standing on edge. |
| Framed piece with glass | Low-tack painter’s tape in an X across the glass, so a crack can’t slide shards across the art. Corner guards, then a mirror carton. |
| Framed piece with acrylic | No tape on the acrylic, since it can pull or haze the surface. Soft wrap and a snug carton instead. |
| Large or valuable works | A custom crate built to the piece, especially oversized canvases, heavy mirrors and glass or stone tops. |
| Sculpture and ceramics | Wrapped individually, braced inside a box or crate so nothing can shift, and labeled for which way is up. |
Art goes on the truck last and comes off first
On a summer afternoon, a closed truck in Tampa gets far hotter than any room in your house. Heat and humidity swings are hard on canvas tension, glues and old varnish.
So art doesn’t sit. It’s loaded at the end, after the furniture, and unloaded first at the new house, straight into a room with the AC already running. If the new place hasn’t cooled down yet, the art goes into the coolest finished room first, never into a hot garage.
Many of our art moves are in South Tampa, Davis Islands and the downtown towers, where the time between the truck and an air-conditioned lobby is short.
Tampa fine art questions
Should I take photos before the move?
Yes. Photograph the front and back of each valuable piece, including any existing chips, cracks or frame wear. It’s your record if a question comes up later.
Do you crate everything?
No. Most framed art travels safely in mirror cartons. Crates are for pieces that are large, heavy, glass or stone, or that you’d never be able to replace.
Can you hang the art at the new place?
Tell us when you book which pieces you want hung and where. It goes into the written scope.
Is a regular moving company OK for valuable art?
For household art and family antiques, a careful crew with the right materials is usually enough. For museum-grade or very high-value works, a dedicated fine art shipper with its own transit insurance may be the better choice. We’ll tell you honestly which one your piece needs.
Related: White glove moving · Piano moving · Grandfather clocks and heavy pieces
Moving art or antiques in Tampa?
Send photos of the pieces and their sizes. You’ll get a guaranteed price.