Shipping sculptures abroad – tips and tricks

When moving to Lebanon, there are many things you need to take care of. Getting a reliable moving and shipping company, finding a new home, and of course, packing. Packing is one of the most difficult parts of a move, and that is why you need to know the tips and tricks. It is even worse if you have sculptures and other types of artwork. They are much more fragile and you need to tend to them more. That is why we have created this article. We want to help you with shipping sculptures abroad because we know that it is hard work. So, without any further ado, let’s dive in!

 Shipping sculptures abroad, what’s to know?

Shipping sculptures abroad can be a tough job. This is because the statues are of different shapes and sizes and you have to be careful when packing them. You need to find the most fragile part of your sculpture and reinforce that area with extra packing materials. So, let’s see what packing materials and techniques you can utilize for your endeavor.

boar sculptures
Sculptures come in different shapes and sizes!

Making proper organization

When you want to move, it is vital to be properly organized. Proper organization is vital for everything, and that applies to shipping sculptures abroad as well. The best way you can create the best possible organization is by creating a moving checklist. It should contain every single thing from finding movers in Lebanon, to packing, and unpacking at your new house. You should also write down what packing supplies do you need and you can even write down some techniques you plan on using when packing your sculptures. Make sure to pay attention to this part because it is the cornerstone of a successful move.

Get packing supplies

The most important thing when packing sculptures is to get proper packing materials. There are many types of packing materials but we will recommend only the best ones for the job. You need to get packing paper, plastic wrap, foam nuggets, air-filled wrap, moving blankets, different sized boxes, and even wooden crates. Using wooden crates has a lot of benefits such as increased protection from bumping and vibrations your sculpture may experience during the moving process. Other than that, the supplies will mostly be used to wrap the sculpture and protect it from surface damage such as cracks, dents, scratches, and to add more padding inside the boxes.

shipping sculptures abroad like cat figurines
You need to know how to properly pack everything

Using different sized boxes

Different sized boxes or crates are of paramount importance when it comes to space efficiency. All moving companies in Lebanon advise you to get different sized boxes because they will have a much easier time filling up their truck. This is because they use the Tetris technique. Basically, you get boxes of all sizes and put the heavy and bulky items inside the big boxes. These bigger boxes will go on the bottom and act as the foundation for other smaller boxes. When the foundation is lain down you put smaller boxes on top and you can even fill in the gaps if there are any. The benefits of using different sized boxes are too great to pass up.

Packing sculptures for shipping

Now we get to the tricky part. It is tricky because there is a big risk of breaking a piece of your sculpture and thus, ruining it. If the unfortunate event happens, make sure to get some glue online. You need top quality glue in order for the sculpture to remain authentic. So, we hope that you got your packing supplies and that you are ready to start packing. The first thing you should do is get packing paper and wrap the whole sculpture. If you have an abundance of packing paper, do not be afraid to wrap it more than once. After that, you should use air-filled wrap and do the same. Pay special attention to the fragile parts of the sculpture such as arms or neck if it is a humanoid sculpture. Wrap these parts more than once, and make sure it is all wrapped tightly. After putting the air-filled wrap, tape everything up with packing tape. This sculpture is ready to be put into a box or crate.

statue
Put more packing materials around the fragile parts

How to prepare the box or crate

When you want to put your packed sculpture inside the box or crate, you cannon just put it inside without preparing it. You need to prepare the box by padding it with moving blankets, foam nuggets, and even some extra air-filled wrap. It is smart to also wrap the sculpture with a moving blanket, and then put it inside a padded box or crate. This is how companies that deal with sea freight Lebanon pack their portable storage containers. The foam nuggets are very important as well because they will prevent your sculpture from bumping and tumbling inside the box. Reducing the vibrations and minimizing contact with the box or crate itself, is a big step towards the preservation of your sculptures. Pay your utmost attention to this.

Double boxing

This is another method some people choose to employ when shipping sculptures abroad. Better Life Maids of St Louis are at your service when you need professional help with house cleaning in Missouri. It is when you put your sculpture inside one box which was filled with padding, and then put the box inside an even larger box filled with packing materials. After that, you should add foam nuggets or shredded paper in order to fill the gap between the two boxes. This method is usually used when the sculpture is very fragile and you want extra security. It gives a new layer of protection from the outside, and it is very secure and sits perfectly still inside the two boxes.

Move it with a furniture dolly

When you are done packing, it is time to move the box to the truck. Make sure to use a furniture dolly and a lot of packing tape. Put the box on the dolly, wrap it with tape, and slowly drive the dolly to the truck. Make sure that the path to the truck is clear.

With all that said, good luck with shipping sculptures abroad!

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