Working with shipment of paintings a few years, I've noticed a trend. Customers receiving parcels by our post, often express doubt that they will receive their painting safe and sound. Given that there are many cases of negligence of postal employees. We've read many of them here on Livemaster. These fears are not groundless.
Therefore, I always thoroughly pack paintings. Especially if it is a painting on canvas with stretcher. I used to spend much time on it. I could spend 4-6 hours on a painting and two hours on its packing. I cut a box with a size of a picture, counting the dimensions, allowances, additional strengthening. Then I had the templates for the standard size, but I couldn't greatly reduce the packing time. Now I do this much faster and more safely!
Today I'll show you how to package a painting with the lowest labor costs.
Note that we won't use the most common materials — a box, foam and bubble film. I totally don't understand why the latter has gained such a love of artists.

Our mission:

1. Safe packing.
2. Low-budget.
3. Not labor-intensive.

At the end of the post I'll write notes on the materials used.

So, let's start!

I will package my work with a size of 40 by 50 cm

1. Put a picture on a polystyrene plate and cut 2 parts so that each side has the allowances of 0.5-1 cm, depending on the value of the work. In my case it is 42 to 52 cm. You have to do that to protect the edges and corners. (On small works with a small weight I make allowances of 2 mm. Just wrap with duct tape, additionally wrap the corners). This is necessary for the works with a size of 30 to 40 and more (especially for the subframes on linen canvas, they are heavy).

2. Protect the surface of the painting with a soft dense material. To do that, wrap the work with foamed polyethylene on two sides, do not forget about the allowances for the thickness of the sub-frame on all three sides.

Secure with duct tape in places. You can do that by the length of the tape.

Cut the corners and fold using cardboard boxes method.

3. Cut a strip of polyethylene foam with the thickness of the subframe. Secure one end with duct tape on the end of the sub-frame (preferably not on a corner) and wrap it with the strip to the level of the polystyrene plate, or slightly protruding. I needed to wrap it 1 time (the width — 4 mm).

To save time it is better to prepare a roll of such tape, 4 mm thick.

4. Close the painting with plates on two sides and seal with duct tape at the edges and at the center.

The corners can be glued additionally.

5. Put a picture in a plastic zip bag or if there is no package of the desired size, you can ask to wrap a small picture in paper at the post. It is better to have a couple of packages in stock. At the post there is not always the right size, so I ordered here on Livemaster.

I sent a picture without extra packaging, because there was no packaging of such sizes at the post office. But, not every post office can agree to that. Although they are supposed to! The most important thing is that all the pictures and inscriptions on the package should be inside.

How to pack a big picture.

Large paintings need extra protection. As they have a large area. Something heavy can be put or dropped on your parcel. And inside there is a canvas, which can deform under heavy weight.

So, additionally place a polystyrene plate inside!

Attention! The inner plate should not be thicker than the frame, otherwise a canvas will be curved. For these purposes it is better to use grey polystyrene with a thickness of 20 mm. Orange one is a little thicker!

Put strips of corrugated cardboard or polyethylene foam (3-4 mm) along the perimeter of the subframe. The height of the subframe and the inputs must be the same. Some canvases with a thick subframe (Tuyukan) do not need alignment. The plate can be half smaller in size (in case you don't have polystyrene of a larger size, see the photo). It's not bad, as long as a canvas is protected in the center from bending.

Ready! The picture is packed! Now you can place 20 kg on your parcel!

If the width of a picture is 60 cm, you can join plates! You can place plates as the second layer with the junction from the opposite side.

How to pack a canvas on cardboard or hardboard.

Here the problem is simplified. The work is thin and on a rigid base. We make protection of foamed polyethylene only from the side of the painted layer. Next, close it with a polystyrene plate. The bottom can be covered with corrugated cardboard or a plate, depending on what you have. Do not forget about the allowances to protect the painting from falling on a corner.

Now, for those who are interested in such a package, I will tell about the materials.

Polyethylene foam

Why polyethylene foam? First, the material is soft and uniform in thickness, it doesn't scratch canvas. Secondly, it has a good absorption, even when pressed on a textured work it gently compresses where it needs, unlike bubbled film. To protect pastose paintings with good volume you can use 3-4 mm thick foam.
It can be wavy and smooth. I like the second option. The name may be different depending on company.
Isolon, Jermaflex, Izosib, Ecoterm, etc. It is better to take several meters at once.
Do not confuse it with substrate for laminate flooring, it is expensive and thin.
It is sold in building stores in the insulation department.

Polystyrene plates

Polystyrene plates are produced by various companies, hence they have different color. I like to use orange plates by the company PENOPLEX 20 mm. They are a bit pressed when pressing, and therefore have a good shock absorption.
Dimensions — 1185*585*20 mm (if a picture is large you can take a 30 mm thick plate). It is very easy to cut. You can put nothing under the bottom. You don't have to cut through! Cut with a knife only half of the depth. Next, put the slit of the plate on the end of a table and just break it off. I break it without a table, just use two hands.

There is a thick plate for houses and foundations insulation, they are doubled with a double edge. It is better not to take them, you will have to trim the excess protruding edges. We need a single plate. Although, if you are afraid that a thin plate will not be enough, and a picture is large, it is possible to take it. Its price is twice higher.
Grey and lemon yellow plates are hard.
A grey plate has a larger size — 1180*600*20 mm (or 30), but it is slightly thinner, therefore it is more suitable for a subframe. You can close with this plate a picture with a maximum width of 60 cm, you cannot do that with orange PENOPLEX.
Unlike PENOPLEX, these plates need to be cut almost to the end.
There are other plates, but I have not tried to work with them. This material is quite decent.
They are sold at hardware stores in the insulation department.
At first glance there is a lot of information and it seems that the process is time-consuming. But believe me, it's not! And the safety of this method even allows you to package a painting in a frame, with a few additions, of course.

Hope my experience will come in handy!

Oksana, "Kind Pictures"