Handling Fine Art During a Home Remodel
Whether we like it or not, every one of us will have to deal with the home remodeling at least once in our lives. Perhaps you've moved into a new home and want to renovate the kitchen. Or you've lived in a home for a while and need to renovate. Either way, remodeling is in your future.
There are a lot of things to consider and plan when remodeling a home. And one of the things we will focus on in this article is how to go about handling fine art during a home remodel.
Keeping fine art at home during the renovation
In essence, there are two things you can do with your fine art during a home renovation. You can either keep it in your premises and try to deal with the home renovation as is, or place your fine art in a storage unit. Both have their pros and cons, which is why we will first take an in-depth look into keeping fine art at home while tackling a home remodeling project.
Protecting fine art
As fine art is often expensive, your primary goal should be to keep it safe. Keeping art safe during a home renovation is possible, but only if the remodeling job is not too big.
In this case, the first thing to do is find a place in your home where you can place your fine art with no contact with the remodel. For instance, if you are renovating your living room, you can use your basement as temporary storage. However, workers and contractors may walk through so that is risky. For fine art you can only afford to use safe spaces. You can consider using your attic or your garage if your workers won't be needing them. But, keep in mind that you need to ensure that your fine art is protected from harsh weather.
Preparing items
When it comes to preparing items, you need to pack them as if you were moving. This means properly wrapping and padding your fine art so that there is no risk of damage. People are often surprised to find out that regular clothing can be quite useful as padding, especially if you own thick winter clothes. But, it is essential that you use enough duct tape so that the padding doesn't slide off.
For wrapping, you can use standard wrapping paper. Know that it is a key component in keeping your art dry, which is a prerequisite for it surviving your remodeling project. With a bit of padding and wrapping, you'll be able to store paintings, as long as you don't place them anywhere dangerous. If you need to store statues or ceramic pieces, you'll need to find sturdy boxes. Our advice is to consider renting plastic containers, as they provide a much higher degree of protection than cardboard boxes. Once you have finished packing, make sure to label your art so that everyone knows how fragile and/or expensive it is.
Using storage for handling fine art during a home remodel
The other option for handling fine art during a home renovation is to place your fine art in storage. While keeping items at home is a cheaper option, doing so is not always possible. And, if you cannot find a safe space for your items, going for storage is always a sound idea, not to mention that it is a great way to reclaim your basement and make your whole home much more decluttered.
Finding the right storage company
The key thing here is to find someone dependable and skilled to help you out. Know that properly storing fine art is different from storing everyday items. Here you have to be absolutely certain that no weather factors will impact your items nor that unskilled workers will handle them. Fine art requires experience, knowledge, and skill in order to be safely stored. But, once you hire a company that encompasses such qualities, you can rest easy that your items will remain in pristine condition.
Proper packing
When it comes to packing, you don't have to do anything much different from what we've already mentioned. Know that a viable option is to let your storage providers also pack your fine art. While this can be a more costly option, it will spare you from the hassle of dealing with art packing. You should consider letting professionals pack if you plan on storing your items for a long time. Long-term storage is quite unforgiving, and a single packing oversight can easily ruin your art piece. Furthermore, if you plan on third party storage insurance, you will have to let your storage providers pack. So, perhaps consider leaving packing to professionals. And while on the subject of insurance...
Storage insurance
A final thought regarding storage insurance for your fine art. While companies like Movage Moving NYC offer storage and moving insurance from the get-go, know that it won't be enough. Standard storage insurance is based on the weight of your items. Therefore, even if your items are valuable, they won't give you much return if something happens. The best thing to do is to find a third-party insurance provider and let them ensure your items. They will determine the value of your items and give you an insurance slip that will properly cover you.
Some of you may consider not getting insurance when using storage units for handling fine art during a home remodel, but it is a bad idea. Even when dealing with something as simple as moving to the suburbs, you should look for moving and storage insurance. While it may seem cost-effective, you really don't want to put yourself in a position where your art gets damaged, and you will have out of pocket expenses.
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