Fine Art Crating
Paintings, framed art, and sculpture in crates built to fit, for moves and deliveries.
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Custom Crating
Some pieces need more than a moving blanket. We build a crate around the piece, sized to fit and padded inside, for fine art, collector’s items, and antique furniture moving around the Bay Area.
Overview
Custom crating for pieces a blanket can’t protect
Most furniture travels safely in moving blankets and straps. A few things don’t: a framed painting under glass, a marble-topped antique, a sculpture with a thin arm, a display case full of collectibles. For those, a custom crate is the safer way to move. It’s a rigid box built to the piece’s measurements, padded inside so the piece can’t shift, and marked so everyone handling it knows which way is up.
Every crate is built for one piece. We measure it, choose padding for its surface and weight, and build the crate around it. The piece travels in the crate on our truck and comes out at the destination, where we unpack it and set it in place.
Crating takes more time and material than blanket wrapping, so it’s worth it for items that are fragile, valuable, or irreplaceable. If you’re not sure a piece needs it, send a photo and we’ll tell you.
What’s included
How we crate
Measured to the piece
Each crate is built to the item’s dimensions, so it can’t slide around inside.
Padded for the surface
Padding and wrap chosen for what they touch, whether that’s a painted canvas, polished wood, or glass.
Corners & edges protected
The parts that take the first knock get extra protection inside the crate.
Marked for handling
Crates are labeled with their contents, which way is up, and that they’re fragile.
Loaded with care
Crates ride secured on our trucks, positioned so nothing heavy can lean on them.
Unpacked at delivery
We open the crate at the destination and set the piece where you want it.
How it works
How crating works
- 1
Send photos & sizes
Tell us what the piece is, its rough size and weight, and where it’s going.
- 2
Get a written quote
The crate, the move, and anything else going with it, in one written quote.
- 3
We build & pack
The crate is built to the piece, and the piece is padded and closed in.
- 4
Delivered & unpacked
The crate travels on our truck and is opened at the destination.
Custom crating questions, answered
When does an item need a crate instead of blankets?+
When it’s fragile, valuable, or irreplaceable and a blanket can’t stop it from flexing or taking a knock. Glass-fronted art, marble tops, sculpture with thin parts, and display cases are the usual cases. Sturdy furniture travels well in blankets and straps. If you’re unsure, send a photo.
How is custom crating priced?+
By the size of the piece and the materials its crate needs, plus the move itself. Send photos and rough measurements and the quote comes back in writing before anything is built.
How much notice do you need for crating?+
Tell us about crated pieces when you book. Crates are built to measure, so they have to be planned ahead of move day rather than added on the morning of.
Can you crate one piece without a full move?+
Yes. A single crated piece can be its own job, moved across town or delivered elsewhere in the Bay Area.
Is my item covered during the move?+
Every move includes standard basic valuation coverage, and additional protection options are available. For high-value pieces, tell us what they’re worth when you book and we’ll go over the coverage details with you when we quote.
Related
More ways we can help
Specialty Items
Pianos, gym equipment, appliances, vending machines, and vehicle and pallet transport.
Learn morePacking Services
Full, partial, or fragile-only packing, and unpacking at the other end, with or without the move.
Learn moreResidential Services
Home moves of every size, plus packing, labor-only help, furniture delivery, and senior moves.
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Need movers today?
Call now for the fastest answer, or send your details and we’ll come back with a free, written quote.