Art, a piano, a glass-top table: how to tell what needs a crate before moving day

A quick test for whether something needs more than a box

An item usually needs a custom crate or special handling if it is fragile and hard to replace, oddly shaped, very heavy for its size or worth far more than its weight suggests. Large framed art and mirrors, sculptures, glass and stone tabletops, antique furniture with delicate joints, chandeliers, pianos and anything valued in the thousands belong on that list. If you would be devastated to see it cracked, assume it needs its own plan and point it out at the estimate.

We at IMS Relocation move fine art, pianos and specialty equipment as part of our specialized moving work, out of our Carrollton base north of Dallas. The difference between a smooth move and a heartbreaking one is rarely what happens on the truck. It is whether anyone noticed the piece needed special care before the truck was loaded.

Items that almost always need special handling

Some categories come up in nearly every home we walk through. Flat glass and stone are the most common: a glass dining top or a marble console looks sturdy but can crack from a single hard flex. Large art is the next, especially pieces under glass or with ornate frames. Sculptures, pottery and stained glass have edges and projections that cannot ride against anything. Pianos combine weight with fragile internal parts.

On the fine art side, the mediums we handle include drawings, paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, antique pottery, metalwork, mosaics, photography and stained glass. Each one has a different weak point, which is why there is no one-size answer.

• Framed art and mirrors larger than a moving carton
• Glass, marble and stone tabletops or shelves
• Sculptures, pottery, mosaics and stained glass
• Chandeliers and light fixtures with crystals or glass
• Antique furniture with loose joints, veneers or inlays
• Pianos and other large instruments
• Large televisions without their original box

What custom crating actually is

A custom crate is a wooden box built around one specific piece. For oversized sculpture, fragile glasswork and similar items, our movers measure the piece and build a crate to fit it snugly, so it cannot shift inside during transit. The piece is wrapped and padded first, and the crate takes the knocks and the weight of anything stacked nearby.

Crating is different from padding. Most furniture travels wrapped in moving blankets and stretch wrap, and that is the right treatment for a sofa or a dresser. A blanket protects against scuffs. It does not stop a pane of glass from flexing or a sculpture's arm from snapping if a load shifts. For long-distance moves or anything going into storage, the case for a crate gets stronger, because the item will be handled more times and sit for longer.

How the truck rides matters too. For fine art, our movers use air-ride equipped trailers that soften the bumps of the road. Ask any mover how artwork travels, not just how it is packed.

Pianos are their own category

A piano is heavy, top-heavy on stairs and full of parts that do not like being jolted. It needs a crew that has moved one before, the right equipment and a plan for every step, turn and doorway between the room it sits in and the truck. We move pianos and other instruments, including drum sets, within and out of the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

Tell the estimator what kind of piano it is, where it sits and what the path to the door looks like, at both homes. Stairs, a tight turn or a raised entry change how the move is done. Plan on having it tuned after it settles in the new house; that is normal after any move and is a job for a piano technician, not a mover.

Do not try to move a piano across a room yourself to make the crew's job easier. Legs, pedal lyres and casters are often the weakest parts of the instrument, and a piano that tips is dangerous to the people around it as well as to the piano.

Valuables, small and large

Some of the most valuable things in a home are also the smallest. For jewelry, heirlooms and small valuables, our advice is to carry them yourself, or to declare their value if they travel with us. Keep important documents, medication and anything irreplaceable and pocket-sized in your own car.

For larger valuables that must travel on the truck, the paperwork matters as much as the packing. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration explains that under Full Value Protection on an interstate move, movers may limit their responsibility for items of extraordinary value, meaning items worth more than 100 dollars per pound, such as jewelry, china or furs, unless you specifically list them on the shipping documents. Make a list of high-value pieces, photograph them and give the list to the mover before the move. Our guide to full value protection and released value goes through the coverage choice in detail.

Storage changes the math for fragile pieces

If any part of your move includes storage, plan the fragile pieces with that in mind. A painting that rides across town in a padded van for an hour faces very different conditions from one that sits on a warehouse shelf for two months and is handled at least twice more on the way in and out. Every extra handling is another chance for a corner to catch or a frame to flex, which is why we lean toward crating for anything valuable that will be stored.

Heat and humidity matter as well. Wood furniture, veneers, glued joints, canvases, photographs and musical instruments are sensitive to swings in temperature and moisture, and an unconditioned storage unit in a North Texas summer can be hard on them. Our Carrollton warehouse is climate-controlled, covering 80,000 square feet, for exactly that reason. If you store with anyone, ask whether the space is climate-controlled, how items are stacked and whether crated pieces are kept upright and off the floor.

Finally, keep your inventory list and photos somewhere you can reach them during the storage period. When the goods come back out, you will want to check each special piece against the same record you made before the move.

How to prepare specialty items before the estimate

The estimator can only plan for what they see. Before the walk-through, walk your home with fresh eyes and make a short list of every piece that is fragile, heavy, oddly shaped or valuable. Put it in their hand at the start of the visit.

Do not take apart anything you are unsure about. Many antiques and chandeliers are easier to damage while disassembling than while moving, and legs or arms that were never meant to come off can split. Leave that to the crew, or to the specialist who installed it. Appliances with water or gas connections are disconnected and reconnected by vetted third-party professionals rather than by our movers.

• List each specialty item with its room and rough size
• Photograph art, antiques and electronics from several angles
• Note any existing chips, cracks or repairs
• Gather appraisals or receipts for high-value pieces
• Measure the tightest doorway and stair turn for large items
• Set small valuables aside to carry yourself

Packing these yourself: when it is reasonable

Plenty of fragile things can be packed at home: everyday dishes, glasses, small framed photos and decorative pieces that fit in a dish pack with plenty of paper. Where homeowners get into trouble is with pieces that are too big for a carton, too heavy to lift safely or too valuable to risk.

There is also a claims angle. The federal regulator notes that if you pack your own boxes and the contents are damaged, it may be harder to establish a claim against the mover. For a box of mugs that is an acceptable risk. For a family portrait under glass it usually is not. Our guide to packing yourself versus having the movers pack shows where the line usually falls.

Equipment, vehicles and the truly oversized

Beyond art and furniture, some homes and businesses have items that need rigging rather than carrying: a gun safe, a large aquarium, shop equipment, lab instruments or a commercial-grade fitness machine. Our specialized moving division handles equipment rigging and custom crating for those, and we arrange auto, boat and motorcycle transport alongside a household move. Each of these is planned separately from the rest of the move, with the right equipment booked for the day.

The common thread is notice. A safe or a boat that shows up for the first time on moving day can stall the whole job. Mention it at the estimate and it becomes a line item with a plan.

On delivery day, check the special pieces first

When the truck arrives at the new home, ask the crew to bring in and unwrap your specialty items while you are present. Look over each one against your photos before you sign the delivery paperwork, and write any damage on the documents at the time. Keep crates and packing materials until you are sure everything is fine, because damaged goods and their containers may need to be inspected.

If something did arrive damaged, the steps and deadlines are covered in our guide on what to do when movers damage or lose your belongings. If everything arrived well, the crate has done its job. For anything you are unsure about in a Dallas move, ask us at the estimate. It costs nothing to ask, and a few minutes of planning protects the pieces you care about most.

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