How Do I Pack a Glass Lampshade?
Posted in: I'm a Mover, Pro Packing GuidesSurvival Techniques
Packing your typical lampshade requires very few instructions: Use a big enough box. Cushion the inside with packing paper. Write ‘LAMPSHADE’ and ‘TOP LOAD’ all over the outside. There’s really not much more to it.
A glass lampshade, however, requires a much higher level of attention. And whether you’re dealing with an antique Tiffany or someone’s favorite keepsake the objective is the same: Pack it to survive Niagara Falls.
Here are 5 tips for Survival.
- Wrap the lampshade in bubble wrap, covering every inch. Consider using masking tape instead of box tape – masking tape will hold well enough but will not put up any real resistance when it’s time to unpack.
- Fill the interior cavity of the lampshade to overflowing with packing paper. This will keep the lampshade from resting on its bottom edge with all its own weight bearing down on it.
- Wrap it in a large towel or sheet. Especially if the lampshade is on the larger side, packing paper will not always stay in cradling place around it. If it’s on the smaller side you might slip it into a pillowcase after wrapping it up in paper.
- Fill your carton with enough packing paper to keep the shade from shifting around inside. Not only do you want to keep it away from the inside walls of your carton when you pack it, you want it to remain that way.
Now to really get ready for the Falls…
- Take your carton with the lampshade inside and pack it in another, larger carton, using plenty of packing paper once again to keep your smaller box away from the inside walls of this larger carton, all the way to destination. This may seem like overkill – until you consider: (1) A glass lampshade is heavier than a regular one made of fabric; through a quick moment of inattention (by the customer or one of the crew) it may not end up at the very top of the load. (2) Without asking the customer there’s no telling just how much that lampshade – and in turn the entire lamp – is worth. Rest assured, though, it’s more than the extra packing material.
We finish up with two extra points:
1 – Take no chances! Remember to write in big bold letters all over your carton.
2 – Make that “cartons”. Because you’ll also want to be just as attentive when packing the base to that (possibly outrageously expensive) glass lamp.