How to Store Paintings and Art at Home: No Warping, Mold or Stuck Canvases

Good art storage keeps four things off a painting: heat, damp, light and pressure. You don’t need a vault to do it. A closet in the middle of your house, some padded blocks and a few sheets of cardboard get you most of the way to what a museum does.

A painting should be able to go to someone’s grandchildren in perfect condition. It can’t if it spent ten years bowing in a hot garage.

What is the best way to store art?

The best way to store art is upright, off the floor, separated and in a steady room. Here are the six rules that do most of the protecting:

1. Let it dry all the way. Wet paint sticks to whatever it touches.
2. Pick a steady room. Aim for 65 to 70°F and 45 to 55% humidity, away from outside walls.
3. Stand it up. Upright is the default for stretched canvas and framed art.
4. Lift it. Keep every painting 3 to 4 inches off the floor.
5. Separate it. Put something rigid or non-stick between every piece.
6. Write it down. Note where each painting lives, so you aren’t digging through the stack to find it.

What temperature and humidity is best for storing art?

The best range is about 65 to 70°F and 45 to 55% humidity. The Western Australian Museum’s care manual, written for people looking after collections, sets its range at 59 to 77°F and 45 to 55%. That target sits comfortably inside it.

The swings do the real damage. Canvas and wood react when the humidity moves, and too much damp brings mold. That same manual allows only about 7°F and 5% humidity of change in a day. A closet that holds steady beats a nice spare room that bakes all summer.

The Canadian Conservation Institute, the Canadian government’s experts on caring for museum collections, warns about three spots:

• Attics get very hot and dry.
• Basements get damp and can flood.
• Rooms against outside walls can pick up moisture when the insulation is poor.

A digital humidity gauge from a hardware store is one of the cheapest things you’ll ever buy for your art. Put one in the closet and watch it for a week before you trust the space. Then keep the paintings out of direct sun, because light fades color and you can’t undo it.

How long should a painting dry before you store it?

Wait until there’s no soft or sticky spot anywhere on the painting. Acrylic usually gets there within days. Oil with fast-drying mediums takes about two weeks, and thick paint loaded with linseed oil takes much longer.

Your climate changes all of this. Oil cures with heat and oxygen, so a painting that dries overnight in the desert can take days in a cold, damp winter. Go by touch and skip the calendar.

If you just varnished, give it at least two solid days before anything touches it. Varnish stays tacky longer than it looks. Our guide on how to varnish a painting covers the timing.

Should you store paintings vertically or flat?

Store stretched canvases and framed paintings vertically. A flat pile puts the weight of every painting on the one below it, and that’s how canvases dent and bow.

Flat is the right call for a few things, though:

• Fragile or damaged paintings go on a shelf with the paint side up and nothing on top.
• Canvas that’s off its stretcher goes flat on a shelf or in a drawer.
• Paintings on card or panel go flat in boxes or drawers, according to the Canadian Conservation Institute.

How do you store canvas paintings without a rack?

You can store them in a short upright stack on padded blocks. The Canadian Conservation Institute treats this as a temporary setup, and it doesn’t recommend leaning paintings against a wall as a long-term plan. If you’re short on space and money, though, it’s a solid way to start.

1. Set out padded blocks that lift the paintings 3 to 4 inches off the floor. Wood blocks topped with rubber shelf liner work, because they pad the edge and won’t slide. That height keeps paintings above dust and any water that gets in.
2. Put the largest painting against the wall, then go smaller toward the front.
3. Slide a sheet of rigid cardboard between each painting. Cut it slightly bigger than the painting, so a corner can’t dent the canvas next to it.
4. Stop at four or five paintings per stack.
5. Turn the front painting around so it faces the stack, with a separator in between. Now no paint is facing the room.
6. Check the angle. Nothing should be able to slide.

The cardboard is what keeps your canvases from warping. A stretcher bar pressing on the next canvas will leave a mark you’ll see for good.

How do you build a simple painting storage rack?

A simple rack is just a shelf with upright dividers, so each painting stands in its own slot. Museums use the same idea, and you can make it from a sturdy shelving unit or plywood.

• Measure your biggest painting first, then leave room to slide it out without bumping its neighbor.
• Seal bare wood. The Canadian Conservation Institute calls for two coats of acrylic latex paint.
• Line the bottom of each slot with something smooth and cushioned, like corrugated plastic sheet.
• Keep it roomy. A packed slot means you’ll scrape a painting every time you pull one out.

What do you wrap paintings in for storage?

Start with a non-stick layer on the painted face, then add padding. In the packaging lesson from our online art school, the Mastery Program, that first layer is vellum, a thin waxy paper that won’t stick to the paint. Glassine is a similar smooth paper and does the same job. You lay the painting face down, fold the vellum around the front and move on.

Then comes bubble wrap, and the corners get the most of it. Corners take the knocks. Keep the flat side of the bubble wrap toward the painting, because one art conservator warns the bubbles can leave marks on some surfaces.

Museums do seal dry paintings in polyethylene or Mylar, so plastic isn’t always wrong. At home, save it for a fully dry painting in a dry room. Never let bubble wrap or plastic touch fresh paint or varnish.

For a box, reuse the one your canvas came in. It’s the right size, and it costs you nothing. TV boxes from a hardware store work for bigger paintings. If you’re boxing a painting to send out, here’s how to ship artwork safely.

How do you store framed art?

Stand framed art upright on padded blocks with a rigid separator between each frame. The same stack rules apply: biggest against the wall, smaller toward the front.

Two small things help here. Stand a carved or ornate frame with its back to the wall, so the fragile front isn’t taking the weight of the stack. And if you can, fix a piece of stiff board to the back of the frame before you put it away. It keeps knocks and dust off the back of the canvas.

How do you store art on paper, prints and sketchbooks?

Keep loose paper flat, in a drawer, box or portfolio. Paper bends and creases, so it needs something stiff around it.

• Single sheets go in a clear protector sleeve, which also keeps them safe if something gets wet.
• Stacks get acid-free tissue or glassine between the sheets.
• Anything you’re moving gets a piece of scrap cardboard folded around it, cut close to the size of the paper.
• Sketchbooks can stand on a shelf like regular books.

How do you choose an art storage unit?

Choose a unit that can tell you what temperature and humidity it holds all year. Ask for those numbers before you sign. “Climate controlled” can mean different things at different places, so go by the numbers.

Once you’re in, treat it like a closet at home. Use blocks or a rack, keep paintings upright and put separators in. Ask your home insurer whether it covers art kept off-site. Visit a few times a year, because a leak won’t call you.

Does storing an oil painting in the dark hurt it?

It can turn an oil painting a bit yellow, but light usually brings the color back. A 1985 article in a conservation journal reported that a very brief spell of indirect north light almost completely bleached out yellowing from several years in storage. Cooler storage can slow the yellowing down.

Time in the dark still counts, though. A later conservation paper suggests a painting kept dark for a very long time can take years to recover.

So if an old oil painting comes out of the closet looking warm, don’t panic. Hang it in a bright room, out of direct sun, and give it time before you decide it’s ruined.

How do you keep track of paintings in storage?

Keep one inventory list with every painting on it. A spreadsheet is plenty, as long as it’s somewhere you won’t lose it. For each painting, write down:

• Title and date
• Size and medium
• Price
• A small photo
• Where it is right now

That last one matters more than it sounds. It might be on a wall, in a gallery, in your closet or at a friend’s house. Someone’s going to ask about a painting you made six years ago, and you’ll want to know if you still have it, where it is and who bought it if it sold.

Number your separators and shelves too, so you can find a painting without handling ten others.

Photograph each painting before it goes away, ideally before you varnish, since varnish adds shine. Keep the big files on an external hard drive. Those photos let you make prints long after the original is gone. Here’s how to photograph your art without glare.

How do you store art supplies?

Store art supplies in whatever keeps them sorted and within reach. In our studio setup lesson, the cheap answer is a plastic drawer bin on wheels that rolls under your easel. Write on the drawers in Sharpie: warm paint, cool paint, brushes. When it cracks, buy another one.

For more on laying out a small space, see our studio practices guide.

What if you’ve run out of room?

Hang your paintings. Until a painting sells, it can live on your wall, and a wall full of your own art, from oldest to newest, shows you how far you’ve come.

Buying standard canvas sizes helps too, since they’re easier to frame, stack and box. And it’s fine to let go of old paintings that don’t look like you anymore. Photograph them, then donate them or give them away.

Paintings aren’t meant to live in a closet forever, though. If you’d like some of yours on other people’s walls, here’s how to sell your art.

If you’re still making the paintings that will fill that rack, our Two Week Challenge is a $99 online course: two drawings and three paintings, with lessons from the Mastery Program and an artist coach’s feedback on each one. We also have more free guides on oil painting techniques.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to store art long term?

Keep it upright on a padded rack, 3 to 4 inches off the floor, in an interior room that stays around 65 to 70°F and 45 to 55% humidity. Keep it out of the sun, keep something between the pieces, and write down where each one is. Check on it a few times a year.

How do you store canvas paintings so they don't warp?

Stand them upright, and don't pile them flat. Keep them off the floor on padded blocks or a rack, and put a sheet of rigid cardboard between each one so a corner or stretcher bar can't press into the canvas beside it. Wait until the paint is bone dry first.

What temperature and humidity should art be stored at?

Aim for 65 to 70°F and 45 to 55% humidity. One museum manual sets its range at 59 to 77°F and 45 to 55%, with swings of no more than about 7°F and 5% in a day. A steady room matters more than a perfect number.

Can you store paintings on top of each other?

Only for fragile or damaged paintings on a shelf, paint side up, with nothing resting on them. A flat pile of canvases puts weight on the surface below. Store a group upright with rigid separators instead, and keep each stack to four or five paintings.

Is it OK to store paintings in an attic, basement or garage?

Avoid all three when you can. Attics get very hot and dry, and basements get damp and can flood. Most garages swing with the weather. A closet in the middle of your house is a better home for a painting.

Can you store a painting in bubble wrap?

Yes, as long as the paint is fully dry and the bubble wrap isn't touching the paint. Wrap the face in vellum or glassine (thin, smooth, non-stick papers) first, then add the bubble wrap with the flat side in, because the bubbles can leave marks. Pad the corners most.

How do you store framed paintings at home?

Stand them upright on padded blocks with a rigid separator between each frame. Put the biggest against the wall and go smaller toward the front. Face ornate frames away from the wall so their carving isn't carrying the weight.

What do you put between paintings in storage?

Use rigid cardboard or board, cut slightly bigger than the painting, so nothing can press through. For a surface that might touch something, add a thin non-stick paper such as vellum or glassine. Acid-free tissue works well between works on paper.