Marble is a popular stone commonly used for sculpture and as a building material. It comes in a variety of colors and graining depending on the location it was sourced from.
Because marble is very heavy and fragile, anything made from this material must be properly packaged to avoid damage during shipping. The best way to transport a marble sculpture or a counter top or flooring slab is to crate it. Here are some tips on how to properly pack and ship marble.
Measure the marble statue or slabs. Use the dimensions you gathered to custom-built a crate for the marble item. The crate should provide a snug fit to the item but add at least two inches of extra space on top, bottom and all sides to accommodate Styrofoam padding.
Use sturdy wood to build the crate and make sure that all joints are properly attached with screws and can support the weight of the marble.
Wrap the marble statue in three layers of bubble wrap and secure with tape. If shipping marble slabs, bubble wrap each slab individually and bind together with metal banding.
Line the bottom and sides of the crate with 2-inch Styrofoam pads cut to size to fit the container. Place the the marble item inside the crate. Use more Styrofoam blocks to fill void spaces and prevent the marble from moving or shifting. For iregularly-shapped sculptures, wood blocks can be screwed on strategic parts of the crate to prevent unnecessary movements. Packing materials such as packing peanuts should not be used to fill void spaces as they cannot provide optimum cushioning to heavy marble. Place the Styrofoam pad for the top and screw the crate’s lid in place. For additional support, put metal banding around the crate.
To ensure that your marble will arrive intact and without damage, hire the services of a reputable freight company which has extensive experience in transporting heavy and fragile items such as marble goods. Most shipping companies also offer crating services to take away the hassles of packing your marble items yourself. With the help of these professional packers, you never have to worry about your marble items getting damaged in transit.