Custom Crates & Design

We can design and fabricate custom solutions for all of your shipping and display needs.

As with everything we fabricate at Crozier Texas, crates are always available in custom form to fit the needs of both the client and the fine art.

CRATES

Crozier Texas provides nearly endless crating solutions for any size application or budget. Our options range from slat crates for furniture and sculptures to museum-quality exhibition crates that protect the most valuable art from the environment. We will partner with you at each step of the design process to meet your crating needs, whether you are crating work to store in one of our secure vaults or shipping a piece across the globe.

Crates We Build

Museum Quality/Exhibit Crate

Exterior

We construct composition boxes with ½” birch plywood and dimensional lumber batten. We thoroughly seal exhibit crates on the exterior with two coats of either oil-based polyurethane or painted to customer-specified color; we caulk all seams and nail holes. Exhibit crates have a bolt-type closure and we weather-strip openings for an airtight seal.

Interior

Typically, we insulate the interior of an exhibit crate with a 1” ethafoam (polylam) lining and a 2” ethafoam (polylam) blocking to create an insulating air space and to provide shock protection for an inner crate or travel frame. We seal the interior of wood crates with one coat of water-based polyurethane and caulk all seams.

We have two interior options based on your needs.

1. Inner Crate

Construction may vary, although, typically, inner crates are constructed from ¾” & ½” birch plywood in a similar fashion to our one-way crate, except we sand and coat an inner crate inside and out with water-based polyurethane. All seams are caulked and openings are weather-striped with a screw closure. We usually line the inner crates with 2” urethane foam for insulation and shock protection. For smaller pieces, we may use a gator foam inner box based on the needs of the piece as well as the client’s preference.

2. Travel Frame

Fabrication is typically 1”x12” & 1”x6” construction with open slats. We use the travel frame in conjunction with OzClips™ to secure the piece inside the frame. With a travel frame, nothing touches the surface of the painting and in most cases, we will include foam blocking under and occasionally on the sides to prevent shifting during transit. Travel frames can be up-fitted with Coroplast and lumber lids rather than slats if desired.

Hybrid/Intermediate Crate

A hybrid/Intermediate crate is anything that falls in that area between a basic crate and an exhibition crate based on piece needs or client specifications. No matter the size and shape of your fine art, we can make the perfect crate to suit your needs.

Basic Crate

Our most economical crate, the basic crate is constructed with a combination of ¾” & ½” CD grade plywood with handles and corner reinforcements, utilizing urethane or ethafoam linings for insulation and shock protection for the piece. Wood screw closure. Crates can be customized to your specific artwork.

Travel Frame (Open slat style or coroplast lidded)

Fabrication is typically 1”x12” & 1”x6” construction with open slats and we usually use the travel frames in conjunction with Oz Clips™ to secure the piece inside the travel frame. With a travel frame, nothing touches the surface of the painting and in some cases, we will include foam blocking under and occasionally on the sides to prevent shifting during transit. Travel frames can be up-fitted with Coroplast lids rather than slats when desired.

Slat Crate

Open-style crate using 1”x4”, 1”x6”, and 1”x12” dimensional lumber in conjunction with ½” and ¾” CD grade plywood with appropriate bracing provided based on the individual piece needs. We generally use slat crates to crate furniture and sculptures in order to provide a way of safely handling delicate or difficult pieces. In addition, slat crates can be used in conjunction with basic or exhibit crates.