Picture racking for museums.
From national institutions to regional accredited museums, Rackstor designs, manufactures and installs museum-standard art storage that protects collections for generations — and triples the works you can store in the same room.
Museum-grade art storage, engineered around your collection.
Museum collections are uniquely demanding. Framed paintings, panel works, miniatures, icons, contemporary canvases and oversized historical pieces all need to be stored vertically, accessibly and without contact damage — often in spaces that were never designed as art stores. Rackstor sliding picture racking solves this by giving every framed work its own hanging position on a steel mesh panel, with smooth, low-effort access for curators and conservators.
Every system we deliver to a museum is bespoke. We survey the room, model floor loadings, design around columns, ducts and door swings, and engineer a layout that maximises hanging capacity while preserving safe aisles, RH/temperature airflow and fire egress. Powder-coat finishes are inert and conservation-safe; all hanging hardware (S-hooks, security clips, mirror plates) is supplied and specified to suit your collection.
We have delivered picture racking projects for national museums, university museums, trust properties, regimental museums, regional accredited museums and major touring collection stores. Whether you are fitting out a new purpose-built collection centre or retrofitting a Victorian basement, we can help.
Built for the realities of a museum store.
Conservation-safe
Inert, non-off-gassing powder-coat finishes approved for direct contact with framed artworks, panel paintings and textiles.
High-density layouts
Triple your usable storage area with sliding mesh panel systems engineered around columns, services and existing fixtures.
Curator-friendly access
Smooth, low-effort glide on overhead tracks. One curator can pull a fully loaded rack — no lifting, no stacking, no contact.
Listed & historic buildings
Experience installing in Grade I & II listed properties, with low-impact fixings and full reinstatement options.
Documented compliance
RAMS, COSHH, fire egress and floor-loading calculations supplied with every project for your registrar's records.
Long-life servicing
Annual inspection and servicing programmes keep tracks, bearings and locks performing for 25+ years.
From oil paintings to ethnographic textiles.
Standard and oversized framed canvases, including heavily ornate gilded frames requiring extra-strength S-hooks.
Rigid panel works requiring vibration-free vertical storage and stable RH conditions.
Framed prints, drawings, watercolours and photographs hung clear of contact and direct light.
Mesh panel hanging for smaller textiles; bespoke roller storage available for larger pieces.
Reinforced panels and shock-absorbing hangers for fragile gilded surfaces and antique mirror glass.
Oversized canvases, mixed media and shaped works on bespoke wide-format racks.
From survey to handover — managed in-house.
- 01Site Survey
Free on-site assessment of your store, including floor loadings, access routes, services and security.
- 02CAD Design
Bespoke 2D/3D layouts modelling capacity, aisles and column avoidance — signed off with your team.
- 03Manufacture
UK manufacture of tracks, carriages, mesh panels and frames to museum-grade tolerances.
- 04Installation
Certified installers, RAMS, dust control and live-site working — handed over with a maintenance schedule.
Museum picture racking — answered.
What is museum picture racking?
Museum picture racking is a specialist art storage system using vertical steel mesh panels that slide out from an overhead track. Framed paintings, prints and textiles hang on both faces of each panel, giving curators safe, vibration-free access to high-density collections without stacking works on the floor.
Are Rackstor materials conservation-safe for museum collections?
Yes. All Rackstor mesh panels and racking are manufactured from cold-rolled steel with a fully cured, inert powder-coat finish. Materials are non-off-gassing and do not release acids, peroxides or VOCs that could harm pigments, varnishes, paper, photographs or textiles. Specifications align with BS 5454, PAS 198 and standard collection-care guidance from the UK Museums Association, ICOM-CC and the Smithsonian.
How much extra storage capacity does a sliding picture rack give us?
Compared with traditional fixed bin or A-frame storage, a Rackstor sliding mesh system typically increases hanging capacity by 200–300% in the same floor footprint. A 50 sqm store can hold 1,500–2,500 framed works depending on size, weight and aisle requirements.
Can you install in an occupied, working museum?
Yes — the majority of our museum projects are retrofits inside live, occupied buildings. We work to strict access, security, dust-control and out-of-hours protocols, including DBS-checked installers, Method Statements and Risk Assessments tailored to each collection store.
Do you work with national museums and trusts?
Yes. Rackstor has supplied and installed picture racking for national museums, trust collections, university museums and regional accredited museums across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and the United States.
Explore the systems we install for museums.
Worldwide delivery and installation — UK, Europe, Middle East, USA.