Moving to a new place can be exciting. You get to live in a new neighborhood, or even a new city, or maybe you are moving out on your own for the first time. Without a doubt, the most crucial task when packing for a move is to protect your belongings so that they arrive in the new home in the exact same condition in which they have left the old one.
In general, furniture pieces turn out to be tricky to protect for a move due to their size and weight. To make things even more complicated than they need to be during your house move, some of the furniture items you own will be rather fragile and delicate.
Hiring top-rated professional furniture movers like Elite Moving & Storage still remains your best option when it comes to packing your furniture safely and efficiently.
Pressed wood furniture – At Elite Moving, we understand that pressed wood furniture is inexpensive, convenient, looks great, and the packaging it comes in is easy to transport. It only takes an evening with a hex wrench to screw in weird little locking bolts but when you’re done, it feels really good. Pressed wood furniture is generally made from wood scraps, chips, shavings, or sawdust, and bound with heat or resin or another type of adhesive. On their own, layers of wood aren’t strong, but when pressed together they become stronger. The problem arises when it’s time to move. Ready-to-assemble furniture isn’t built to disassemble or move. It’s built to be easy to assemble and to stay in one place. When moved it can be extremely easy to rip the screws out of the particle board. Another common problem is heavy boxes are put on furniture not designed to support the weight. If you decide to move your particle board furniture, consider reinforcing the connecting pieces with wooden dowels. Certain pieces of furniture with many flat individual pieces, like bookcases, may be disassembled with minimal difficulty. This will make the furniture take up less space as you move, and most important it will reduce the chance of the furniture being damaged by the pressures of a bumpy road. Just remember to pack the pieces with blankets to avoid scratches, and be sure to keep your assembly instructions handy, or know how to access them online. Label each piece and keep hardware together so you can find them after you move.
Solid wood furniture – Protecting solid wood furniture during a move is simple, yet takes time. Whether you have a new bedroom dresser in cherry, or a nineteenth-century oak chifforobe, there are steps you can take to ensure its protection during moving.
- Use furniture pads, blankets, foam, or linens as padding. Do not use bubble wrap directly against wood. Instead, use a breathable natural fiber.
- Remove all casters, knobs, and finials, place them inside of an envelope, and label the envelope with the name of the piece. Do not tape the envelope onto the furniture, as tape leaves residue and may strip the finish when you remove it.
- Secure drawers with twine. Use a padding of folded towels underneath the twine when you tie it.
- Remove shelves, wrap them in padding, and label them with the name of the piece.
- Pad corners and handles before you move the piece.
- Never drag or slide a piece of furniture. Always lift it. Furniture legs can be broken or loosened if you drag the piece.
During a move, resist the urge to place packed boxes on top of wood furniture. Simply because your wood dining room table affords a flat work space doesn’t mean you should use it as such. When moving valuable wood furniture, expert movers recommend three layers of protection; protective padding protects the surface against scratches, vibration protection shields wood from small impacts and bumps, and a protective shell provides a hard casing in the event that rough handling might damage the piece. Consider using professional movers. One benefit of this is that they have the right tools to disassemble and prepare large and fragile furnishings for moving, and they know how to wrap them safely for transport. They can get the job done efficiently so you don’t waste time.
Packing furniture can be overwhelming. At Elite Moving & Storage we offer packing services as well as supplies. Call us for your next move. Together we can get you packed and moved- around the corner or coast to coast.