It doesn’t really matter if you have wooden furniture that is antique or a new one, you need to know what type of protection to use and how to protect wooden furniture when moving. Supply with proper packing materials, because wooden furniture is more sensitive than other pieces of furniture and it can be damaged during transport and loading in the moving truck. Don’t feel intimidated because there are a few simple tips that you can use to safely move your wooden furniture.
Never use plastic wrap to protect wooden furniture when moving
Before you start to pack, you will probably get everything you might need for safe packing. This includes plastic wrap, tape, packing paper, moving blankets or old towels. Surely, you can and you should use all that but not everything is good for wooden furniture.Â
Avoid wrapping your wooden pieces of furniture in any kind of plastic materials. Wood is an organic material and it needs to breathe, so plastic is not the right choice. It can leave scratches on the wooden surfaces. First, wrap it in moving blankets or if you don’t have them, some old towels or blankets will do the trick. Then you can use a plastic wrapper.Â
Safely move your old and antique wooden furniture
When you have an antique wooden piece of furniture, you probably won’t be able to disassemble them.
Old wooden furniture usually has glued legs or handles, so you can not remove them without any damage. In this case, you must wrap whole dresser or sofa, with all attachments. Make sure that you wrap legs or handles tightly to avoid any potential damage. The best solution when you are dealing with antiques is to hire experienced professionals. Whether it is old furniture that is passed on through generations in your family or an expensive antique, you should leave this job to trained workers. Make sure to tell them that it is antique furniture so they know how they need to transport it. Contact packing and moving companies NYC and hire them so you don’t risk damaging your belongings during transportation or moving in. It will cost you more than DIY relocation, but it is better to spend money to protect wooden furniture when moving than losing or damaging valuable pieces.
In case you decide to move it without professional help, just make sure that you have at least 3 or four persons that will help you carry it. It is better to be safe than sorry. When you are wrapping it, make sure that you have enough blankets or paddings and you can also use a cardboard or plastic wrap, just to be sure. But first place the pads or blankets and then a plastic wrap. Use plenty of movers tape to secure those protective padding and or blankets. Be careful when you are tapping them, so the sticky side of the tape doesn’t touch your furniture.
Essential packing materialÂ
To protect your wooden furniture when moving, use special packing materials like:
- Moving blankets – they are made of woven polyester fabric and they can be reused. Most of them are machine washable but it is not recommended that you dry them. You can also rent them if you aren’t planning to use them again soon.
- Furniture pads – are the best protection for your furniture and also any fragile items you want to transport. You can use them for protecting your furniture that will be in storage for a longer period. They too can be reused and washed and they are very durable. They will protect your furniture from any potential scratches.Â
- Cardboard – use it to add additional protection to blankets or pads. Tightly tape the cardboard so you have a good grip when you are carrying your furniture.
- Tape – a shipping or packaging tape is a strong tape that is designed to hold on through shipping, rough handling and also survive the heat, cold and humidity. It uses hot melt adhesive which makes it very durable.
- Foam wrap – is an excellent choice for sensitive surfaces because it is strong but soft texture. It doesn’t sweat so it is good options for packing furniture or any other sensitive belongings. You can get it in different thicknessÂ
Remove small attachments and drawers
One more way to protect wooden furniture when moving is to remove legs, handles, and drawers. Once you remove them, place them in a bag or a box and label it so it doesn’t get lost.Â
Always pack drawers separately, so they don’t fall out during transport. You need to empty all drawers and then pack them safely. If you leave them inside furniture you are risking damaging furniture because it will make it harder to carry. Never tape drawers directly to furniture, because adhesive can damage the wood. If you remove wooden legs, make sure that you wrap them as well. When you hire a Chelsea moving company, you can use a packing service as well. This will save you a lot of time and professionals will do a better job of packing everything safely.Â
When moving wooden pieces of furniture that are valuable, you have to be careful when you carry them. Massive wood is a lot heavier than other furniture, so you need to know the best way to load them in the truck. Handling robust furniture requires little more expertise than usual.
Save your furniture from damage while loading the truck
The last piece of the puzzle is the way you will load a moving truck. Place heavier furniture in the bottom of a truck, near the driver’s seat. When you fit them inside, make sure that you secure them with straps. This way they won’t move around during transport and risk damaging your other belongings.