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4 min readWhether you’re moving two towns over or across the country, the matter remains: you’ll need to move all of that heavy furniture out of your current home and into the new one.
Moving large furniture is no small feat, but a few helpful tips will ensure the process goes more smoothly. Check out our guide on how to move large furniture safely and efficiently.
Grab the measuring tape and measure all the furniture you have to ensure everything will fit properly. You’ll need to check if you have enough space for larger items like sofas, dining tables, and entertainment centers. Make a note of the dimensions of any furniture on order that will be shipped directly to your new place so you can make room for it.
Use a measuring tape and a camera to map out where you want your furniture to go in your new home. Then, create a plan for every single room so that professional movers—or your moving party—know exactly where to place each piece of furniture as it comes off the truck. Take a quick pic of the space for easy reference later.
Prepare the move-in site for the incoming furniture and moving activities by protecting the walls, carpet, and hardwood floors from scuffs and damage. Use packing tape to secure furniture pads to the walls and corners of the room. This will ensure that any furniture and moving dollies entering the door don’t skim the surface of the walls or dent the crown molding. Place felt stickers on the legs of large furniture pieces to prevent scratching or denting surfaces.
This step is easy to overlook, but it is important for keeping your new home as good as new.
Take note from the professional local movers (who know exactly how to load large furniture): make use of moving blankets, sheets, and stretch wrap to protect every heavy piece of furniture, as well as any smaller items that may end up getting damaged on moving day on throughout the moving process.
Large sheets of stretch wrap can be especially effective for protecting larger, heavy objects such as entertainment centers, armoires, and bed frames. (They hold everything together tightly and reduce the risk of paint scuffs and dents).
You can purchase stretch wrap from your local home improvement stores (like Home Depot or Lowe’s) or Amazon. If you are moving with large mirrors or glass-top tables, wrap these items with a layer of blankets and then use stretch wrap as an extra layer of protection.
Once everything is wrapped and stored, you’ll need to make sure your furniture is appropriately stacked in the moving truck and secure. Use a mattress sling to hold mattresses together. Tie everything down inside the truck with bungee cords and straps and secure any items on top of a truck or car.
If you’re renting a truck from a moving company, you may find these supplies inside the truck, or you can request them as part of your rental. Use tools like a shoulder dolly or forearm forklift to safely load items onto and off the truck.
While you may be able to tape drawers, cabinet doors, and other furnishings with covered storage units, it’s generally a good idea to empty everything inside to avoid damaging items. Emptying drawers also makes the furniture easier to carry and maneuver since you won’t have extra weight.
If you have a few lightweight, soft items stored away, such as towels, bedsheets, and clothing, you could tape down and stretch wrap the drawers so they double as a storage unit for the move. Just make sure you’ve taped everything down securely so that there’s no chance of the drawers or shelves moving in transit.
You may be working with very tight spaces or stairs as you start moving heavy furniture pieces into the new space, so everything needs to be broken down into the smallest possible parts before starting the heavy lifting.
Take apart as many desks, tables, cabinets, shelving units, and other furnishings as you can so it’s easier to stack all the pieces together and move them to an area where you can put them back together.
Use screwdrivers and other wrenches to remove screws and loose parts with ease. Avoid forcing anything or using the wrong tools since this can damage the furniture and make it impossible to put it back together when you need it.
If disassembling furniture sounds stressful, consider a professional moving company that offers disassembly as one of its moving services.
Any screws, legs, and other hardware you have from the disassembly process need to be stowed away carefully in zipper storage bags or small plastic bags so that reassembly is that much easier. Take the time to pack and label these items for fast retrieval when putting furniture back together.
Moving furniture to your new space without professional furniture movers doesn’t have to be complicated—especially when you do a little planning and arm yourself with the right supplies. Use the “easy button” method to coordinate moving heavy objects and large pieces. Then look forward to settling into your new place faster!
Would you like to learn more about moving furniture? Read What Goes Into a Moving Estimate? on Move.org.
The easiest way to move a large piece of furniture is to measure the furniture, map out the location in your new home, and protect the furniture with blankets and shrink wrap. Then, empty and secure drawers, disassemble as much as possible, and store hardware close by for easy retrieval later.
You can move heavy furniture with the help of one or two friends by using furniture dollies, lifting straps, shoulder dollies, or a forearm forklift.
If you’re moving big furniture out of an apartment without professional movers, measure and protect the furniture before you attempt to lift it. Then, use tools like a forearm forklift or shoulder dolly to take some weight off the furniture.
Before moving a heavy couch, be sure to protect walls and floors with furniture pads, then place felt stickers on the legs of the couch. Use a furniture dolly or shoulder dolly to lift the couch with the help of a friend.
Moving large furniture is one important part of moving day, but there are other logistics to keep in mind. Check out these resources for more moving tips on the big day:
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