You have to work a lot when planning a Do-It-Yourself move. Packing, loading, and unloading are all parts of it. While shifting heavy furniture, you would not want to damage any of belongings or your house. Even your floor. Whether it is made of Hardwood, carpet or tiles, your floor is always in danger of getting damaged.
Moving heavy furniture is not only difficult, but it can also damage your floor if you are not comfortable. Whether you are moving to a new house or just rearranging your furniture, sliding those heavy items seems easier than to lift everything.
If you’re like me (lazy – no pride here), you’ll be tempted to simply drag furniture items across the floor when attempting a DIY move. Which is a big NO, if you don’t want to destroy your floor. Dragging your furniture items without any protection is neither safe nor effective.
So, here are a few tips for safer and more effective ways of moving your furniture without destroying your floor.
Seek Support or Help
Moving heavy furniture is no joke unless you are ‘The Incredible HULK’. That was my incredibly heavy joke and I’m not sorry for that.
So, if you have to move some heavy furniture items, enlist help. Lifting and pushing heavy items by yourself is never a good idea. And, even if you’re not concerned about getting your back and shoulder injured, think about your beautiful floor.
You must have seen the stickers on the large, heavy or awkward-shaped boxes that say “team lift”. So, call your friends or family members to help you with moving these heavy items like beds, couches, coffee tables, and dressers.
It will not only prevent injury to yourself but can also prevent your floor from any damage or scratch. The last thing you need is a damaged floor or injured back.
If you can’t find anyone at the time of your moving, then hire professionals to assist with the loading and unloading of the furniture.
Disassemble To Assemble
Remember those childhood toys, where you had to first disassemble the toy and then assemble it back as it was?
You just have to do the same again. The only difference now is that the toys are way bigger and can be fragile if not given proper attention. Disassemble your furniture where it’s possible. Don’t try to move your furniture as-is. Take your furniture apart.
A few examples can be: disassembling your bed frame, removing the cushion from the couches and taking out all drawers inside a dresser or desk. Disassembling doesn’t take much time, and will also lighten the weight of your furniture items.
Keep a toolbox handy if a piece of furniture requires legs or parts removed. Furniture without legs is also easier to maneuver around the tight corners. This will make moving easy.
Clear The Floor
I’m pretty sure you don’t want to trip over something on the floor when moving heavy furniture (ouch!). Believe me, it won’t just be the sound of an “Ouch!”.
So, make sure everything is off the floor before moving the furniture, carpets, and rugs to miscellaneous baskets. EVERYTHING.
Well, it’s common sense, you can’t really move any furniture if you keep on bumping into things along the way. Tripping over can make you drop the furniture item you’re carrying. This will not only damage your furniture and floor but also you can injure yourself.
‘Moving Blankets’ Are The Key
Professional movers know this trick well. Moving blankets are padded, and can be used to wrap and protect furniture when pushing or pulling them across the floor.
Your floor will smile back to you if you do this. And, not only the floor but moving blankets also prevent the walls and corners from the damage during the furniture moving process.
If your budget doesn’t allow you to buy blankets, you can also use towels and cardboard as an alternative.
You can also place the blanket, towel or rags under the legs of the furniture. Ask someone for help to lift the heavy item so that you can slide the towel under its legs. This will help you slide your furniture easily without any damage to the floor.
Spend Money On Sliders Or Gliders
Use sliders to move the furniture after wrapping them in moving blankets. You can easily find these sliders (or gliders, as they’re sometimes called) online.
These sliders are made of a combination of rubber and felt. Sliders are special pads that fit underneath furniture legs. You can easily glide the item across the floor using sliders without scratching up the floor.
They are much more durable than the typical felt pads, and they also make sure, those heavy items slide easily. Furniture sliders are perfect for couches, dressers, tables and heavy appliances.
Easy, right!
Rent A Dolly
If you’re renting a moving truck, rent a dolly too as an add-on. If you don’t want to deal with the stairs, a dolly can help you.
A dolly will make your life really smooth when shifting heavy furniture items. You can easily move heavy furniture with the help of dolly.
If you want to buy a dolly, you can find them at Walmart and Home Depot.
Slow And Steady Wins The Race
You all must have heard this idiom during your childhood. And this sentence is no joke, it works every time. Especially if you’re moving heavy furniture.
Make sure to move your heavy belongings slowly and carefully to avoid any damage to your floor or any injury to yourself. Use proper lifting techniques when you’re lifting a heavy item. Bend on your knees and hips to squat down to your load, keep it close to your body and straighten your legs to lift the item.
If sliding or pulling an item, remember to use sliders. And while moving the furniture, make sure nothing is scratching up the floor in the process, by moving the furniture slowly.
Mind it, moving heavy furniture is a serious business.
Have A Plan
Whether you’re just rearranging your furniture or moving to a new place, plan everything in advance for how to layout furniture before you start lifting.
Going back and forth consumes a lot of time. Planning everything before starting will minimize this time and will also minimizes accidental damage to the floors.
I know, you can’t plan everything and definitely can not implement the same exactly. But, knowing roughly what you want, and where to start is a great option.
Clean The Floors
I would recommend you sweeping and damp mopping your floors before you start lifting those heavy pieces of furniture. Dirt and grit trapped under the legs or material you’re using to make things slide easily can seriously scratch up your floors as well.
So, cleaning the floor before starting can help you get rid of that dirt.
Even after following every step and taking every precaution, your hardwood flooring can get a few small scratches. For that, you can buy scratch-concealers. These scratch-concealers reduces the appearance of scratches on the hardwood floors. And if all these tips feel like too much work then you can invest with expert Jersey City Movers any time and get yourself a hassle free move!
