Getting ready for a big move but anxious about whether your antique wooden furniture will survive? Check out Movers.com’s guide and learn about what you can do to avoid trashing your most delicate pieces!
Moving is stressful enough as is, and the last thing you need is for your favorite dresser to be reduced to a pile of wood chips by the end of the whole process. Luckily, Movers.com has a lot of knowledge on this kind of thing, and they’ve compiled all of the information they’ve gathered over the years into a neat guide for you to read! Taking the time to familiarize yourself with the dos and don’ts of packing and transporting wooden furniture is well worth your while, especially if there’s an antique piece in your possession that you really don’t want to lose!
Because wood is more delicate than other types of material, wooden furniture is particularly susceptible to damage during a move and requires special considerations for packing and transportation. Movers.com says that while obtaining the appropriate packing equipment is one of the most important things you can do to protect your pieces, you must also ensure that any moving parts are secured to avoid the risk of damage.
If your first thought is to envelop your pieces in layers of bubble wrap, stop yourself right there! Bubble wrap and other types of plastic wraps are not suitable for wooden furniture because they can trap moisture, which can then infiltrate the pores of the material. Plastic packing materials should only be considered if they will not make direct contact with the surface of the piece. Movers.com instead advises you to use furniture pads, moving blankets, or foam padding, and to cover as much exposed wood as possible to cushion the pieces from impact.
To further lower the chances of damage, knobs, handles, casters, and legs should be removed and stored separately before the pieces are wrapped. Furniture with moving parts, such as drawers or cabinets, can be tied shut with twine, but make sure you wrap these pieces before you do. As with plastic, coarse twine and tape can damage wooden surfaces and should not be left in direct contact with them.
When transporting belongings, the guide recommends that you use dollies for larger, heavier pieces. If you don’t have a dolly, you can get a human pair of hands to help you instead, but whatever you do, avoid dragging or sliding the furniture along the ground. If the ground doesn’t bang up the wood, all the jostling and jerking definitely will. So yeah, just don’t do it.
And even after the item has been secured in the moving truck, you should refrain from stacking other belongings on top, as the added weight may warp the wood. Wood is pretty high-maintenance, isn’t it? But the natural appeal is so worth it. That’s why you’re putting in all the effort, right?
And just for additional assurance, you can also enlist the help of professional movers who are trained to transport delicate furniture. If you’re in LaFayette, you can use Movers.com’s directory to find such companies, along with movers that offer services for apartment moves and other jobs requiring specialized experience. When it comes to relocation, Movers.com is a resource that has practically everything, so make sure you check it out!
