While sofas, armoires, and appliances make homes comfortable, their weight makes them cumbersome to relocate. Attempting to transport these oversized items without proper techniques risks injury to yourself or costly damage. Don't underestimate the monumental effort moving heavy furnishings requires - hire professionals or follow proven methods if attempting on your own. Here's the right way to safely transport hefty, awkward furniture pieces.
Disassemble What You Can
The bigger you can break bulky furniture down into components, the easier it becomes to maneuver and lift. For instance, remove couch legs, headboards, shelves, and other detachable parts. Unscrew base frames from tables. Take apart bed frames and bundle rails separately. While requiring extra time, this prevents straining while hoisting full unified pieces. Clearly label each component and use zippered storage bags to keep hardware secured.
Use Sliders and Ramps
Heavy furniture risks damaging floors and door jambs when dragging across surfaces. Employ easy-slide furniture movers with protrusions that glide pieces effortlessly across floors. For going over elevated surfaces, invest in durable plastic ramps that support heavy weights. These create smooth inclines for rolling pieces over door jambs or steps.
Equipment for Lifting
Attempting to dead-lift furniture risks serious back and joint injuries if not using proper equipment. Equip yourself with a high-quality dolly designed for heavy-duty weight capacities. Four-wheel truck dollies and appliance hand-trucks with reinforced backboards prevent muscle strain and offer steering capabilities. For extremely heavy dressers or armories, rent an appliance dolly with a leveraging weight strap.
Recruit Capable Assistance
Bulky furniture is never a one-person job - make sure you have enough strong individuals to assist with lifts and navigation. At a minimum, have one spotter help guide each large piece through doorways and around turns while multiple people control lifting. Clothing with good traction and closed-toe shoes prevents slips while moving heavy loads.
Hire Moving Experts
While attempting to recruit a few friends in exchange for pizza and beers, household furniture demands the specialized equipment and trained experience offered by professional moving companies. Reputable movers for furniture come insured to protect your valuables against any damage during relocation. Their reliable practices, tools, and ample staffing make all the difference in ensuring heavy furnishings arrive safely and efficiently.
When consulting movers, share photographs and descriptions of your largest pieces. This allows them to determine if disassembly is required to navigate staircases or tight spaces ahead of time. Certain antique or designer furniture may require bespoke crating as well.
Trust in the Experts
No reputable movers for furniture advocate doing risky lifts and transport methods unsafely. Their training emphasizes proper posture and lift techniques so crew members avoid injury. If a piece requires too many people to be moved safely, professional companies decline and hire additional labor or special equipment rather than compromise.
Specialized machinery like shoulder harnesses, lifting straps, and jacking dollies allow pros to reposition bulky items with ease in ways average homeowners shouldn't attempt. Their truck fleets feature load stability systems and air-ride barn ramps tailored for heavy furniture.
While hiring movers comes at a premium, it's worthwhile for priceless antiques, weighty pieces like slate pool tables, and households with excessively heavy furniture. Many offer content protection plans to insure pieces too. The peace of mind in having experts handle challenges is invaluable.
Make Moving Easier
Attempting to wrestle beds, china cabinets and sectionals solo is impractical and unsafe. Whether doing it yourself with proper equipment or coordinating with movers for furniture, make the heavy lifting easier. With correct wrapping, dismantling, loading techniques, and manpower - your weighty possessions will survive the relocation intact and without injury. Situate items in the new home safely and start enjoying your new living space!
