How To Wrap Furniture For Moving? – A Brief Guide
Are you moving soon? Packing clothes, books, and other smaller items are easy. It requires a little jig-saw puzzle know-how and a few layers of bubble-wrap into a big moving box, so they’re all snug, and you’re all set. But when it comes to bigger equipment like furniture, it requires a little bit of planning, organization, and knowing how to wrap furniture for moving.
We’ve come up with a few tips to help you protect your furniture when you’re moving.
Take Things Apart
Before you’re ready to learn how to wrap furniture for moving, you have to disassemble and pack the smaller things first. Before moving, spot furniture that can be taken apart for easier transport. There are furniture and fixtures that can be taken apart and re-assembled when ready.
- Disassemble furniture that can be taken apart and put back together like tables, bed frames, cribs, modular sofas, shelves, and cabinets.
- Keep all the bolts, screws, latches, and nuts in a resealable plastic bag or secured container. Label them according to the furniture. Interior decorators advise taking a picture of the furniture and pop it in the same bag. It helps with the identification and serves as a helpful reminder of how the furniture looks like when assembled.
- If one piece of furniture has a lot of parts, use tape and a marker to take note where each part goes. This trick will go a long way to protect your furniture.
- If the furniture comes with a manual, it’s best to refer to the proper disassembly guidelines.
Wrap Your Furniture With Wraps
After disassembling the furniture parts, you’re ready to know how to wrap furniture for moving. Before you start, you will need the following materials to help protect your furniture. The length will depend on how many pieces you need to wrap and the number of layers you are comfortable with when wrapping:
- Plastic sheet wrap or shrink wrap - It is recommended to wrap furniture and its parts with plastic or shrink wrap. How to wrap furniture in plastic? Wrap furniture with surfaces you want to protect, such as polished wood, decorated tables, etc. If you use shrink wrap, you will need heat to activate the polymer plastic film. When heat is applied, the wrap shrinks tightly over the surface you’re covering. Heat can be applied with a handheld heat gun. There are shrink wraps that can be heated with a standard hair dryer. To be sure, it is best to ask your local hardware store about the wrap’s shrinking capacity.
- Bubble wrap - Bubble wrap is one of the most popular materials used when moving. It can protect delicate furniture like upholstered furniture or wooden pieces and parts. You can wrap the disassembled parts with bubble wrap to make sure it is well protected when stashed with other items in a large box. Make sure to label them so you won’t have a hard time finding them when assembling later on. Don’t forget to lay the bubbles facing up. Reinforce with packing tape.
- Moving wrapping paper - Moving paper is a much more environmentally friendly option. If you’re planning on recycling paper, make sure to acquire an acid-free and ink-free newsprint paper ideal for protecting fragile parts while moving or storing. Harsh chemicals can stain or ruin furniture fabric. Paper is a versatile wrapper. You can wrap furniture parts with paper, and you can crumple the paper, so it doesn’t shift around when the furniture is placed in a box. After wrapping, reinforce with packing tape.
- Moving blankets - Also called moving pads or furniture pads. Movers will use these to protect your things and reinforce them with rubber bands. If you’re acquiring the help of a moving company, ask about moving pads. These are ideal furniture wraps for moving companies.
Getting Ready To Move
You now have the basic steps on how to wrap furniture for moving. To help you, we have a few helpful tips for a smoother moving day:
- When preparing furniture for moving, don’t work alone. You don’t need to move heavy furniture on your own. You can get a couple of friends or family to help you pack and unpack. It helps save time and energy. You can also acquire the help of movers.
- You can use towels, furniture gliders, or cardboard when moving furniture. This is helpful when you have hardwood floors. Make sure to place these materials underneath the legs of the furniture you are transporting. This will protect your furniture and your hardwood floors from scratches.
- Make sure to use heavy-duty stretch wrap around the outside of your furniture to prevent drawers from opening while in transit.
- Reinforce upholstered items like sofas and couches using a rope to the hooks in the truck. Although you may have packed them with layers of wraps, it is still a good idea to choose which items will be packed around them. Add another layer of moving pads for additional security.
- Remember to clean the furniture when you’ve unpacked and re-assembled them. You’ll be surprised to know dust and dirt can even get in the tightest of spaces.
Conclusion
Moving does not have to be a difficult task to do. Make sure to plan ahead. It is highly recommended to pack all your things and furniture a few days before the actual moving day. Packing, labeling, wrapping, and disassembling your things can carve a lot of hours. When it comes to the size, you may have to disassemble a few furniture pieces, but there will be a few larger pieces that you will still need help with. A huge mattress, a one-piece sofa, or a large dining table will need a couple of extra hands.
Now you know how to wrap furniture for moving. It takes a few good wrappers and a lot of elbow grease. With this article as a helpful guide, you can enjoy moving day knowing you’ve got everything properly wrapped and protected. Find out more about furniture care.
