Protecting Furniture During a House Move

Why Preparation Matters as Much as Muscle

Most furniture damage during a house move does not happen because someone dropped a piano down a flight of stairs. It happens in small, avoidable moments: a door swinging open in transit and shearing off its hinges, a corner scraped along a door frame, a glass shelf sliding free because nobody taped the cabinet shut. Gentle removals are as much about preparation as they are about careful lifting, and an hour spent wrapping and securing at the pickup end will save you far more time than any amount of careful carrying later on.

If you are hiring a man-and-van service, good crews will arrive with blankets, straps and trolleys. But they can only work with what you have given them. Furniture that is ready to go, with doors taped and drawers secured, loads faster, stacks more safely, and arrives in the condition it left in. For small businesses moving stock, shelving or shop fittings, that same discipline protects your investment and keeps you trading sooner.

The Kit Worth Having Before Moving Day

You do not need a warehouse full of packaging. A modest, well-chosen set of supplies will cover almost every domestic move.

• Moving blankets or old duvets — at least six to ten for a typical two-bedroom flat. Thick, clean and free of grit.
• Stretch cling film — the wide removal-grade roll, not kitchen film. It holds blankets in place and stops drawers sliding open.
• Low-tack tape — masking or removal tape that will not lift varnish or leave residue on oak and walnut.
• Corner protectors or flattened cardboard — cut to fit over the sharp corners of tables, sideboards and picture frames.
• Ratchet straps or cam straps — for securing taller items inside the van.
• Bubble wrap and kraft paper — for glass, mirrors and polished surfaces.
• A marker pen and a roll of labels — so fragile pieces and room destinations are obvious at a glance.

Buy more tape than you think you need. You will use it.

Wrapping Furniture Properly: Layer in the Right Order

The aim of wrapping is to create a soft, grippy, sacrificial layer between your furniture and everything it might touch. Start with the surface itself. Dust and grit trapped under a blanket will scratch a polished top, so give everything a quick wipe first.

For flat surfaces — dining tables, chests of drawers, desks — lay a blanket over the top and wrap the whole thing with stretch film, working in overlapping bands. Wrap the legs separately, padding each one and taping firmly. Glass-topped tables should have the glass removed entirely, wrapped flat and carried upright, never laid down in the van.

Sofas and armchairs benefit from a blanket over the seat, another over the back, and a final film wrap holding it all together. Take cushions off and bag them separately if you have the space; they make excellent padding for awkward gaps in the load.

Mattresses should be wrapped in purpose-made covers or heavy polythene. They are vulnerable to scuffs and, more importantly, to dirt and damp in a van that has been sitting on a wet driveway.

Secure Doors, Drawers and Loose Parts

This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that causes the most expensive damage. Anything that can move independently during transit will move.

• Tape wardrobe and cabinet doors shut with low-tack tape, running the tape from the door onto the carcass, not just across the gap.
• Remove drawers entirely from chests and sideboards where possible, wrap them, and refit them once the carcass is in place at the new property. If you cannot remove them, close them and tape them shut.
• Remove adjustable shelves, wrap them and pack them flat in a box.
• Dismantle beds, tables and shelving units where the fixings allow. Bag the screws and bolts, label the bag, and tape it to the relevant frame.
• Take off mirror-glass doors and glass shelves from display cabinets. These should travel separately and vertically.

Small businesses moving display units, counters or till equipment should treat every glass panel and loose fitting the same way. A labelled bag of fixings is worth its weight in gold when you are reassembling at 9pm.

Corners, Edges and Glass: The Vulnerable Points

Corners take the punishment. Wrap a folded piece of cardboard around each external corner of a table, sideboard or picture frame and tape it firmly in place. For very heavy pieces, a double layer of cardboard plus a strip of blanket underneath is ideal.

Pictures and mirrors should be wrapped in bubble wrap, then cardboard, and stored upright — never flat, where the weight of other items can crack the glass. If you have a picture crate, use it. If not, stand framed items against a van wall and strap them.

Anything with a polished or veneered finish will mark if something hard presses against it. Blanket first, then cardboard over the top, so the hard edge of another item never reaches the timber.

Loading, Stacking and the First Hour in the New Home

Load heavy items first, low and toward the front of the van, over the axle where possible. Tall pieces such as wardrobes go against the side walls and get strapped. Keep the floor clear of loose tape and film, which can trip you and slide underfoot.

Stand mattresses and sofas on their ends rather than stacking anything on top. Never lay a fridge or freezer down — the compressor oil needs time to settle before it is plugged in, ideally a few hours upright.

At the other end, unload in reverse order and put furniture in its intended room straight away. Unwrap as you go, fold the blankets, and check each item for damage before the crew leaves. Any issue is far easier to resolve on the day than a week later.

Done properly, protecting furniture is not a chore bolted onto moving day — it is the thing that makes moving day go smoothly. Wrap it, tape it, protect the corners, and let the lifting be the easy part.