How to Protect Your Furniture When Moving

Furniture is bulky, heavy and easy to scratch or dent if it's not protected properly. A few techniques prevent almost all damage.

Here's how the pros wrap and load furniture so it arrives as it left.

Disassemble what you can

Remove legs from tables, take apart bed frames, and detach shelves. Smaller pieces are safer to carry, fit better in the truck, and are less likely to snag on doorways. Bag and label all screws and hardware.

Wrap with the right materials

Use moving blankets for hard surfaces and corners, stretch film to hold blankets and drawers in place, and corner protectors for glass and finished edges. Never let tape touch a finished surface directly — it can peel the finish.

Protect floors and doorways

Lay runners or cardboard on floors and pad doorframes at both homes. Most furniture damage actually happens on the way out the door, not in the truck.

Load smart

Heaviest, sturdiest pieces go in first and low. Stand sofas on end where possible, keep drawers secured, and fill gaps so nothing shifts in transit. This is where an experienced crew really earns its keep.

Frequently asked questions