The Ultimate Guide to Moving Heavy Furniture

Couches. Dressers. Treadmills. Pianos. These items are great to have around—until it comes time to move them. If you’re planning a DIY move, you may be looking for tips on moving heavy furniture yourself. Don’t sweat (at least, not yet). We’ve got the know-how you need to move your heavy furniture like a pro. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover general advice for moving heavy furniture and go over specific topics like disassembling and wrapping furniture. In addition, we’ll discuss useful tools you can use to move your heavy furniture. We’ll also let you know how to move heavy furniture up and down stairs and through doorways. By the end, you’ll be a heavy furniture moving expert!

Preparation

There are a few steps you should follow ahead of your move to ensure you’re ready to move your heavy furniture.

1. Get Help

First and foremost, moving heavy furniture all by yourself is not ideal. It really helps to have people who can help you lift the other end of a couch, direct you if you have limited visibility, or take turns moving objects so you don’t wear yourself out.

Ask people to help you move as far in advance as possible; this way, you can find a time that works best for everyone’s schedule. Since moving is a grueling task, a great way to thank people is to order a pizza for everyone once the lifting is over!

If you can’t find a spare set of hands amongst your friends, hiring labor-only movers helps keep costs down.

2. Gather Supplies

Moving heavy furniture is all about the strategy. There’s a variety of equipment that can help you out, including a measuring tape; moving blankets; packing tape; and a four-wheeler, hand truck, or dolly. We’ll go over how to use this equipment later.

3. Disassemble

Oftentimes, heavy furniture can be disassembled—and this can make it significantly more manageable to move. Read on for tips on disassembling your heavy furniture!

4. Measure

Measure, measure, measure! If you need to pass through hallways, stairs, or doors, make sure your furniture can fit. You may love your couch, but you won’t love it when it gets stuck in your doorway. You also need to ensure your moving vehicle is big enough to hold your heavy furniture.

5. Plan Your Route

After you’ve measured everything, map your route. Find the easiest way to move your furniture to your desired location, whether it be a moving truck or storage space. Figure out who on your moving team will do what as you move.

6. Protect Your Home

Protect your home from damage that may occur during the move. Cover any corners, banisters, or other areas that are susceptible to nicking. It’s all too common to scratch up walls when carrying bulky items.

In addition, think about your floors. Any move can potentially damage hardwood floors or carpets due to foot traffic. And if you’re moving heavy furniture, you might need to slide it over floors or place it down hard. You can cover your floors with moving blankets or use flattened cardboard boxes to protect them. Just make sure whatever you use isn’t going to slip or cause you to trip; you might need to tape it down.

7. Wrap Your Furniture

Wrapping heavy furniture in moving blankets can be a lifesaver during the move. This step can protect your home, protect furniture itself, and even make items easier to grip and carry. We’ll go over more advice for wrapping furniture later.

8. Clear A Path

Lastly, clear a path so you don’t stumble over anything while carrying your heavy furniture. Make sure all items that could get underfoot are at the edges of the room. Move any other furniture items or boxes out of your way.

Disassembling Heavy Furniture

Disassembling your heavy furniture can make it much more manageable. It’s always better to carry lighter items in more trips, rather than breaking your back trying to move something too heavy for you. Here’s how to go about the process.

1. Find Manuals And Boxes

If possible, now’s the time to locate the boxes your heavy furniture originally came in. If you still have these boxes, they’re very convenient for stowing your disassembled furniture in.

In addition, see if you have the manual with assembly instructions for your furniture. However, if you no longer have that guide (like most of us), we’ve got some tips for you.

If you can locate any type of serial number on your product, you can look online to see if there are any manuals out there. And if you’re not sure if your furniture comes apart, look for components like screws that you can undo. As long as you remember where everything went and don’t break anything, it never hurts to try!

2. Stay Organized

The last time I moved, I took pictures of all my furniture before disassembling it. These pictures were crucial when I had to put the furniture back together weeks later. Snap shots of your furniture from several angles before you disassemble anything and save them for later.

Disassembling heavy furniture also means dealing with lots of little nuts, bolts, and screws. It’s important to keep track of them and know what goes where. To do this, you can put all these pieces in plastic baggies that are labeled with the furniture item they belong to. If your furniture has different types of little doodads—like larger and smaller screws—you can also make yourself a cheat sheet that tells you which items go where.

3. Disassemble

Disassemble whatever furniture you need to. It’s a great idea to have some different sizes of screwdrivers on hand for this task, as well as some plastic baggies to hold little parts, and permanent markers to label things. Also have key packing equipment such as cardboard boxes, packing material, and packing tape so you can pack up any loose parts.

For items that can’t come apart, see if there are any components that you can still remove. For example, removing drawers from nightstands and dressers will make them lighter and easier to carry.

4. Don’t Overdo It

Disassembling heavy furniture can take a while. Remember, you only need to disassemble your furniture to the point where you can fit it through your exit and into your moving vehicle. Often, that means that only the legs of furniture need to be removed.

Still, if you need to save space at any point, bulky items like desks take up much less room when disassembled.

Pro Tip: Downsize

Not all heavy furniture is worth the effort to move. We all have items in our house that are a bit worse for wear. Save yourself time and energy by donating these items or simply throwing them away if they’re too unstable.

Wrapping Heavy Furniture

Wrapping heavy furniture is essential to make sure it stays clean and scratch-free during the move. One of the best ways to wrap heavy furniture is with a moving blanket, which is a thick piece of fabric designed to cover furniture. Other materials—like normal blankets—might work, but they’re often not durable enough to withstand the demands of a move.

Here’s how to wrap heavy furniture yourself with moving blankets.

1. Count Items

Before you wrap your heavy furniture, you should know how many moving blankets you need. A good rule of thumb is to have one moving blanket for every item you plan to cover. Remember, larger furniture items—such as dining tables, headboards, or large bookcases—may need more than one moving blanket, since a standard moving blanket is about 54 by 72 inches. Plan on using two to three moving blankets for your heaviest items.

2. Find Moving Blankets

If you haven’t moved recently, you may not have moving blankets just lying around. However, moving blankets can be purchased at many stores. Some common retailers with this item include:

• Walmart (about $20–30)
• Lowes (about $20–30)
• Home Depot (about $15–25)
• Harbor Freight (about $5–15)
• Amazon (about $20–40)

Alternatively, some companies offer moving blanket rentals. Keep in mind that rental moving blankets may have damage that will make them less effective. But if you want to save some money or move more sustainably, renting moving blankets is a great option. Some rental options include U-Haul (prices start at $5 for 6 blankets of standard size), Budget, and Penske. Call your local office for exact rental information and pricing.

3. Wrap Furniture

Wrapping heavy furniture is relatively easy. First, lay your moving blanket over whichever furniture item you are wrapping. Make sure the moving blanket covers your item fully. Then, tape the blanket around your furniture to secure it.

You can also add a layer of plastic wrap over your moving blankets. Plastic wrap can be helpful if you have bad weather in your area, as it will help keep out moisture. In addition, if you’re planning to store your furniture, it can really help protect your items from the dreaded mold.

Lifting Heavy Furniture

Lifting Advice

There’s some furniture—like a dining table—you can probably pick up with the help of a buddy. To pick up this furniture, squat and lift with your legs. Move slowly at all times, and keep the furniture close to your body. Coordinate with whoever’s helping you so that you lift the furniture and take steps at the same time.

However, if you’re struggling to lift something, don’t power through. This is a great way to get injured, whether it be by straining your back or dropping something on your foot and breaking a toe. Instead, use the right equipment; there are lots of tools that can help you move heavy furniture. Hire movers if the task doesn’t seem manageable for you.

Pro Tip: Take Breaks

Carrying heavy furniture is difficult. Be sure to take breaks whenever you need to during the moving process so you can recover your strength and avoid injury. Have water and snacks on hand, and never be afraid to tell your partner you need to rest.

Key Equipment

There’s a variety of equipment that you can use to move heavy furniture yourself. These tools include moving blankets, dollies and hand trucks, and lifting straps.

Moving Blankets

Moving blankets are an old friend at this point. Besides using them to wrap your furniture, you can also use them to drag furniture, which tends to be easier than carrying it.

To drag furniture with a moving blanket, spread the blanket out on the floor. Place your item on top of the blanket, and then pull the blanket to move the item. The downside of this method is that it depends on having a smooth surface to drag the blanket on. If dragging isn’t a good option for you, read on.

Wheeled Equipment

There’s plenty of wheeled equipment you can use to move heavy furniture yourself. Here are three types of wheeled equipment to consider adding to your moving supplies list.

Four-Wheeler

A four-wheeler is a heavy-duty platform with four wheels. It’s ideal for moving heavy furniture items over long, flat distances. Place your item in a stable position in the middle of the platform, and push it to its destination.

Hand Truck

A hand truck has two wheels and a long metal plate on the bottom to help scoop up your heavy furniture. It also has tall supportive backing. Hand trucks are great moving for nightstands, bookcases, and heavy boxes, and avoid even the little bit of lifting that a four-wheeler requires.

Appliance Dolly

An appliance dolly is very similar to a hand truck. An appliance dolly is heavier duty, with strap that allows you to better secure your furniture. It’s perfect for moving refrigerators, washers, dryers, and other very heavy equipment.

Wheeled Equipment Rentals

If you choose to buy a dolly or hand truck for your move, you might be surprised how often it comes in handy! Still, there are plenty of places to rent these more niche pieces of equipment:

• Home Depot (hand truck rental for $25 per day)
• U-Haul (in-town hand truck rental for $7)
• Lowes (hand truck rental for $14 for 4 hours)

Moving Straps

Lastly, another piece of equipment that can help you move heavy furniture yourself is moving straps. Moving straps attach to your shoulders or forearms and go under the heavy furniture item you’re moving.

The basic process for using moving straps is to lay them on the floor and place the item you’re moving on top. Make sure the item is centered. Then, you can attach the moving straps to yourself. Squat slightly to pick up the item and place it down again.

Moving straps are great equipment for lifting heavy furniture because you don’t need to bend over nearly as much if you’re using them. Thus, they reduce the strain on your back.

Still, make sure you use your moving straps correctly. When you buy them, consult the package for instructions. In addition, know your limits. Moving straps are great for helping you move heavy furniture up and down short flights of stairs, but don’t expect them to give you superpowers!

Tackling Stairs

If you live in a house or apartment with stairs, this can make your DIY move a bit more challenging. Here’s some advice for how to move heavy furniture up or down stairs yourself.

Preparing

You need at least one other person to help you move your furniture. You might want a third person who can help direct you, since bulky items can block your field of vision.

As we discussed earlier, start by measuring the furniture to make sure it will fit through the stairway. Clear your path, and plan your route. Figure out who will do what as you move.

In addition, make sure you’ve removed any loose parts like drawers that might slide around if you’re holding your furniture at an angle. You don’t want anything falling on you en route.

Lifting

You and your moving buddies should stand on opposite sides of the heavy furniture item. Whoever is stronger, or whichever side has more people lifting, should be at the lower end. Lift the furniture item up at the same time, then carry it down or up the stairs.

Using Equipment

If your furniture item is hard to lift, you can also use some equipment to move your heavy furniture up or down stairs. To use a hand truck, place the furniture on the hand truck. Stand behind the hand truck, and pull it up or down one step at a time.

Navigating Doorways

Another challenge for the DIY mover is doorways. Here’s how to move your heavy furniture through a doorway.

Detaching

If you just need a few extra inches of room to get your heavy furniture through a doorway, detaching is a great option. To do this, simply remove the legs of the furniture item.

Angling

If you’re struggling to get your heavy furniture through the doorway, try changing the angle. Let’s use a couch as an example. Tilting the couch at a 45-degree angle, with the front edge of the seat cushion lifted slightly up and the back of the couch tilted slightly back, will actually place the couch in the narrowest position. Trying different angles and forward and backward combinations will help you move your heavy furniture through the doorway.

Curling

Curling is a technique of moving furniture in a circular manner through a doorway. Let’s return to the couch example. For this situation, first, lay a blanket on the floor where the couch will go. Next, move the top back edge of the couch through the doorway slightly, and then curl the couch around the doorway towards the seat cushions. This should allow you to slip the rest of the couch through the door.

Hiring Movers

We’ve given you a lot of advice for moving heavy furniture yourself. However, if you’re feeling too daunted by the task ahead, it’s best to leave this kind of heavy lifting to experts with the experience, strength, and tools to deal with moving heavy furniture.

If you want to do as much on your own as possible—but without breaking your back or your budget—hiring labor-only movers like UniMovers can be a great option. UniMovers offers customizable services at a fixed hourly rate. Thus, with UniMovers, you can get help with tasks like lifting heavy furniture, but avoid paying for tasks you’d rather tackle yourself.

Conclusion

Now you’re about as prepared as you can be to lift your heavy furniture yourself, short of actually doing it! As a refresher, take some steps to prepare, like getting help, measuring your furniture, and protecting your home. Do some disassembly, and wrap your heavy items.

Look into getting key equipment for moving heavy furniture, like a hand truck. Be strategic when moving heavy furniture up and down stairs and through doorways. Lastly, if there’s any part of the move you should leave to the experts, lifting heavy furniture is it; movers can really help you out with this step!

FAQs