Valuable (and vulnerable) though your flooring is, it’s easy to overlook, especially during a move. You’re probably so focused on preventing damage to your furniture that you forget you’ll need to protect your floors the same way. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to preventing floor damage during moves. These are the simple tips, tricks and techniques you need to keep your floors blemish-free throughout the entire moving process.
Never drag.
This is a general rule. It applies when you’re moving, when you’re not moving and any time in between. Never. Drag. Furniture. On. Flooring. Even the lightest item can create dents and scratches in wood or broken tiles as you drag it over the flooring.
Get the help you need to carry everything you’re rearranging or bringing into your new space. If you have to drag something, you need more moving help.
Pack smartly.
Believe it or not, effective packing plays just as significant a role in helping you avoid floor damage as effective moving itself. You have to pack every time in a manner that minimizes its potential to break (or break anything else!) during the move.
Wrap furniture with sharp edges in towels, blankets or similar linens. Make sure you only use high-quality, sturdy boxes that are unlikely to split or fall apart. Double tape the bottoms of all boxes to help ensure they don’t break at the bottom. Never overpack boxes.
Keep the floor covered.
You should have some kind of cover for every floor you’ll walk over during your move or remodel. Protecting your flooring with any kind of cover will significantly reduce your risk of damaging it during the move. You don’t even necessarily have to spend lots of money on specialty floor coverings. You can use a wide variety of items you likely already have, such as:
- Doormats
- Old rugs
- Blankets you don’t mind getting dirty
- Towels
- Broken down cardboard boxes
- Floor runners
One important note: make sure you can walk on your floor covering safely. The last thing you want is to slip and fall during your move. Avoid choosing anything that could be slippery or slip out from under you as you walk over it.
Use helpful moving tools.
The most helpful tools you’ll utilize will probably be furniture sliders and a rubber-wheeled dolly. Furniture sliders are flat pieces of plastic that have hard rubber coatings to remove the friction between objects and the floor. Furniture sliders will help you slide and maneuver especially heavy items far more safely and easily. If you have furniture sliders, you won’t have to drag your heavy stuff around!
A dolly helps you move everything smaller safely. Make sure your dolly has rubber wheels so you can preserve the integrity of your flooring. Metal wheels can and will scratch flooring as you use them if you don’t cover that flooring.
Plan ahead.
Planning prevents problems. You’re much more likely to hurt your floors (and yourself) when you try to move something without measuring and planning it out first. Trying to move furniture that’s too big through entryways that are too small is a recipe for disaster. The only way to avoid disasters like these is to plan ahead.
Measure the furniture you’re transporting. Measure the doorways you’ll have to move through. Wrap up sharp corners. Find the right floor and wall covers, and lay them out beforehand. Know exactly how and when you’re going to move each item, especially if it’s big. If you need help, get it before you start! Figure out where you’re going to put things, how you’re going to get them there and what you’ll need to do it. If you have a gameplan, your move will go off without a hitch–and without floor damage.
Another good way to guarantee you don’t sustain floor damage during your move is to hire professional movers. Your professional moving team will have all the tools and plans necessary to protect your new floor. We’ll even wear protective booties to keep from tracking in dirt.
If you’re interested in using professionals for your next move, call Wheaton for a free quote on professional packing and moving services today. We’ll keep you, your floor and your stuff safe, from move out to move in.
