5 Tips on How to Secure Vintage Furniture When RelocatingBy Angelica Malin
Relocating can prove to be challenging and difficult. This is because moving entails the need for you to pack and organize all your things and make sure that your stuff reaches your new home in good condition, most especially the things that are breakable, and even your vintage furniture. To help you do so, here are some tips on how to secure your vintage furniture when relocating.
Prepare and clean your vintage furniture
The first thing you need to do in order to effectively secure your vintage furniture is to make an inventory of all the furniture you intend to move. Include in your inventory the current state of your furniture, whether these are in utmost good condition, or they already need a little repair even before you move. It will be best if you can take some photos of your furniture and zoom in on existing dents or scratches to be able to assess later on whether your furniture incurred any additional damages after the move. In parallel, the photos will greatly help you reassemble the furniture that you will disassemble for packing.
You will also want to clean your vintage furniture before moving. This is because abrasive particles, as well as coarse debris can cause scratches on the delicate surfaces of your furniture during the move. However, it is better to avoid using chemical-based products, especially for your furniture made of wood because these chemicals can cause unnecessary moisture when your furniture is packed. This moisture can result in damages to your antiques because wood doesn’t have the space it needs to let air through when packed. Thus, it is best to clean them or even just dust them before you disassemble and pack them in order to ensure that your furniture will be free from scratches and dents.
Disassemble what you can
More often than not, large furniture can be disassembled. Thereby, disassemble what you can to lighten the load, making it easy for the movers to handle your furniture with care. This is because protruding parts such as table legs or decorative elements make it much more difficult for the movers to maneuver in tight corners or narrow hallways, increasing the risk of damage to your furniture. Keep the bolts and screws you take out in a plastic bag that can be sealed in together with your furniture so that you won’t have a hard time finding these upon reassembly. Ensure that each of the parts you have disassembled is properly labeled and wrapped to protect them during the move. Nevertheless, those that are no longer suitable to be disassembled should be wrapped, packed, and moved as is.
Pack and wrap the right way
Packing and wrapping vintage furniture entails the need for extra care and caution. Thereby, it is best to look for packing materials that have the capability to protect your furniture such as blue furniture blankets, sofa and mattress covers, shrink or furniture wrap, packing paper, corrugated cardboard, and of course, bubble wraps. Some of these work well in packing certain furniture pieces such as a few layers of bubble wrap for your wooden furniture with an additional corrugated cardboard for added protection. However, take note that plastic wrap should not be put directly on old wooden furniture because this can trap moisture in, leading to the damage of your furniture. The best practice is to use a moving blanket or a furniture pad as a first layer of protection to create a barrier between the furniture and the plastic padding. Keep in mind to pay special attention to corners and wrap all surfaces of your vintage furniture.
Ensure a proper placement of the furniture in the vehicle
Another helpful tip to secure your vintage furniture in moving is to ensure a proper placement of the items in the vehicle that will be used for the move. Placing your furniture strategically inside the vehicles will give it an additional padding for protection. Thus, ensure that the heaviest furniture is moved to the farthest end of the truck for more stability. The surfaces of dressers, tables, and other square-shaped items can be used as spaces for additional items, which is why it is necessary to ensure that their surfaces have extra cushioning. It will also help to place moving blankets on the truck floor to keep unwrapped mattresses free from dust and dirt.
Work with a professional mover
Perhaps the best tip in securing your vintage furniture when relocating is to work with professional movers. This is because they are the most experienced professionals when it comes to transporting stuff from one place to another. According to the professional movers from The Road Haugs, it is best to work with movers who have the proper certifications to be worry free in terms of safety, security, and professionalism. Movers with the proper certifications and accreditations can guarantee their clients that their belongings are transported with utmost care, which is why it is best to work with a professional mover, especially if you have a number of vintage furniture.
More often than not, working with a professional mover entails a simple process of giving them a call, receiving a cost estimate, and working out the details of the move, as well as the final details after the move. Nevertheless, when working with a moving company, bear in mind to mention about your vintage furniture in your initial inventory call. This is because they may have special crates or even packing materials that you can use for the move. In addition to this, they will have a heads up that they need to exert extra care and caution in loading and unloading your vintage furniture into their truck.
To wrap things up, moving is definitely tedious because of several things that you need to take note of. Apart from ensuring that you are able to move all the stuff that you need, you also need to safeguard your things from being lost or from being broken, and this is most especially true for your valuables, your breakables, and your vintage furniture. Nevertheless, you don’t really have to fret because there are already several ways on how you can seamlessly relocate, without having to worry about your stuff.