What to Remember When Moving Antique Furniture

Things to remember while Moving Antique Furniture

Making sure your furniture is properly secured during a move is always a bit stressful, but moving antique furniture can be terrifying — especially if your items are delicate and hold a great deal of value. However, there are steps you can take to minimize any potential damage to your precious keepsakes.

In this article, we’ve listed some of the most important things to remember when moving your antique furniture.

Be mindful of specifications

All furniture must be properly prepared before each move — but when moving antique furniture, all specifications of each piece need to be taken into special account. Older items may be less durable or show signs of aging, making them far less likely to weather any damage if they aren’t properly protected.

Assessing the fragility of each piece is especially important. For example, if you’re moving an antique mirror, a framed painting or anything that’s made of glass, these delicate items will require extra protection and need to be handled carefully.

Of course, the size and dimensions of each item also need to be taken into account. If you are moving a piece of antique furniture or something large (such as a grand piano), all logistics should be taken care of beforehand. This includes making sure the moving truck is big enough to support each item, making sure all doorways are large enough to allow each item to fit through and, of course, ensuring that each item is handled by experienced movers with the right knowledge, experience and credentials.

Make sure items are appraised and insured

Antique items that have been kept in good condition can hold significant value, meaning it is important to always know their worth by getting them appraised. This is especially significant when preparing them for a move, as in the case that any damage occurs during the process, you’ll have proof stating the value of your furniture and will be able to present it on any insurance claims.

Making sure your items are insured is also one of the most important parts of the moving process. You can do this by consulting a professional insurance company or hiring professional movers with liability coverage.

Undergo the right before and after care

When packing antique furniture items, extra special care needs to be taken both before and after the move.

If you are packing antique furniture yourself and have taken all specs into account, your next step should be to disassemble any pieces that can be safely detached and wrap them very carefully. Any nuts, bolts or hardware items should also be put into sealable plastic bags and attached to their respective furniture items.

Using proper protection is also crucial. Thin plastic wrap or special packing paper is usually best for protecting the surface of any antique items, as this will ensure that your items won’t get scratched, dinged or exposed to any dirt or moisture during the move. 

Using proper shock protection materials is also key when moving antique items — common choices are foam sheets, bubble wrap or moving blankets, with rope or tape to keep them secure. It’s also important to use these materials to protect corners of antique furniture when moving, as they’re more likely to damage other antique items in a moving truck should anything come too close into contact.

After the move is finished and your items have arrived in their new space, they should be carefully unpacked, handled and inspected.

For peace of mind and best results, the ideal choice is to hire a professional moving company that is experienced with handling fragile items and that is licensed, qualified and insured. 

Label all items accordingly

Ever seen a box that says “fragile with care”? This is exactly what you’ll want movers to know if they are handling antique furniture.

If you have any furniture items that are delicate, aged or particularly valuable, it’s always smart to label them accordingly and make sure your hired movers have the right memo on how to handle them. Hiring a professional team of movers that is experienced with transporting antique items is usually your best bet.

Macho Movers Can Help

At Macho Movers, we do it all — making us one of the best antique furniture moving companies in the Guelph area. Our team has the right technology and experience to handle all types of moving jobs in Guelph, Kitchener/Waterloo and Cambridge, ensuring that any of your fragile and valuable antique items show up to your new residence in pristine condition.

If you’re looking to plan your next move and need extra special care with antique furniture, contact Macho Movers today!