If you’re planning to move, chances are that you wondered how to protect floors when moving. During a relocation process, the damage is possible at any moment. Even if you have a lot of moving experience, mistakes can still happen.
Doing moving on yourself can create more damage and more expenses than hiring professional movers in Brooklyn. One of the most common accidents is scratched, chipped, or dented floor. We prepared a handy guide to help you protect your floors when moving.
Why is it so substantial to protect the floor from damage before you move?
The reason is simple. In case of any damage, you will not take your deposit back. Maybe you forgot about this, but every owner will request a security deposit before you enter the new place, and in case something is not right before you leave the house or apartment, you can say “Goodbye” to your money. Apart from that, you will need to pay for all further repairs in your old home too.
The most common types of floor materials
Choosing the right style and type of floor in your house with the correct interior design plays a significant role in this process. The most common types of material are carpet, hardwood, vinyl/linoleum, or tile.
Carpet: This kind of material is mostly used in the living room and bedroom. Usage of carpet in the kitchen or bathroom is not an advisable option. As a result, contact with water or other liquid may get the carpet wet or stained and ruin its structure.
Hardwood: This flooring material is made from cherry, walnut, or oak, but it’s not limited to those three options. Hardwood flooring may also come pre-finished, or it may need to get finished with the following installation for a smooth, shiny look.
Vinyl/Linoleum: This kind of material is the best option for kitchens, dining rooms, and bathrooms because of its flexible structure.
Tile: This flooring material is traditionally used in bathrooms but is now frequently used in dining areas, kitchens, hallways, entryways, and laundry rooms.
Pack fewer items in the box
When you are packing your belongings, try to arrange them nicely inside the box, so in that way, they will not be too heavy. One of the biggest mistakes during packing is trying to fit a lot of items inside the box. In this manner, there is no other way to carry all items except to drag them, which can cause damage to your floor. The first thing you can do to keep your flooring intact is to transfer not too heavy boxes by your hand.
How to protect floor from damage?
Before you begin with packing, you need to understand there are different floor materials inside your home, which may require another approach for protection. For that reason, here are some tips that may help you in that process.
Measure your bulky furniture
Planning and measuring your furniture is a perfect way to stay organized and avoid common mistakes during your move. For example: Trying to pass bulky furniture through a narrow hallway or door can damage your place, and at the same time, it can damage furniture. To avoid these situations, disassemble your heavy furniture if possible, or place some cardboard boxes that you do not need under heavy items and slide them.
Cover your furniture
To prevent damage to your furniture, you may use some methods as:
Wrap the edges and feet of tables, chairs with furniture blankets, or old pieces of clothes. Also, for this purpose, you may use furniture sliders. The only thing you have to do is to lift the corner of the object you are moving and set sliders underneath.
Supplies that may help you to protect your floor
As we said before, it is important to keep your belongings intact and to leave your old place in perfect condition. Therefore, on the market, you may find supplies as:
- Floor protection film;
- Carpet protection film
- Floor and carpet protection with plywood.
Floor protection film
This polyethylene film is covered with a movable adhesive that stays securely in place once it is down. The film is resistant to any tears or punctures from any tools, heeled shoes, or other sharp objects that come in contact with it, making it excellent for floor protection.
Carpet protection film
The film is transparent and self-adhesive. Carpet protection film doesn’t move and is flexible, which will protect carpets in your home from dirt, dust, foot traffic, spills, or any leftover construction trash. Same as a floor protection film, the carpet protection film is safe to stay on your carpet for up to 45 days and doesn’t leave any sticky residue behind after removal.
Floor and carpet protection with plywood
Plywood sheets have a purpose as a second floor over your current flooring in your new home. However, it is not advisable to use plywood as furniture sliders in any circumstance. The primary use of plywood is like another floor. In case of any unexpected situation during the moving process as scratches, dents, or scrapes, using this kind of protection will damage only layers of the plywood sheets, but not the floor.
Use a specialized wheel to transfer your stuff
Sometimes the best way to transfer boxes with your belongings is with specialized wheels, such as a dolly. When you hire an affordable moving company, there is no need to think about this stuff, because they will have all equipment to make this work easier. However, if you decide to do all work alone, you will need whole necessary help. There are many different types of dollies, but they all have the same purpose- to transfer heavy household and furniture. For that reason, here are some models:
- Furniture dolly: this is a basic four-wheel model with four spinning castors and a 1,000 lb. load capacity, but you cannot use them on stairs.
- Utility dolly (Hand truck): this handy model can slide a thin but strong metal platform under the furniture. Utility dolly is not stable as four-wheel dollies but can move heavy items up and downstairs.
- Appliance dolly is more modern dollies, which may be a little more expensive for your budget than ordinary dollies for DIY use.