So, you’re moving to a new house – it’s an extremely exciting time! You get to experience life in a new home and perhaps even pick out new furniture and color schemes. There’s just one problem – moving all of your antique furniture. How can you move these delicate items without damaging them? Keep reading for a full guide on tips for moving antique furniture, including how to select removalists.
Take Note
The first thing you should do is make a list of every item of antique furniture that you own. Creating a list with these items including each mark or scratch will help you later on. You could even take photos of each piece if you would like. Then, when you’re packing, you can take care to properly cover every fragile part with bubble wrap. This will keep weak sections safe from damage.
Appraisal
Your list of antique furniture that you made in the last step will come in handy here. If you took photos, then this can act as proof of the condition of your items before they were moved. We highly recommend that you insure your furniture, but before you can do that, you need to know the value of the items. That’s why you need to have them appraised. To find someone to appraise the items, you have a few options. Your insurance or moving company may have someone in mind. Otherwise, head down to your local antique dealer and ask them for a recommendation. This way you will get someone who understands the true value of the furniture.
Insurance
Now that you’ve had them appraised, it’s time to insure your belongings. That’s assuming that you don’t already have them insured. If not, it’s time to get it done. Most moving companies will have insurance in case of damaged objects. But what about if you drop one yourself, or break it while shifting it within the house? There’s no need to take risks, and organising insurance isn’t too difficult. Just call up an insurance company and they will walk you through the process. You’ve already done most of the work by making the list and getting the items appraised.
Declutter
If you’re downsizing or planning on buying new items for your new home, you may not need all of the furniture you own anymore. Consider what furniture items you will bring along with you to the new place and consider selling any that you no longer have use for. This will make the move faster and easier, and therefore less expensive if you’re using a moving company.
Hire Professional Movers
Moving is not a time to get your mates to help you, especially if you own antique furniture. What if they drop a piece or some furniture gets scraped while in transit? This often occurs due to the inexperience of those packing up the trailer. You may have thought that you safely placed your belongings in there, but unless you’ve packed them correctly, things will move around while you’re driving. Don’t take the risk – hire professional movers.
Professional Moving Services
There are plenty of benefits to hiring professional movers. With their level of expertise in moving, you can rest assured that your belongings are in safe hands. They will arrive at your new home in the same condition you left them in. And in case that doesn’t happen, choose movers that have insurance in case damage befalls any of your prized possessions. Here are some services that you should look for when selecting furniture movers.
1. Packing
Many movers will offer professional packing services to their customers. You would be wise to take advantage of this as an owner of antique furniture. They will properly wrap up any breakable objects in bubble wrap and store them so there is minimal chance of damage. This includes wrapping the edge of tables so they don’t get scratched, and all the other tricks of the trade. As professional movers are moving items day in and day out, they know all of the best ways to pack items to avoid damage.
2. Piano Moving
If one of your antique items is a piano, look for movers who specifically offer piano moving services. Moving a piano cannot be done by just anyone. They are incredibly heavy, so you risk damage to your back if you don’t lift them properly. Plus, the older an item is, the more prone it is to breakage. So, leave this one to the professionals.
3. Free Boxes
Don’t scrounge around for boxes to pack your belongings into. You don’t want some old box that has been lingering around someone else’s garage for years. Boxes disintegrate over time and it may seem fine but when you go to lift it, the bottom could tear. Your items would tumble to the ground and it would end in tears. Instead, find a moving company that offers you solid and reliable moving boxes as part of the deal. This has the bonus of making moving faster as it’s far easier to fit and stack boxes of all the same size.
4. Furniture Storage
If you don’t think that all of your furniture will fit into your new house, but you don’t want to get rid of it just yet – what do you do? Some luxury movers also offer furniture storage services. You could arrange it yourself instead-but letting your movers do it is a lot less hassle. Otherwise, you would need to rent a trailer, organize the storage, and take the items over there yourself. This way, you can simply let the movers sort it out on moving day. Just make sure that they know exactly which items you want to be taken to storage and which need to go to the new house.
That’s it! Once you have found movers who can do all of that, the hard part is done. The movers will take care of the rest. They have an experienced team who are ready to handle your antique furniture with the care it requires. They provide all of the above services and are true moving experts. Benefit from their expertise by booking in today.