Tips for packing antique furniture

Two things tend to determine how difficult something is to relocate. One is the weight of the item in question. And, the other is the fragility. That is why transporting pianos is so difficult. You need to be careful how you transport such items, and especially careful when you pack them. And speaking of items that are fragile and heavy, we cannot help but mention antique furniture. Packing antique furniture properly is not an easy thing to do and you need to follow certain guidelines in order to do it properly. And even if you do, keep in mind that you can and should call for professional help if you find yourself in over your head.

Packing antique furniture requires care and attention.

Packing preparations

In order to approach packing antique furniture properly, you need to plan and prepare for it. In order to execute it, you will need to be familiar with every step that goes into preparing your furniture for relocation and have the proper tools and materials to see it through.

Planning

Start off by figuring out how are you going to transport your piece of antique furniture. If possible you should either find the furniture schematics online or talk with an antique furniture expert in order to get some advice. Figure out how will you pack your furniture and how you are going to transport it. Both of these will influence how you approach packing antique furniture and how much materials you will have to use.

Packing materials

In order to pack your antique furniture, you need to get enough packing materials. This includes padding and wrapping materials that will help you protect your furniture. If you are clever, you can use some of your home items to pad your antique furniture. Thick cloths like blankets and sweaters can provide some support and protection when packing antique furniture. But, if you want to make sure that you can pack your antique furniture properly, you should spend some money and get some professional packing materials. Afterward, you can easily recycle them.

Get enough materials to properly protect every part of your antique furniture.

Disassembling furniture

Some antique furniture needs to be disassembled before you can hand it over to moving and storage NYC professionals to deal with it. You need to carefully examine it, disassemble it an protect every piece. That way you will make both storing and transporting your antique furniture much easier. But, not every piece of furniture can or should be disassembled.

Should you disassemble it?

Most antique furniture is made in such a way that it is not possible to disassemble it. Rember, IKEA is a new concept. Not all furniture was made to be assembled by amateurs. Some time ago you had special craftsmen whose sole job was to make and assemble furniture. Therefore, if you own an antique piece, you shouldn't expect to be able to disassemble it. But, even if it is physically possible to disassemble it, you should think twice. Some antique furniture is so old that if you disassemble it, you won't be able to reassemble it. The screws and the wood have grown in so much that if you dislodge them now you would lose the integrity of the furniture. Therefore, you should always talk with a professional before you decide to disassemble antique furniture.

Proper tools and technique

If you do choose to first disassemble before packing antique furniture, you need to do so properly. First, get yourself some quality tools. Without them, there is no chance that you will be able to do the job properly. Next, you need to figure out how to approach the disassembly. Start off slow and do not force anything unless you are sure that you are not going to break it. This is the most difficult for an amateur as it is really hard to properly measure the force you need to apply. Therefore, you should carefully consider how you disassemble your furniture and always seek professional help if you need it.

Packing antique furniture

Whether you disassemble your furniture or choose you to transport it as a whole, you need to protect it. And the way that you will achieve that is with proper packing. There are two things that will potentially damage your furniture. Bad weather and mishandling. Luckily, there are ways in which you can mitigate both of those and help preserve your antique furniture.

Only pack your antique furniture if you know the technique and you have all the necessary tools.

Protection from mishandling

To protect your furniture from mishandling you need to use padding. Padd all the outer sides of your furniture that are stiff. Those sides can be easily damaged by a little bump. Therefore, you need to properly protect your furniture so that a little mistake doesn't end up costing you a fortune. Spare no expense on padding as it will save your furniture from moving mistakes.

Protection for bad weather

Once you move your antique furniture outside of your home you need to make sure that it is covered with plastic at all times. This will protect it from rain and snow as plastic provides insulation from moisture. Make sure to tape the plastic down so that it doesn't move or fall off due to wind or you moving your furniture. You can get some good quality plastic wrap at any home depot and you shouldn't skimp on it. Cover your furniture it at least two layers of plastic before you transport it.

Getting pros for packing antique furniture

As you might have noticed, there is a bunch of things you can screw up when it comes to packing antique furniture. From not properly protecting it, to failing to disassemble it. And, because your furniture is antique, any of those mistakes might end up costing you a lot. Therefore, it can be a good idea to furniture movers NYC to deal with your antique furniture. They have the necessary tools and experience to properly pack your antique furniture.