If you love DIY projects, refinishing furniture, or bringing vintage pieces back to life, then you’ll already know how much time, patience, and care go into producing each item. Not least because you sand, paint, seal, and style for hours or days, until it feels just right. Then, suddenly, when you come to move home, all that hard work feels a little vulnerable.
There is a lot more to moving home than just packing boxes. It also involves protecting the pieces you’ve poured your heart, soul, and creativity into. Thankfully, with a bit of forward thinking and a few smart strategies, you can save time and protect your projects from scratches, dents, and other risks associated with relocating to a new property.
Here are some ingenious moving hacks for DIY Lovers that will help them save time and avoid damage to their work.
Why Is Moving Risky for DIY Furniture and Handmade Pieces?
When you’ve refinished a table or painted a dresser, the surface is actually a lot more delicate than you might think. In fact, even when the paint feels dry, it can still be prone to scuffs during transport. That’s why it is vital to know how to protect painted furniture when moving home.
Some of the most common risks they can succumb to if the proper precautions are not taken include:
- Chipped edges.
- Loose hardware.
- Pressure marks from tight wrapping
- Surface scratches from stacking items too closely
Unfortunately, vintage or antique pieces are even more fragile due to their age and the toll of many years of wear. That is why it is important to take your time if you are handling the move yourself.
That said, if you’d rather leave the heavy lifting to the professionals, you can always book Muval removalists for your next move, or another company of similar standing. They will save you from the physical strain and lower the risk of preventable damage from occurring.
Why You Should Plan Before You Pack
Many things can go wrong on moving day. But it tends to run much smoother when you’ve already thoroughly thought things through.
A good place to start is by organising your boxes as efficiently as you can. You can perhaps best do this by labelling each one clearly and keeping similar items together. While it sounds simple, it is amazing how much difference this tactic makes when it comes to unpacking later on.
For DIY lovers, the task of packing DIY tools and supplies deserves special attention. One good hack is to gather all the screws, brackets, and hardware into small labelled zip bags, then tape them to the matching piece of furniture. Alternatively, you can store them in a clearly marked container. This will save you from having to dig through random boxes at a later time.
If possible, it is worth disassembling furniture before you move, as this will make the transportation easier. Should this involve removing table legs, shelves, and detachable parts, then take photos before you pull anything apart. Doing this will provide you with a good reference guide on how to put them back together again.
What is the Best Way to Protect Painted and Refinished Furniture When Moving Home?
When moving home, especially if you are coordinating it yourself, one of the most important things to know is how to wrap furniture correctly.
Painted and refinished surfaces need cushioning that breathes and protects. If they don’t have it, you run the risk of them being damaged. Start by placing a layer of packing paper or foam sheets directly against the painted surface. Do not use plastic wrap directly on fresh paint, as it can trap moisture.
After putting on the protective layer, use furniture padding and blankets to fully cushion the piece. Then secure everything gently with stretch wrap to keep it in place.
Be sure to pay particularly close attention to corners and edges because these areas are most vulnerable to chips. Using cardboard corner guards or folded padding can go a long way towards preventing scratches and dents during the loading and unloading process.
If you recently painted a piece, such as a wall panel, it is vital to give it proper curing time before attempting to move it. Even when paint feels dry, it may need several days to fully harden. If it hasn’t, then all your hard, creative work could be ruined.
What Are The Best Packing Materials for Fragile Décor and DIY Projects?
When you’re packing fragile décor or something you made yourself, try to think of it as being a bit like wrapping a birthday present you really don’t want to break.
What you want to aim for is soft layers and a snug fit. Therefore, it is good to use the following packing materials:
- Plain packing paper or foam sheets
- Bubble wrap (for extra cushioning)
- Cardboard corner protectors on frames or small tables (to prevent scratches and dents)
- Void filler (to ensure there are no empty spaces in the box for anything to move around)
- Tough string
- Blanket
If you use all of these materials, you will go a long way towards safeguarding your most treasured items.
How to Avoid Damage in Storage
Sometimes you might need to put your items in storage in between moving out of your existing property and into a new one.
If this is something you will need to do, make sure you choose a clean, dry space. Unfortunately, moisture can do significant damage to wood and painted finishes.
You should also elevate furniture slightly off the ground using pallets or boards. Doing this allows for airflow and reduces the risk of your items being exposed to dampness.
Other tactics you can employ include not stacking heavy boxes on top of delicate pieces and using furniture padding and blankets for extra protection in case something falls. It is also worth checking on your stored items occasionally to see how they are faring.
