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Whether you’re moving into a new home, emptying a room to redecorate, or having a seasonal switch up to make space for the Christmas tree, there are times when you need to move your furniture. All these reasons for moving furniture are very exciting and it’s tempting start shifting things around haphazardly. But failing to protect your floors can cause long-term damage, so you need to have a plan in place before you begin.
If you’re doing a full house move, hiring professional movers is the best idea. These removal experts know exactly what they’re doing and will take excellent care when moving your precious belongings. However, a one room move or a furniture reshuffle is something you can do yourself. From how to move heavy furniture without damaging your floor to the best floor protection materials that will keep your flooring looking fab, we’ll explain how to protect floors from furniture.
In this guide:
Having a plan of what order you’re going to move your furniture in, and where you’re going to move it to, will make everything go smoother. Here are a few of our tips to get you started:
Before you start moving your furniture, grab your tape measure and check doorframes and tight turnings along the route. The last thing you want to do is carry a heavy chest of drawers up a flight of stairs only to find out it’s too big for the space!
Don’t try and move heavy or bulky pieces on your own or you could end up hurting yourself. At least two people to lift something big is great; a third person providing extra support and a fourth person directing the movers is even better.
Walk the route before you move your furniture. Remove any obstructions in your path and be aware of any steps or uneven surfaces you need to navigate. Go slow and steady, and if you need to take a break, put the furniture down gently and reset before you try again.
It sounds obvious, but make sure you empty everything out of wardrobes, drawers, trunks, and cupboards before moving them. Take out any drawers and securely tape up any doors to stop them coming open during moving.
Whatever you do, don’t drag your furniture! This could scuff, scratch, and dent your smooth floors, or even rip your carpet. If you’re able to lift the item, this will minimise any stress on your floor. Remember to use the proper lifting technique: keep your back straight and bend at knees to avoid hurting yourself. If the furniture is too heavy for you to carry, then read on to find out what equipment you can use instead.
If you’re bringing in furniture from a removal van outside, then keep an eye on the weather. Rain or snow will require you to take extra care. Make sure you wipe your feet on the doormat when you come inside. If there’s opportunity, wear shoe covers or swap to clean indoor shoes that still provide grip and support. Plastic boards or adhesive film are both great for protecting your floors from water and wet mud (more on that later), but you should always wipe up water immediately to avoid any slips or trips.
Before you move any furniture, make sure there’s no debris underneath or nearby that could get caught on your shoes and dragged through the house. A quick vacuum should do the trick. After all the furniture has been moved to its new location, sweep and lightly mop smooth floors to pick up any last bits, and give carpets another vacuum.
There are a few different options for both wood floor protection and carpet protection, depending on the size of your space and your budget. Whether you’re looking for something tough, waterproof or eco-friendly, they all have pros and cons:
These black plastic boards are used by builders and tradespeople to protect a variety of surfaces. They’re quick to install and multiple boards can be joined together with tape to cover a bigger surface area. They’re 100% waterproof so they stop wet foot traffic from ruining your floor underneath, and they’re hardwearing so can stand up to impact and multiple people walking on them. However, they’re quite large and inflexible, so not practical for smaller spaces or stairs.
Made from polyethylene, this clear self-adhesive film comes on a roll for super quick coverage. It’s flexible so it’s great for stairs, and can be used on both hard flooring and carpets. It can be laid edge to edge in the room and is completely flat, reducing the risk of tripping. Stays on for days but can easily be peeled off and leaves no sticky residue behind. While it is waterproof, self-adhesive film can also be slippery when wet.
This eco-friendly solution combines a recycled non-slip felt surface with polythene backing, which prevents spills soaking through to the floor below. A more sustainable alternative, it can easily be rolled up and reused again, unlike the self-adhesive film. However, it’s best used on carpets rather than smooth flooring and is one of the more expensive floor protection options.
People normally have dust sheets or drop cloths in their home for protecting furniture when painting or doing DIY. This offers basic flooring protection should you need to cover your floor quickly. Make sure you tape any drop cloths to the side of the room to prevent them crinkling and getting tangled up, which could cause a trip hazard. Some types of drop cloths are waterproof so double check which one you have to make sure if the floor below will completely protected or not.
If you can lift the piece of furniture, once your carpet floor protection is down you can go ahead and move it, move it! If your furniture is too heavy to lift, then you’ll need to slide it across the carpet. With soft flooring like carpet, the best thing is to use special plastic discs called furniture sliders. Simply lift the furniture slightly then put the cushioned foam side underneath your furniture legs with the smooth side towards your carpet to reduce friction as you push it across the room. Without them, your carpet is likely to get snagged, pulled or even ripped.
Over time, the weight of heavy furniture can flatten your carpet pile. There are a few ways you can protect carpet from furniture:
Avoid carpet indentations by shifting furniture back and forth slightly every couple of months to give the carpet fibres underneath a chance to resettle. Depending on the density and material of your carpet, some may bounce back easier than others. But don’t worry - we have a few tricks up our sleeve when it comes to how to lift up a carpet pile.
Vacuuming weekly underneath furniture helps to lift up the carpet pile while also preventing dents. Plus, you remove any debris that could be squashed into your carpet and damage it.
If you have a sofa or armchair on castors, these cups stop the tiny wheels from leaving dents in your carpet. Available in stylish brass and wood to match your furniture legs, they often have felt or a textured grip underneath to reduce furniture movement.
For smooth flooring like laminate, vinyl, LVT, and engineered wood, furniture can be moved across the floor using soft furniture sliders made of felt. Just pop them on the bottom of each furniture leg and then push to slide it into its new position. Alternatively, you could use a furniture blanket instead. This large, thick piece of fabric is placed underneath the furniture before you move it. This stops your hard flooring being scratched or scuffed as you pull and manoeuvre the bulky item.
Engineered wooden floors and laminate flooring can be scratched if they’re not taken care of. To protect wooden floors from furniture, try the following ideas:
A large rug not only looks super stylish, it also acts as a barrier between your brand new wooden floor and your furniture. It also adds another layer of insulation to the room so everyone’s a winner!
Felt pads can be easily attached to chair legs or the bottom of heavy furniture to protect wooden floors. They can be stuck on or sometimes screwed in and they’re super discreet. These felt pads may come loose with wear over time, especially for heavily used items like dining chairs, so keep an eye out in case they need replacing.
While these don’t look very pretty, they do a pretty good job of protecting wooden floors. Made from clear plastic, these barrier mats are vital for preventing chairs with wheels (like office chairs) from rolling over your beautiful wooden floor and causing serious scratches. Protective mats are also good to use underneath big items like white goods to distribute the weight evenly.
One of the most common questions our floorologists get asked is how to stop a bed moving on a laminate floor. When you get in and out of bed and hear the grating sound of a bed leg scraping across a wooden floor, it sets your teeth on edge! Luckily, all the fixes are relatively simple – all you need to do is add some texture between the two surfaces to prevent the bed from budging. This can be done using:
If your flooring does become damaged while you’re moving furniture, our guides on how to repair a carpet and how to remove scratches from laminate flooring should be able to help. Prevention is always better than cure so if you’re looking for new flooring, we have a selection of scratch resistant laminate and luxury vinyl flooring that’s suitable for even the busiest homes. We can also move furniture for you when we fit your new flooring, just let us know and we’ll sort it!
Published: 22-11-2024
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