How to pack antique furniture safely

Moving to another place require a lot of organizing. There are many things that can go wrong, so good planning is necessary. Especially if you move and pack antique furniture. It has last for this long, and you have to take steps to ensure that it will survive this move also. Your primary concern will be the integrity of your shipment. Especially when it comes to extremely delicate and vulnerable items, such as antiques. You should spare no expenses since nothing can replace one of the kind, antique piece of your furniture. Therefore, hiring a reliable and professional moving service is always a recommendation. Preferably the one that is specialized in the packing and the transportations of antiques. Even then, you will have to do some steps yourself, so you can be sure that your antiques will be safe and sound. For more relocation tips and advice on the best way to pack, keep reading.

Before you start to pack antique furniture

• Inventory your antique furniture – Creating a detailed inventory list will help you keep better track of your precious possessions. Go through your house and make an inventory of every piece of antiques. Note down their name and location, and other relevant information.
  The most important thing you have to describe in your list is an antique’s current condition.
  Specify any existing damage and take photos of the antique pieces. That way, you will have a solid evidence if your antiques suffer any damage during the transportation.
• Get your antique furniture appraised – When you have antique furniture, it will be good to know how much it actually worth. If you haven’t done it already then you should definitely do it before you start to pack antique furniture for the move. The actual worth of your antiques, obtained from the trustworthy and properly authorized antique furniture appraiser, is important in case of the potential damage that may occur during the moving process. That way, you will have a proof about the actual value of your furniture that you can claim.
• Purchase adequate insurance – When you have valuable things such as antiques, you should protect them in the best way possible. No matter how professional or expert your movers are – accidents can happen. So before you start to pack antique furniture, have it insured.
• Get your furniture ready for moving – Your antiques will be much less susceptible to damage if you empty them. They will be lighter and easier to carry. You should identify the weakened elements, loose interior parts, non-secured pieces, and any potentially problematic parts which will require special handling. Don’t forget to share this relevant information with your movers, so they will know which antiques will need special attention.

How to pack antique furniture for shipping?

The great size, weight, and fragility of your antiques make them very difficult to pack and move.
There are many risks when packing and moving antique furniture.
That’s why the best choice that you can make is to hire a professional moving service.
They know the best way to pack antique furniture and transport it safely to your new home.

Hiring a moving service will save you plenty of time and effort, but it also brings something more important – it will ensure your peace of mind. This way,  your treasured furniture will be packed and delivered in excellent condition, and you can avoid many risks.

If you need to pack antique furniture yourself take these steps:

• Disassemble it – Remove any detachable elements and pack them separately very carefully. Any small hardware parts such as the screws, nuts or handles put into the sealable plastic bag and attach them to the main furniture body or pack them in the same box as the other furniture components.
• Ensure proper protection – This is the most important step when you pack antique furniture by yourself. You should pay attention to the surface protection and shock protection.
  You will best protect the surface of your antiques if you wrap it in with soft packing paper or a thin plastic wrap. That way, you are protecting the surface of your antiques from the dust, dirt, moisture, and scratches.
  Shock protection will keep your furniture safe during the bumpy transportation process. Use foam sheets or soft moving blankets to wrap your pieces from head to bottom. Then wrap it in packing tape or rope.
• Be careful with the packing tape – Make sure you don’t use packing tape directly on the delicate surfaces of your antiques.
  The tape can leave sticky marks on the finish and ruin it.

How to move antique furniture?

If you think that the packing antique furniture was a risky job, we have a bad news for you – the hardest part is yet to come.
That is a transportation of your belongings is, which is the riskiest stage of the moving process.

If you are not a professional mover, then the thought of moving your antique pieces by yourself probably didn’t cross your mind. Which is a good thing, because some things should be left to professionals to handle.
Maybe you did pack antique furniture by yourself, but the experts should be in charge of its transportation. The key is to choose a reliable company which is crucial for avoiding moving scams.

If you don’t want to put your valuables in jeopardy, the safest and most convenient thing that you can do is to find a specialized antique furniture moving company.
The experts will know how to relocate your antique furniture in a safe and efficient manner.
Make sure that they are licensed, qualified and properly insured.

Before the transportation, inspect the entire area and remove any obstacles that can present a hazard on moving day.
Your children and pets should be kept away when the movers come to prevent accidents and injuries.

After the move

Once your antique furniture arrives at your new home, the first you have to do is to unpack it and inspect it. Look closely if there are any damages. Compare it with the photos that you shoot before you pack antique furniture. If there are, make a complaint to your moving company, contact your insurance company and file a damage claim if necessary. If everything is in order, then start reassembling your antiques in your new home and clean them. Take every effort to keep them in excellent condition for many more years to come.