a man and woman attempting to lift a sofa

One of the most difficult parts of any household move is moving your largest, bulkiest, or most awkward-shaped furniture out of your old home and into your new one.

Just imagine this scenario: All the boxes, bags, and other smaller items are moved in already—and all that’s left to be done is to move the final items, the biggest ones, from the back of the moving truck. You’re exhausted, and feeling great about finishing things up, but there’s just one problem: The last of the furniture won’t fit through the door, up the stairs, or down the narrow hallway.

If you’ve hired professional movers to move you in, there’s no need to worry. Top-rated moving companies like Merit Moving Systems are equipped, expertly trained, and experienced in handling these types of moving issues. While our team always recommends that people hire professionals to do the heaviest and most complicated lifting, here are some tips for those that insist on moving oversized furniture by themselves.  

Measure Your Furniture and the Pathways

The first step is to measure the dimensions of all your bulky furniture and the doors, hallways, staircases, and elevators of your current home and the new one before moving day arrives. For these pathways, simply measure the height and width. Meanwhile, for your furniture, measure the height, diagonal height, width, depth, and diagonal depth. Compare these measurements and assess if they would fit. If they fit, you shouldn’t have problems on moving day. If they don’t, you’ll still have time to figure out your options.

Make Sure You Have Enough Manpower

Furniture that won’t fit through the door is even more stressful when you’re on your own. Get at least two other helpers to assist you on moving day, or more if your items are particularly bulky or heavy. We strongly encourage others to hire professional movers, especially for heavier items like pianos, tables, couches, and other furniture that’s hard to carry, or if you live or are moving into a home with lots of stairs—in order to prevent potential injuries or damage to property.

Disassemble Your Furniture

If your measurements reveal that your furniture won’t fit at some point from your old home to its spot inside the new one, you may want to disassemble it into smaller pieces, if possible. By breaking them into smaller sections without inflicting damage, you will be able to move your furniture through the door more conveniently. The protruding parts of some furniture can be detached by pulling them or unscrewing.

For easier re-assembly, make sure to keep all pieces together. Keep screws and other small parts inside plastic baggies and tape them with heavy-duty tape to the back of the main piece for safekeeping.

Try Different Angles

Learn how to improvise and attempt to get your furniture through the door by trying out different angles. Maneuver your furniture around and think about the optimal exit angles. One thing to keep in mind though is that your movements must be slow and calculated to avoid damage to your property and furniture and to prevent injuries during the moving process.

Temporarily Remove Your Door (and Door Frame)

If you only need an inch or two to get your huge furniture inside your home, consider removing the door and door frame temporarily. This option is typically used by professional movers, as they have the tools and resources to quickly remove and reinstall the door and door frame without delay.

The Most Reliable Local Moving Company in Southern California

Why go through the hassle and frustration of moving oversized furniture through narrow doors and pathways, when you can hire professional furniture movers to handle it for you? If you’re looking for a reliable local moving company in Southern California, check out Merit Moving Systems.

Since 1958, our professional movers have been providing exceptional packing, moving, furniture assembly/disassembly, and storage solutions for homeowners in Southern California and in nearby areas. For more information on how we can help you with your residential, commercial, and specialized moving and storage needs, give us a call at Merit Moving Systems today. To get started now with a free, in-home pricing estimate, fill out this quick online form, and one of our moving coordinators will get in touch with you shortly.