There are times in most people’s lives when moving heavy furniture across a carpet is going to be necessary.
Most often, this will occur when you are moving out of one property and into another one, but you may also need to move heavy furniture across carpet if you are reorganizing the furniture in your home or if you need to move items out of the way in order to decorate a room.
There are a number of techniques you can employ to move heavy furniture across a carpet so that it doesn’t cause any lasting damage. Here we look at the various ways this can be achieved.
Don’t Drag!
Dragging heavy furniture across the carpet might be tempting if you are trying to move it yourself, but this is a decision you may quickly come to regret. Dragging heavy furniture across a carpet can result in snags on the carpet which will be a permanent flaw.
If the feet of your furniture are metal, you could even rip the carpet and cause an expensive mistake. There are a number of ways you can safely move heavy furniture across a carpet, even if you are working alone, so always employ one of these ideas instead.
Best Ways to Move Heavy Furniture on Carpet Flooring
Moving blankets or towels
Moving blankets are a type of thick, sturdy blanket that are purposefully designed to help you move furniture. They are available from big-box stores like Home Depot, as well as smaller independent hardware stores and from online retailers.
These blankets are widely used to wrap up furniture to protect that furniture from scratches and dings during transport, but they can also be used to help move furniture and protect the flooring surface at the same time.
To use a moving blanket for this purpose, you will need to lift up the furniture and lay the blanket beneath it.
You can then pull the blanket along the floor, and the heavy furniture will come with it. The blanket acts as a cushioned barrier between the floor and the furniture, protecting both of them from potential damage. This can work on carpets as well as hardwood flooring and tile flooring.
If you don’t have any moving blankets, then you can substitute them for some old towels; just be sure not to use your best towels as they are likely to get dirty, and they could even get torn while being used.
Furniture disassembly
One of the best things about flat pack furniture is that it is so convenient when you are moving house or moving a piece of furniture from one room to another.
Flatpack furniture will have arrived in your home in numerous pieces, and you constructed it to make the solid piece you now see in front of you. To move this heavy furniture without damaging the carpet, you simply need to reverse the assembly process to disassemble it.
Once the furniture is in several smaller and lighter pieces, it will be much easier to transport. Even if your furniture is not a flat-pack item, there are likely ways that you can make it smaller and more convenient to move.
Commonly, the legs on a dining table can be removed if you loosen the screws underneath, making it more easily portable. The same can be said for shelving units and beds, while sofas are less likely to be suitable for disassembly.
Plywood boards
If you need to move some heavy furniture across the carpet in a pinch, then you could make use of some plyboard if you have any lying around in the garage or shed.
Plywood is a common building material used in DIY projects, and many people will have leftover plywood sheets they have kept from past jobs around the house. A plywood sheet creates a good barrier between the floor and the furniture, protecting both from potential damage.
Since plywood is strong and inexpensive, it is the ideal choice for creating a false floor where furniture can be transported on. It is also very thin, so it can be slid underneath heavy furniture quite easily, without needing to lift the furniture up very much.
To use plywood boards to aid your furniture moving, slide it beneath the feet of the furniture and then push the whole thing along the floor, or slide the furniture along the plywood board if it is big enough.
Furniture sliders
Furniture sliders are small pads usually made of rubber, felt, or foam that can be placed underneath the base of furniture as a means of sliding it along the floor safely.
The pads come in various shapes and sizes so that you can buy the type that coordinates with the size and shape of your furniture’s feet or legs. They are inexpensive, and they can be used over and over, so they are great for storing in a drawer and bringing out each time you need to move furniture.
They are able to protect the furniture and the flooring, creating a barrier between the two while also offering a surface texture that allows the furniture to glide easily along the carpet. Furniture sliders can also be known as furniture coasters and furniture castor cups, and they will also work on hard floor surfaces.
Transport dolly
If you have a transport dolly available for use, then this can be a game-changer when moving heavy furniture. A dolly is a type of trolley on two wheels that furniture can be slid or lifted onto and then tilted using the handle as a lever so that the furniture can then be wheeled across the floor to its next location.
The main advantage of a furniture dolly is the ability to move furniture by yourself that would ordinarily be far too heavy or awkward to lift alone. However, one bonus of a furniture dolly is that it also prevents you from needing to slide furniture and, therefore, can save the condition of carpets.
If you don’t have a dolly, you could ask to borrow one from a friend or neighbor, or you can hire these from hardware stores for as little as $20 a day.
Lift
If you have friends helping you move your furniture, then you may not need any special moving tactics to get heavy furniture across carpeted floors. With the extra strength of multiple people, you can safely lift furniture a few inches off the ground and walk it to your destination in the next room or to the moving truck.
The key here is to use your legs to carry the weight of heavy furniture by ensuring your feet are placed solidly on the floor and your knees are bent. Do not try to lift furniture higher than the height of your shoulders as this can lead to injury, and you will have less control of the furniture.
Picking it up just a few inches from the ground or at a low height that is comfortable for you will be enough to move the furniture safely while ensuring you don’t cause any damage to your carpets.
Floor runners
Floor runners are long pieces of neoprene fabric that adhere to the floor without any adhesive, creating a non-slip surface. These are versatile pieces of equipment that are great for protecting floors against sharp or heavy items and are commonly used to protect surfaces during renovations.
They can be laid along stairs to protect them against contractors going up and down the stairs in dirty boots, or they could be laid over countertops to protect them from tools.
If you have floor runners in your possession, then they can also double up nicely as a barrier between the carpet and heavy furniture that you need to move.
You can lift furniture onto the neoprene floor runner and then slide it along over the runner, ensuring that none of the furniture base comes into contact with the carpet. Floor runners are strong and durable, and they will protect carpets even against furniture with sharp metal feet.
Carpet protection film
This is a thick, clear film that has a sticky back so that it will adhere to the carpet. It comes on a roll, like a giant roll of sellotape, and as you unravel the film, it will stick to the carpet to create a shiny, protective surface.
This type of film is commonly used to protect carpets against spills and stains during renovations. For example, if you are having a room painted or plastered, however, it can also be a valuable tool to use when moving heavy furniture.
You can lay the film on your carpet, and it creates a smooth, slippery surface that furniture can easily be pushed or pulled along.
This makes furniture moving less strenuous, and it also prevents snags in your carpet. This will not work with furniture which has sharp feet since these could rip through the film and damage the carpet. It is also only compatible with synthetic carpets.
