There are two basic types of dollies. Using furniture blankets, bubble wrap and other protective materials not only protects the item youre covering, they can also protect your walls, door frames and banisters. Items that require climate controlled storage, Preparing Your Vehicle for Auto Transport, Before You Rent a Car Trailer: Cost and Tips, Using a Brick Wall as a Design Element in Your Home, Smart Packing Tips: How To Use Bubble Wrap. For a more permanent solution, you can purchase corner guards to protect your walls corners from damage. These areas are at the greatest risk for damage, so youll want to take additional steps to protect them. A two-wheeled dolly or hand truck can help move boxes and even appliances while the four-wheeled version slips under heavy furniture, allowing you to push them with little effort. Secure bubble wrap with tape to any legs that cant be removed. As a result, youll have an easier time navigating narrow hallways. Then, wrap the furniture with moving blankets, securing these with tape or ratchet straps. This time, remove any items that might get in the way, including furniture, wall art and clutter. Heavy, bulky furniture can scratch, dent or even knock a hole in your walls while boxes and dirty items can leave marks where they come in contact with them. Take the time to make sure your kids and pets are out of the way. Plus, they have extensive experience moving a variety of large, heavy items and maneuvering them through a house. Bubble wrap can also be used on corners. The best wall protection is to cover them. Teresa Bitler has been covering moving, real estate, home improvement and home decor for more than 15 years. What Not to Pack Inside Your Moving Container. They also arent cheap. (Read below for information on materials youll need and how to protect your walls and other elements below.). She also likes to write about home improvement and getting your home ready for a move. Fortunately, you can protect your walls from damage by following these helpful tips. For example, you might have a difficult time fitting a heavy desk through a doorway without hitting the doors frame. Bitler currently lives in Phoenix, and although shes moved too many times to count, she plans on staying putat least for a while.View all posts by Teresa Bitler, Wall Protection: Avoiding Wall Damage During a Move, 8 Ways to Effectively Handle Moving Stress, 30700 Russell Ranch Rd, Westlake Village, CA, 91362 |. You probably want to have both on hand to help protect your walls on moving day. Be sure to use blankets or cardboard in narrow hallways and staircases where you worry about dents. If youre really concerned about protecting your walls, hire professional movers. The more people you have, the less each has to lift and carry. Unfortunately, people often dont allow enough time for their move and have to rush to finish. And, if you damage the walls moving into your new home, youll kick off your stay with a repair. How to choose the right size moving container. Not only will that cushioning keep the item from being damaged, but it will keep your walls from sustaining damage, too. Expect to pay $6 to $10 per corner guard depending on the length of the guard. Doors, door frames and staircase banisters are also at risk, and damage to any of them can cost you. If you damage the walls or any structural element as you move out of your house, you may be on the hook to make repairs before the buyers take possession. She has also written for Su Casa, US News & World Report and local publications about home improvement topics. Whichever type you choose, the guards become part of your wall. Or, make a temporary corner guard by folding a strip of cardboard in half, sticking the corner into the crease of the cardboard and taping it in place. As you break these pieces down, put all screws and small parts in a bag, and tape that bag to the furniture. On moving day, walk the routes again. They may even damage the furniture they are moving or wind up injuring themselves. Or, you might risk hitting the ceiling as maneuver a tall bookcase down the stairs. Dont forget to wrap furniture blankets around door frames and banisters. She enjoys writing articles about moving to specific cities, like Denver or Nashville, and what to expect when you get there. As a real estate investor, she wrote extensively for Personal Real Estate Investor. Sharp corners will need extra padding, so consider folding the edge of the blanket over and wrapping it around the corner. Accessories, including large rings and watches, can scratch or dent the walls. They are not temporary. However, depending on how much you have to move and how long you have to move it, you may need more than four people. As a result, they dent or bang the walls trying to muscle a piece through a tight space. When covering your walls secure the moving blankets, drop cloths and bedsheets with painters tape. Moving.com has an extensive network of reputable and reliable movers who can do all the heavy lifting as well as pack and move your entire house. Measure any areas that could cause problems, such as doorways, and decide the best approach to take to get the item to the moving van without damaging the walls. Drop cloths and old bedsheets work well to prevent scratches and smudges in other areas of concern. The 5 Most Protective Packing Materials to Use When Moving, Moving Blankets: Why You Need Them When You Move, Where to Rent Moving Blankets, Equipment & Other Supplies, 6 Reasons Why You Should Use Furniture Padding When You Move, What to Do With All of That Bubble Wrap After You Move. On moving day, allow plenty of time to get the job done, including enough time to plan how you intend to move each large piece. How much does it cost to rent a storage unit? Before moving day, walk your home and identify the best routes to move your belongings from inside your home to the moving van. As a result, they will not get as tired and be less likely to damage your walls. Note any areas that could present potential problems such as hallways, stairs, sharp turns and door frames. Additionally, protruding parts, like the legs on a coffee table, can bang or dent walls and door frames. Either way, smaller pieces of furniture and furniture are less likely to hit your walls, doorways and banisters. Generally, youll need two people to carry a bulky item like a rolled carpet and up to four people for heavy appliances like a refrigerator. So can exposed zippers (covered zippers like those on jeans are okay), chain necklaces and large, metal buttons. Similarly, those damages could cost you your security deposit when you move out of a rental property. Keep or Release: Is Your Furniture Worth Moving? However, if youre concerned about damage to your homes corners, corner guards offer the best protection. And, because theyre licensed and bonded, you dont have to worry about damages to your walls, door frames, doors or banisters either. What Is a Moving Container & How Does It Work? To determine how many people youll need to help, consider how many items and boxes you have and the size and weight of heavier items. You can avoid these scenarios by disassembling large pieces of furniture and removing protruding parts whenever possible. Color guards come in a variety of colors and materials, from clear plastic to hunter green PVC. Additionally, with fewer people in a narrow space, theres less opportunity for one of them to accidentally scratch or dent the wall as they move through the hall. Dollies allow you to lift more with less effort and, often, with fewer people. Since you wont be struggling as much to move a heavy item, the chances of damaging your walls diminish. Be sure to remove any of these or similar items before you start moving, and ask your friends and family to do the same. Damage to your walls, doorways and banisters are often the result of not having enough people to help move large, heavy items. Most people focus on protecting their belongings during a move, but your walls are just as susceptible to damage. (If you dont have bubble wrap, old towels will work, too.) That way, if you accidentally come in contact with the wall or door frame, the blankets and bubble wrap will provide cushioning. Professionals Movers or Moving Containers? Moving companies train their employees how to move items to avoid causing property damage of any kind, including damage to your walls, door frames and banisters. More often than not, walls get damaged when large pieces cant make it through a doorway or around a corner. While you dont have to cover all the walls in your home, youll want to cover those along the main routes out of the house. Usually, you screw the guards to the corner, but you can also buy peel and stick guards. To prevent lost time on moving day, you may want to disassemble these items before your help arrives.