When moving home often it is nearly impossible to get some pieces of furniture down the stairs and out of the property. Most furniture purchased these days is of the flat pack variety meaning in many cases it can also be dismantled and packed away into a removals van.
This doesnt mean that dismantling the furniture is easy, from rounded screw heads to awkwardly place allen key bolts it is highly like that you will run into an issue or two when dismantling furniture. Of course if you are using Kitsons Transport Ltd for your removal we can do all of the dismantling for you but if you arent then here are some top tips to help you along the way before removals day.
Get Some Help
Dismantling furniture is not quite the same as when being put together initially. It is highly likely that you will need the help of one other person especially with the bigger furniture items such as wardrobes.
For example when taking back panels or doors off the weight of the piece can be too much after taking out some of the screws and may bend or break ruining the furniture. If you have a helping hand then they can hold the opposite end of the large piece for you while you unscrew.
Remove Nails and Screws
Dont leave any nails or screws in pieces of the furniture, this is mainly from a safety point of view for both yourselves and whoever is helping you move/pack the furniture away. Multiple nails are often used for the thin back panels of furniture such as drawers and you really dont want an accident with sharp nails sticking out of the piece of wood after dismantling the furniture.
Secondly leaving the nails and screws in some of the furniture pieces can damage/scratch the inside of your car or the inside of the removals van you are using. Many removals companies (including ourselves!) will not take items of furniture with sharp nails and screws sticking out.
Lastly if you do put the pieces of furniture into a vehicle with the nails or screws sticking out then they could bend rendering them useless when you get to the point of having to rebuild the furniture.
Bag Small Parts
You are luck enough if you get all the of the screws and smalls parts that you need in the box in the first place when purchasing flat pack furniture so hold on to them like gold dust! Bag screws and nails that belong in the same section and you can even label them so you can remember what goes where.
Keeping these parts organised will do wonders for you when you come to putting the furniture back together again at the other end especially if you have many pieces of furniture.
Make Notes, Find or Download Instructions
If your item of furniture has many parts or is particularly complicated then take some notes on what pieces fit where, you can even label parts if necessary. Many people dont keep original instructions for furniture but you might be able to find downloadable pdf versions online. If you can remember where you bought the furniture from then try their website first or if the furniture is from a particular manufacture then they may have them available.
Not All Needs Dismantling
Not all furniture needs dismantling, it is likely that many pieces such a small drawers and tables can be left as they are before loading into a removal van. Dismantling furniture is time consuming and you can spend this time organising the rest of your move instead. For small drawers that dont need a full dismantle we still recommend taking out the drawers and loading them onto the van separately. This will stop them from potentially coming out during travel removing the risk of damage to the furniture.