Three Steps To Prepare An Old Rocking Chair For Relocation

Posted on: 9 February 2022

One of life's top stressful experiences is moving house. It does not matter whether this is your first time moving or your tenth; stress levels consistently rise as you prepare your belongings for relocation. Using a furniture removalist helps to reduce the stress as they take care of the transportation of your things. However, there are ways you can prepare your furniture before the removalists arrive so that you increase the odds of it arriving undamaged. As the owner of an heirloom rocking chair, which was passed down through generations, use these three steps to protect this irreplaceable furniture item on moving day.

Step One — Remove The Side Rockers

There are four parts to a rocking chair: the back, seat, and two side rocking components. The first task is to look at the side rocking components to see if these can be removed without damaging the rest of the chair. If nailed in place, leave them alone as you do not want to risk splintering old wood when you take the nails out. However, if held in place with screws, then take each side rocking component off. There are two reasons for removing these pieces:

  1. It stops the chair from moving within the truck, and that reduces the odds of damage
  2. It allows each piece of the chair to be individually protected, and that also reduces the odds of damage

Step Two — Wrap The Chair

Whether you can remove the side rockers or not, the next part of protecting the rocking chair is encasing each piece in thick cardboard. Cardboard protects each edge from scratches. The easiest way to wrap the chair is to cut up old cardboard boxes into pieces that fit snugly around each part of the chair. For example, cut the cardboard larger than the back piece, fold it over the top edge to protect it front and back, and secure the cardboard in place with packing tape. Do not be concerned if there is still exposure of small parts of the chair as these will be protected in step three.

Step Three — Use Bubble Wrap

Once you have secured all the cardboard in place, it is time to encase the whole chair in bubble wrap. Bubble wrap offers an extra layer of protection for the rocking chair by ensuring no other items in the moving truck can rub against it. Try to follow the chair's lines when wrapping it in bubble wrap to avoid making the chair overly bulky.

Finally, when the furniture removalist arrives to pack the truck, let them know about the fragility of the rocking chair. The removalist will be sure to place the chair in a position of the moving vehicle where it is least likely to come into contact with the rest of your belongings.

If you need help preparing your furniture for the move, contact a furniture removalist in your area. 

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