Consider Your Next Move When Picking Out Furniture
Back in 2011, 12 percent of the people in the US moved. That's a lot of people on the move on a yearly basis. When shopping for furniture, you probably consider things like price, quality, and appearance, but do you think at all about how hard it will be to move? Here are some things to look for to ensure your new furniture will survive your next move.
How Heavy Is It?
Very few people take into consideration the weight of a piece of furniture they are about to buy, but this directly relates to how easy it is to move. Often, there is a way to get the same functionality without the weight. For example, a sleeper sofa is a great way to keep guests comfortable when you don't have space for a full guest room. However, sleeper sofas are extremely heavy due to the amount of hardware tucked away inside the couch. On the flip side, futons aren't just for dorm rooms. There are plenty of high-quality futons out there that your guests can sleep well on but are much lighter than your average sleeper sofa.
While this is just one example, you can apply this idea to any piece of furniture. Materials and construction style both contribute to the weight of a piece. While there is definitely a lot of value in a solid, hardwood bookcase, is that really what you want to drag around with you from home to home?
Can You Take It Apart?
Take the sleeper sofa example again. Another reason a sleeper sofa is hard to move is that it isn't only heavy, but your only option is to carry it in one piece. In contrast, that futon can probably be broken into two or more pieces that will then be easier to handle. You will need to add a little time in your moving schedule to do the teardown and rebuild, but your back will thank you for the break. Even if you use movers, you might get a break this way. Some companies will charge extra to move heavy furniture that can't be broken down, as it takes extra time and equipment and is hard on the movers.
When you are shopping, you can't assume that just because a piece of furniture isn't preassembled doesn't mean that you can break it back down when you want to move. If the store has a display, see how the pieces are joined together. If there are simply screws or nails pushed into particle board, then taking the furniture apart again will probably cause more damage than leaving it in one piece.
Does It Have Any Fragile Pieces?
Even a light piece of furniture that is easily broken down can be a pain to move if it has parts that are especially fragile. Glass panes are probably the most common example of this, but there are plenty of other situations that can cause these kinds of circumstances. Anywhere there is a loose joint or a piece of wood that sticks out, there is a potential problem waiting to happen.
There are two ways to make sure this isn't an issue for you. The first is to avoid purchasing items that have glass or small pieces that could easily break off. The second is to keep your furniture in good repair. Sometimes this problem may not be avoidable-- most furniture has legs, and glass is an important feature on many cabinets, but it is something to keep in mind.
Moving is never fun, but there is no reason to make it harder or more expensive. Keeping this in mind while shopping for furniture could save you a major headache down the road. For more information about moving furniture, contact a local moving company or check out websites like http://www.bekins.com.
