Moving with hardwood flooring can be stressful but it doesn’t have to be. There are a lot of easy steps you can take to keep your floors from becoming damaged during a move. The best tip for keeping your floors from getting scratched is to use preventative methods. Flooring can easily get damaged in a move due to the increased traffic and the heavy items.
Add a protective layer. Ram board and masonite are both great options for adding a protective layer to the main walkways during a move. Ram board comes in rolls while masonite is sold in large sheets. Either of these will be a great option but the rolls vs sheets is more of a personal preference and depends on accessibility.
Use protective items like moving blankets and felt pads. Moving blankets can be wrapped around big items like TVs and furniture. They will soften any bumps and scrapes and can protect the item as well as your floor and walls. The soft material is great for putting items down by adding a small amount of cushion to keep the floor safe. Felt pads should be put on all your furniture and chair legs. This adds a cushion between the legs of the furniture and your floor to keep the floor from being damaged. Chair legs need new felt pads occasionally to keep the floor safe when moving chairs.
Avoid sliding items on the floor. Don’t slide furniture into place or slide boxes on the wood floor. Sliding these items can cause scratches, scuffs and even gouges. Placing items gentle in the room and place you want them is the best way to keep from denting or scratching the wood.
Have protective mats at all the doorways. Wiping your feet when you come into the house is important for protecting your floors. Mats will catch debris and remove water from your shoes.
After the move you will want to take the time to clean your floor. Moving can bring a lot of debris into your home and cleaning them will help stop them from becoming damaged from the dirt and other debris on the floor.
In the end keeping the wood safe during a move just takes some precautionary steps and a gentle touch. Wood flooring is beautiful and durable but too much force can have unfortunate consequences.
