When you're busy moving items in or out of your home, you may not be thinking about your flooring. If you have hardwood, however, it's important to protect it to prevent scratches, chips, and other types of damage. Taking a few precautions before moving will keep the wood in good condition.
There are many things that can harm your flooring while you're transporting items into or out of a moving truck. Items can be brought in on the bottom of the movers' shoes, and especially heavy items, such as large furniture pieces or pianos, can pose a threat to the hardwood if they're dropped or dragged. Even a furniture dolly's wheels can cause scratching.
Although all types of flooring are subject to damage while your household is in transition, hardwood is particularly vulnerable, especially if it hasn't been properly sealed. It's also a costly investment in your home that you'll want to protect.
Here are some tips for keeping your hardwood flooring in good condition throughout a move:
1. Sweep
Before covering your wood flooring with protective pads, sweep it with a broom to remove any dirt or debris, such as stones or pebbles. These can get trapped under the padding, resulting in scratches if they're moved around.
2. Padding
One of the most important things you can do to protect the flooring throughout the move is lay down padding prior to the movers' arrival. Place the pads in the most highly trafficked areas, such as entranceways, hallways, and living and dining rooms. The pads typically have rubber bottoms to prevent them from slipping and sliding when walked on.
3. Rugs
Your hardwood flooring's first line of protection is strategically placed rugs. Be sure to put one at each doorway to stop debris from being tracked in on shoe bottoms. Place one either on the inside or outside of the door, and ask the movers to wipe their shoes before entering.
4. Shoe Booties
Provide a pair of disposable booties, which can easily be slipped over shoes, to each mover before they enter your home. This will also reduce the amount of rocks and other potentially damaging items that enter your home.
5. Furniture Sliders
Before moving heavy items, such as tables and couches, place them on furniture sliders so they won't scratch the wood if they're dragged. If you don't have the sliders on hand, you can use flat cardboard boxes instead.
6. Furniture Dollies
If you're using a furniture dolly to move the larger pieces or several boxes at one time, make sure it has rubber, rather than metal, wheels. Try to run the dolly only over areas that are protected by the padding or rugs.
Contact a flooring business for more information about how to maintain your wood flooring.
After tearing out all of the old carpet from our home, I realized that we needed something a little better. I began looking around at alternatives, and I found a really nice laminate that worked well with our budget and that looked really nice. I talked with the installers about putting it in, and they were more than happy to work with us. Within a few weeks, we had a new floor, and it made all the difference in the world. I decided that it would be fun to start an entire blog about flooring, so read more here if you have questions.