Relocating a Furniture Showroom: Display Pieces Without Scratches

The showroom has been open for years, and every sofa on the floor has been sat on, photographed and haggled over. Now the lease is ending, the new shop is across town, and one scratch on a polished dining table means a piece you can no longer sell as new.

A furniture showroom is a different kind of move from a house. The pieces are your stock, they are bulky, and customers judge them on finish. Here is how to move one without turning display pieces into discount pieces.

Decide what is going and what is not

Before anyone lifts anything, walk the floor with a notebook. Some display pieces have been there so long that the finish is already tired. This is the moment to mark them for a sale, not for the truck.

For every piece that is moving, note the size, whether it comes apart, and any existing marks. Photograph each piece from the front, the back and any corner that has been bumped before. If a customer later says something arrived damaged, or a driver says it left damaged, those photos settle the matter.

Sort by how easily it scratches

Not everything needs the same care. Group the floor into three piles.

1. Polished and lacquered pieces: dining tables, wardrobes, TV stands, anything with a high-gloss or varnished top. These get the most padding and go in last.
2. Upholstered pieces: sofas, armchairs, beds with fabric headboards. These fear dirt, oil and wet floors more than knocks.
3. Hard and sturdy pieces: plain wood, metal frames, plastic outdoor sets. These can go in first and take the loading pressure.

Glass table tops and mirrors sit apart from all of this. Read our guide on moving glass safely and plan them as their own small job, travelling on edge, padded, away from everything else.

Strip it down where the maker intended

Many showroom pieces are built to come apart: bed frames, wardrobe doors, table legs, modular sofa sections. Taking legs off a table means the top travels flat and the legs travel wrapped together, labelled with the piece they belong to.

Put screws and fittings in a bag, then tape the bag to the inside of the piece or to the leg set. A wardrobe that arrives without its fittings is a wardrobe nobody can display. Only dismantle what is designed to be dismantled. Forcing glued joints is how a good piece becomes a repair job.

Padding that actually protects

Old blankets work, but a showroom needs a bit more thinking than a house move.

• Wrap polished tops in clean soft cloth first, then a thicker blanket or foam layer over it. A rough blanket straight onto lacquer can mark it.
• Use corner guards or folded cardboard on table corners and wardrobe edges. The corners are what meet the doorframe.
• Cover upholstered pieces in clean plastic or sheeting so truck dust and the floor stay off the fabric.
• Keep tape off polished surfaces. Tape on the padding, not on the finish.

Our driver-side notes on padding and protecting furniture on the truck are worth sharing with whoever is loading for you.

Loading order and the truck itself

For a showroom, a truck usually makes more sense than a pickup van, because the pieces are large and you want fewer trips with polished stock. A pickup is fine for a small boutique showroom or for a second run with the fragile top pieces. See truck hire in Lagos if you are weighing the two.

Load heavy and sturdy pieces first and against the front of the body. Lay wardrobes and tall pieces on their backs only if the maker allows it; otherwise stand them upright and strap them. Put polished tabletops on edge against a padded side wall, never flat with other pieces stacked on top. Every piece should be strapped so it cannot slide on the first roundabout. Ask the driver to avoid overloading the back axle with all the weight at one end.

Receiving at the new shop

Prepare the new floor before the truck arrives. Sweep it, clear the doorway and measure the entrance, because a wardrobe that came out of the old showroom door might not fit through the new one. Check the lift or stairs if you are upstairs.

Offload in the reverse order, with the hard pieces last, and carry polished pieces rather than dragging them. Check each piece against your photos at the door, before it goes to its spot. If something is marked, note it with the driver there, while the load is still in front of you.

Then arrange the floor in the order you want customers to see it. Moving is the one chance to reset the layout without moving things twice.

How to do this on Sphere

Request a truck or a pickup van in the Sphere app, add the old and new addresses, and describe the load honestly: how many pieces, which are tall, and which are glass or polished. Then propose a price. Nearby verified drivers can accept it or send counter-offers, and you choose the one that suits you.

Before you accept an offer, agree with the driver who will do the loading and offloading, whether you bring your own helpers, and what time the new shop will be open to receive. For trade-style loads see our business moves page.