Relocating a Tiles and Sanitary Ware Showroom: Heavy Boxes and Fragile Fittings

The lease on the showroom is ending, and the floor is covered with cartons of porcelain tiles, a row of water closets still in their boxes, three display bathrooms and a wall of sample boards that the salesman has arranged for years. Nobody in the shop wants to be the person who drops the first carton.

A tiles and sanitary ware showroom is a strange load. The stock is heavy, the fittings are brittle, and the display pieces are the very things customers judge you by. Plan it as three separate moves that happen to share a truck.

Count the stock by type before anything moves

Walk the shop and the store behind it with a notebook. Group the stock into floor tiles, wall tiles, sanitary ware (toilets, basins, pedestals, bathtubs), taps and fittings, adhesive and grout, and display pieces.

Write down the number of cartons per tile type, not just the total. A carton of floor tile can be very heavy for its size, and the driver needs that picture to judge whether the load suits a truck or a pickup van. Broken or odd cartons should be sorted out now. Do not pay to carry boxes of chipped tiles you plan to write off.

Tile cartons: low, tight and on their edges

Tiles are strongest when they stand on their long edge, the way they sit on a shelf, and weakest when something heavy presses on a flat face.

1. Load cartons upright, edge down, packed tightly against each other.
2. Do not stack more than a few layers of the heaviest cartons. The bottom row takes all the weight.
3. Keep wall tiles and thin tiles on top of the thicker floor tiles, never under them.
4. Fill gaps with rolled blankets or folded cartons so nothing shifts when the truck brakes.

Cartons of adhesive and grout are heavy and the bags tear easily. Keep them on a tarpaulin at the back and away from the dry tiles.

Sanitary ware: protect the glaze and the edges

Toilets and basins look solid, but the rim and the pipe outlet crack easily.

• Keep boxed pieces in their original boxes where you can. If a display toilet has no box, wrap it in blankets and put a cardboard collar around the rim.
• Lay basins and pedestals in a bed of blankets, not directly on the truck floor.
• Never stack one toilet on another unless the boxes are made for it.
• Bathtubs go in with the open side up, padded inside with cushions or foam, with nothing heavy on top.
• Put taps, mixers and small fittings in a closed carton, labelled and counted, and carry it in the cab or on top of the load where it will not be crushed.

Take photographs of every display bathroom before taking it apart. When the new showroom is ready, you will thank yourself for knowing how each set was arranged.

Sample boards and display tiles

The sample boards are what customers touch. Wrap them face to face with a sheet of cardboard between them, strap them upright against the cab wall and load them last, or have the owner drive them separately. Mirrors and glass display shelves need the same care as any other glass items.

Order of loading

Heavy tile cartons first and low, as close to the cab as the driver is happy with. Sanitary ware next, in the middle, packed in with blankets. Display boards and fragile samples last, so they come off the truck first. Keep the signboard and the receipt books where you can reach them, because the first customer may walk in while you are still unpacking.

Talk to the driver about how the weight sits. Our guide on loading a van or truck efficiently explains why heavy stock should be spread rather than piled in one corner.

Offloading and the first day open

Tile cartons are awkward to carry up stairs, so look at the new unit before moving day. A ground-floor shop with a wide door is easy. A first-floor showroom is a different job and needs more hands. If the new place has a gate or an estate road, read our notes on staging a truck on a busy Lagos street.

Count every carton on arrival against your list, and check sanitary ware boxes before the driver leaves, not after.

How to do this on Sphere

Open the Sphere app and choose a truck or a pickup van. Add the pickup and drop-off, then describe the load in detail: "about 200 cartons of floor tiles, 60 cartons of wall tiles, 25 boxed toilets, 20 basins, 6 display boards, adhesive bags". Mention stairs, narrow doors or a rough yard. Propose a price, and nearby verified drivers will accept or send counter-offers. You choose the offer you like, and you agree loading and offloading help with the driver before you accept.

Helpful pages: truck hire in Lagos and business moves in Lagos. If you also stock cement and pipes, read about relocating a hardware shop.