Taking Furniture Apart Before a Move: Beds, Wardrobes and Tables

The wardrobe is perfectly good, but the stairwell is narrow and the bedroom door is not wide enough. Someone says, "Just tilt it." A corner scrapes the wall, a panel splits and the helpers argue about who held what.

Taking furniture apart before the truck arrives saves space, saves walls and saves the furniture itself. Here is how to do it without losing a single screw.

Decide what to take apart

Not everything needs dismantling. A good rule is that anything that will not fit through a door or round a turn, or that is large and awkward on the truck, should come apart.

Usually that means:

• Bed frames and headboards.
• Large wardrobes and wall units.
• Dining tables with removable legs.
• Bookcases and shelving units.
• Desks and office furniture.

Leave solid single pieces, old wardrobes with brittle joints and glued units alone. If you are not sure a unit will survive being taken apart, ask someone experienced to look at it. Our guide to moving heavy wooden furniture covers pieces that should stay whole.

Gather the right tools

You rarely need much:

1. A set of screwdrivers, flat and cross-head.
2. An Allen key set for flat-pack furniture.
3. A small hammer and a rubber mallet.
4. Pliers.
5. Zip-lock bags or small envelopes, plus masking tape and a marker.
6. Old blankets and a roll of tape for wrapping.

Do the work in daylight, on a clear floor, with space to lay out the pieces.

Photograph before you take apart

Before you remove a single screw, take photos of the furniture from several angles, and close-ups of any tricky joints, hinges and sliding rails. A wardrobe with sliding doors or a bed with a hidden storage box can be confusing to reassemble a week later.

If a manual exists, keep it with the screws. If not, those photos are your manual.

Keep every screw and fitting

This is where many house moves go wrong. Loose screws roll under sofas and into the grass.

• Put the screws and fittings for each piece into one bag.
• Write the item and room on the bag, for example "Master bed, left side rails".
• Tape the bag firmly to the piece it belongs to, on the inside where it will not rub.
• For large units with many parts, number the panels with masking tape and write the number on the matching bag.

Never keep a bag of screws in a loose box or a drawer that you plan to ship separately.

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Take things apart in a sensible order

For a bed:

1. Remove the mattress and bedding.
2. Take off the slats and the base.
3. Unscrew the side rails and the headboard.
4. Bundle the slats together with tape or rope.

For a wardrobe:

1. Empty it fully, including hanging rails and drawers.
2. Remove the doors and mirrors and wrap them separately.
3. Take off shelves, then the side panels and the back panel.
4. Keep the back panel flat, because it bends easily.

For a dining table: remove the legs or unfasten the leaves, wrap the top in blankets and keep legs together in a bundle.

Wrap each piece and protect the edges

Wooden panels chip at the corners. Wrap the edges with cardboard or blankets, and lay flat panels face to face with a layer of padding between. Stand large panels on their long edge, not flat, when loading. Read padding and protecting furniture on the truck for the loading side.

Glass shelves and mirror doors should be packed separately, as in our guide to moving glass and mirrors.

Reassemble at the new home

Start with the beds. Lay out the pieces, find the bag, use the photos and tighten everything gradually, not all the way at first. Check the position of each shelf and door before the final tightening. Then do the wardrobes, tables and desks.

If a screw is missing, tell the helpers straight away, because the fittings are often the most important part. Keep a few spare screws in your tool kit for the next move.

How to do this on Sphere

When you request a truck or pickup van on Sphere, describe the dismantled items as "bed frames and wardrobes taken apart, panels wrapped and labelled". This helps drivers see how much space they need. Add the pickup and drop-off, propose a price, and compare the offers and counter-offers. Agree loading and offloading help with the driver before you accept an offer.

You can also look at house moving in Lagos.