Breaking down big furniture is the difference between a move that flows and one that gets stuck in a doorway. It also protects the pieces — assembled furniture racks and snaps in transit. Here's what to take apart and how to make reassembly painless.
Take apart anything large, top-heavy or wider than a doorway: bed frames, headboards, table legs from tabletops, modular sofas, bookshelves and shelving units, desks, and crib/bunk frames. Remove mirrors from dressers and glass from cabinets and wrap them separately. Generally leave dressers and nightstands assembled — they travel fine and the drawers can stay loaded.
This is where most people lose hours later. As you remove hardware, seal it in a labeled zip bag and tape the bag directly to the underside of the piece it came from (not the visible surface — tape can mar finishes). Take a quick photo of each connection before you take it apart, so you have a reference for reassembly. Keep Allen keys and any proprietary tools in one bag you don't pack on the truck.
A basic kit covers most of it: a screwdriver set, an adjustable wrench, the Allen keys that came with flat-pack furniture, and a power drill to speed things up. Work on a clear floor, and keep small parts (cam locks, dowels, bolts) corralled so they don't roll away.
Some flat-pack particleboard furniture (think inexpensive bookcases and wardrobes) doesn't survive being unscrewed and rebuilt — the cam locks strip and the panels loosen. If a piece is cheap and fragile, it's often better to move it carefully assembled, or accept it may not make the trip. Antiques and anything with delicate joinery should be wrapped and moved whole, or handled by a pro.
Reassemble big items in the room where they'll live — you don't want to build a bed in the living room and then discover it won't fit down the hall. Our crews disassemble and reassemble beds, tables and standard furniture as part of the hourly rate, hardware tracked and reattached, so you skip this entirely. See our local moving details or our guide to moving large furniture through tight spaces.
Beds and headboards, table legs, modular sofas, bookshelves, desks, and bunk/crib frames — anything large, top-heavy, or wider than a doorway. Dressers and nightstands can usually stay assembled.
Seal each piece's hardware in a labeled zip bag and tape it to the underside of that piece. Take a photo of each joint before disassembly as a reassembly reference.
Yes — our crews take apart and rebuild beds, tables and standard furniture as part of the hourly rate, keeping track of the hardware so nothing is lost.
Often not — particleboard cam-lock furniture can strip and loosen when rebuilt. Move it carefully assembled if you can, or accept that very cheap pieces may not survive a rebuild.
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