You know that hardwood floor you love to admire any time you look down? Picture it with a few scuffs and scratches, and you’ll have an idea of its potential new look after a sloppy move. Allow yourself a moment to recoil in horror at the very thought of scratching up your pristine floors…and then vow to avoid this by reading our ideas on how to prevent hardwood floor damage during your move.
Rule Number 1: Don’t Slide
Whether you’re moving out of a house with hardwood floors that you need to keep nice for the new buyer, or are trying to protect the wood in your new home, etch this rule into your brain: Don’t slide! Sliding anything across that beautiful floor will leave a mark you’re not going to like.
This goes for both furniture and boxes, by the way. Even if you just need to slide a small shelf out of the way to reach a frame you want to pack, avoid the temptation and wait until the movers get there to help. Sliding even a light object across the surface can scratch the floors if there’s any dirt or dust on them.
This means don’t try to slide your dresser out of your room…and whatever you do, don’t try to slide your refrigerator out of the kitchen! Hardwood floor protection during a move requires felt pads, which your movers will have since they’re aware of what a nightmare sliding anything across your floor could be.
Rule Number 2: Pad Anything That Touches the Floor
The next best way to protect your hardwood floors is to always put padding under anything you plan on putting on the floor. Even if you don’t plan to slide it across the surface, you need the protection padding can provide.
So if you’re taking a picture off the wall and need to set it on the floor to pack, put a blanket down first. And if you’re at the new house putting together a shelf, make sure there’s padding on the floor before you set down screws or tools. Otherwise, you risk scratching those beautiful hardwood floors.
If you don’t have professional padding at your house, that’s okay. No one we know does! That’s why our movers bring felt padding with them. And if you need to prepare your house before the movers arrive, you can use blankets or towels as temporary padding.
Rule Number 3: Hire Movers With the Right Equipment
Most movers have experience working around hardwood. This means the right movers will bring the equipment required to prevent hardwood floor damage. For example, our movers bring Masonite, which is compressed wood. They lay it down in areas with heavy foot traffic during the move–meaning your hallways and entryway won’t get scratched.
Vinyl rolls provide another type of hardwood floor protection during a move. They come in various colors (we like to get them in red so we can roll out the red carpet for our customers!) and they work well to protect high-traffic areas.
If your movers show up wearing "booties" to put over their shoes, that’s a bad sign. They might think they’re protecting the floors, but the pros know these are dangerous on hardwood flooring since it’s easy to slip on them. Instead, make sure your movers are wearing non slip rubber-soled shoes. That’s because rubber is among the only safe materials for hardwood floors. It’s what makes moving dollies fine to use–since a dolly’s rubber tires can roll and bounce all around the floor without damaging the wood.
Now that you know the rules of hardwood floor protection during a move, it’s time to hire movers who will actually follow them! Contact 3 Men Movers today to set up your Texas move with professionals who are efficient, friendly and know how to prevent hardwood floor damage.