The nightmare of nightmares! While heaving your dresser into your new home, one misstep leaves a giant gouge in your beautiful, shiny hardwood floors. Cringe as you read those words, and then once you’re moving to a new city, make a commitment to protect your hardwood floors from your large furniture items and dropped boxes. Here are a range of steps you can take, from the most simple to the most complex, to keep your new floors safe and looking gorgeous.
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Start with the doormats
Remember how we were talking about missteps? There’s nothing like wet floors, stray leaves, or sneakers caked in grass or mud to trip up even the most careful mover. Line the entryway with mats to help keep the slippery stuff away from the wood floors, and you’ve taken one big step in preventing accidents.
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You probably already have rugs or runners
Perhaps you’re planning on replacing your old ones to go along with your fresh new start — so hang on to them for one more day and use them as floor protection along the corridors with the heaviest traffic.You won’t mind if they get dirty or scuffed up in the process, the movers will breathe a sigh of relief, and you can remove them to reveal scratch-free floors afterward.
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Furniture sliders are the bees’ knees
Not only will they protect your back from injury when you can roll your furniture rather than carry it, but they reduce the opportunity for bumps and scuffs immensely. Check the wheels to be sure they are clean and smooth, and then roll your furniture along.
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No furniture sliders? Use cardboard
It isn’t quite as luxurious and smooth as a furniture slider, but cardboard can be a great option for moving furniture. Pad the bottom of the cardboard, which can still be a bit rough, with an old sheet or blanket for a smoother slide and less potential for damaging your floor.
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Use a Ram Board or other floor protection roll
Ram Board is designed to provide heavy-duty protection for contractors, so you can bet that it will keep your floors safe from movers and furniture. Along with other kinds of floor protection rolls, it is designed to be applied to clean floors prior to the move and then peeled off once you’re finished. Many moving companies will add a floor protection roll to the cost of your move if you’d prefer, so inquire during the process of hiring movers.
For more tips on preventing damage to your new home, have a look at this blog post. But if you do end up with unfortunate scratches on your floors, most hardware stores carry scratch markers that can be delicately applied to small scratches. For larger gouges, look for pre-colored latex wood floor filler that matches your floors. But ideally? Follow the above steps, and avoid those scratches in the first place.
