Of all the furniture to be taken care of during a move, the sideboard is one of the most problematic items to manage. Voluminous, often heavy and sometimes fragile, this common piece of furniture generally poses many problems when it comes to handling and transportation. Wondering how to prepare, carry and transport your buffet during a move? Here are a few tips from the pros to help you move your sideboard without too much breakage.
The sideboard: bulky, heavy and potentially fragile
Sideboards have been furnishing home interiors since the Middle Ages. Originally consisting of stacked chests, they have evolved over time into decorative pieces of furniture.
Generally installed in a kitchen or dining room, the sideboard is a storage unit for crockery, cutlery, table linen and even certain foods. It's also known as a silver cabinet, sideboard, sideboard or china cabinet. In most cases, it's a bulky piece of furniture that must be able to support the weight of the crockery while still decorating the room.
A sideboard can consist of a single base unit with several doors (from 2 to 4) and drawers. It can also be made up of two superimposed bodies. The upper part of the buffet can then be used as a dresser for displaying crockery. On some models, the upper section is glazed to reveal the contents of the cabinet.
Depending on their period (Renaissance, Louis XI, Baroque...) and style (antique or modern), sideboards can also be more or less finely decorated and sculpted.
The difficulties of moving a buffet
A voluminous sideboard is often difficult to handle because of its size. All the more so as it is generally a relatively heavy piece of furniture.
The various parts of the cabinet must be able to withstand the weight of the crockery and the daily handling of doors and drawers. This is why solid wood furniture (for older models) or furniture made from thick, sturdy materials such as marble or metal is the most likely choice, as it will carry a lot of weight during handling.
When moving a sideboard, you also need to be able to deal with the fragility of certain parts of the furniture: these could be display cabinets or fragile decorations such as carved motifs on antique sideboards, particularly those made of solid wood.
How do you prepare a buffet move?
Before moving a buffet, the first step is to empty it. Once completely empty, the buffet must then be prepared for handling and transportation.
Clearing and packing the buffet
When the buffet is emptied, the crockery must be meticulously packed and placed in reinforced cardboard boxes, with appropriate protection to prevent breakage. For this purpose, there are reinforced cardboard boxes specially adapted for plates, glasses and serving dishes, which are fragile items. They need to be protected as much as possible with special packaging (foam or bubble wrap) for handling and transportation.
Proper labeling of boxes is also necessary to help you find your way around when you move into your new home. Crockery and cutlery are among the first personal effects to be put back in place on arrival in a new home. You need to be able to find them quickly and easily, so you don't end up playing tag for the first few days.
How to protect the buffet for transport?
If your sideboard is made up of two parts, each should be protected separately. Corners, legs and all fragile parts should be covered to prevent scratches and snags.
Depending on the material and its surface, beware of adhesives which may mark certain varnishes or coatings. Drawers should be removed beforehand, and doors secured to prevent movement during handling and transit.
How to carry and transport a buffet?
Depending on the size of the sideboard, handling can be difficult at doorways. So before the big day, you need to check that each piece of furniture will fit through the various openings in your home (inside and out).
Two or even three people are needed to move the furniture and avoid bumping into corners. This is obviously more complicated if you live in a multi-storey dwelling where the elevator is generally too small. Beware of narrow stairwells, which can be a real problem!
Fortunately, there are solutions to make moving furniture easier: adapted lifting and carrying equipment (carts, transport wheels, furniture lifts...), handling rules to avoid injuries and false moves... In some particularly difficult configurations, it may be wise to use a freight elevator to avoid handling the various parts of the furniture on the stairs.
Should a buffet be dismantled for easier transport?
It all depends on the type of sideboard you want to move. Some antique furniture is difficult to dismantle and reassemble, especially when the wood has been worked over time. Modern furniture, on the other hand, is notoriously difficult to dismantle and reassemble.
The quality of the sideboard and its age will be decisive in the decision. A mover can advise you on this point. For a valuable sideboard, however, it's best not to take the risk of moving it alone. Don't hesitate to call in a professional mover, who will be able to advise you and ensure a safe operation.
Why move your buffet with a professional mover?
If you hire a professional to move your buffet :
- Our teams can empty the furniture for you, or advise you on how to clear it yourself, and provide you with the appropriate packing materials. This is important for crockery which needs to be transported safely to avoid breakage;
- our movers know how to protect your buffet and avoid any damage during transport: how to secure doors, take care of glazing, and protect fragile and ornate parts that could be damaged during the move;
- They are equipped to carry your furniture and ensure its safe removal. We provide a sufficient number of trained staff with all the equipment needed for handling and transportation (freight elevator, protective blankets and straps, etc.).
A professional mover does everything possible to ensure that your buffet is moved correctly, both in terms of preserving the furniture and ensuring the safety of the staff. In the event of physical damage, you also benefit from a value guarantee which enables you to be compensated should a problem arise despite all the precautions taken.
Would you like to find out more about our moving services for private individuals? Please contact us.