Dining room furniture suites are among your most valuable furnishings. They consist of matching pieces that are often impossible to replace and can be very expensive to fix. Therefore, every individual piece needs to be moved without damage. The buffet is one key piece for which all of this is especially true.
How to Pack a Buffet for Moving
Buffets and long dressers are similar in that they can have regular drawers and hidden drawers behind doors. Make sure all drawers are empty before you pad the piece. If the hidden drawers are really loose then shim them with folded cardboard so that they don’t bounce around while being moved. Don’t tape the doors shut because you don’t want to get tape residue on the buffet’s finish. The pads will hold them securely closed when put on properly.
First, drape two pads over the buffet with the front over covered and the back under covered as shown in the pictures below.
Front
Back
Then seal the two pads in place with packing tape.
Next, neatly fold the pads around each side and tape the wrapping all around as shown in the pictures below.
Finish by tightly taping the top edges well under the dresser’s lip so that the pads don’t slip during moving.
It is advisable to also tape around the entire dresser a few times to further secure the pads.
Be sure to crimp the tape crossing the open back area so that the adhesive can’t stick to it.
How to Lift and Carry a Buffet
To safely lift a buffet, one person should put their foot against the piece’s base so that it won’t slide as it’s being lifted and hold the buffet on one side while another person lifts the opposite end.
The pad should be taped around each leg.
When ready, the buffet should be stood up onto its side on a dolly. It’s best that the dolly is placed flush to the downside before the dresser is tipped up upon it. This way the dolly won’t scoot out as the final tipping up occurs.
Finally, the center is taped and crimped around the underside of the piece as shown in the picture below.
Now the buffet is ready to be dollied to the moving truck.
Keep in mind that professional movers will do all the packing, lifting, and carrying in the safest and fastest way possible, so consider using their services when moving a buffet. At least, make sure you get a moving quote to see what they have to offer before making your final decision.
