Pressboard, particle board,
Decide If Your Particle Board Furniture Is Worth Moving
This kind of ready to assemble furniture, normally purchased inexpensively at discount retailers (or IKEA, for example) and then assembled in the residence by the end user, is very difficult to move without damages. Usually, it is not designed with the extra wood structural pieces needed to adequately brace the item for moving out of or into a residence or to endure normal truck vibrations during transport.
Some pressboard (or also known as pressed wood) furniture is very heavy, yet difficult or impossible to disassemble to lighten it before moving. It is also not certain if such pieces can be reassembled after the move as the screws holding them together will not reseat in their prior holes because of wood particle weakness.
Typically, irreparable chips can occur just from normal moving pressures. Or the piece can crush or collapse during the relocation – all because of the inherent weakness of the pressboard/particle board material of which it is made. It is the nature of this engineered wood material that it looks very nice when first assembled but gets wobbly over time even without moving it.
Therefore, it might be best to leave particle board furniture behind and buy new pieces after the move.
How to Pack Engineered Wood Furnishings for Moving
If you decide to take your pressboard furniture to your new home, you need to snugly blanket wrap the pieces before carrying them in order to provide them with extra support and stability. Consider securing strapping around portions of the piece for additional bracing purposes, but be careful not to tighten the blankets or the belts too much as that can break the piece. Also, be sure not to place heavy boxes or any other heavy items on top of a pressboard piece, as it can easily break under the heavy weight’s pressure.
