Transporting delicate pieces of furniture is one of the biggest stressors when it comes to moving. You’ve invested in this piece that brings you joy, or it’s a sentimental piece that’s been in your family for years. Whatever your situation, you want to make sure it ends up in the new location in the exact same condition it’s currently in. Glass pieces especially can pose a problem. But when carefully prepared, they can be transported without any breaking or cracking. If you’re moving yourself, here are the 4 steps for how to protect glass during a move. And if you’re hiring professional movers, here’s how they will prepare the glass for your move.
How to Protect Glass During A Move
Use this method for flat glass pieces removed from a piece of furniture. To do this, you’ll need: a piece of flat glass, tape, a moving blanket, movers wrap, and a piece of cardboard twice the size of the glass and able to fold in half, covering the glass.
Lay Everything Down
Lay the moving blanket flat on the ground in front of you. Place the cardboard on top of the blanket; this will add another layer of protection. Lay the piece of glass on one half of the cardboard and fold the other half over top. Tape over the open end of the cardboard to help hold it in place.
Fold the Blanket
Now fold the sides of the blanket over the cardboard. Slowly lift the wrapped piece of glass and stand it on one end. (Make sure the bottom is not exposed but positioned on the end of the blanket.) Fold the shorter end of the blanket over on the top end. Use a piece of tape to hold it in place.
Cap the End with Movers Wrap
Using the movers wrap, start wrapping around the top of the piece. Before you move too far down, cap the end of the piece by wrapping in a figure 8 to prevent the glass from sliding out of the blanket.
Figure 8 End Cap: starting at the corner closest to you, bring the movers wrap forward, up and over the top of the piece, down the other side, and then bring back around the edge to the original side you started on. You can repeat the figure 8 another time for extra security or continue wrapping down the piece.
Wrap the Whole Piece
Continue wrapping. Once you get halfway down, turn the glass upside down so the end you capped is on the ground. Finish wrapping the glass upwards with the movers wrap. Cap the end of the piece with the figure 8 from step 3.
After capping, wrap around the top of the piece once more (not the whole way down, just once) to secure the wrap. Once you’re finished, poke a little hole at the edge and tear off the remaining unused movers wrap.
Now your piece of glass is protected and ready to be moved!
For further explanation and demonstration, check out our glass wrapping tutorial:
Now that you know how to protect glass during a move, you can move on to learn how to use a ratchet strap to secure your furniture to the moving truck.
