What NOT To Do When Moving Your Antiques: 3 Mistakes to Avoid

If you love to collect vintage finds and pride yourself on your antique furniture collection, you know firsthand how valuable these items can be — and how complicated they can make your moving plans. Antiques need to be treated with immense care during a move. While it’s certainly possible to make certain they all arrive in one piece, you’ll need to take certain precautions beforehand. Those include avoiding these three mistakes at all costs:

1. Poor packing methodsThe average American moves about 12 times within their life. Proper packing is key for any move, but it’s particularly so when you’re dealing with antiques. Failing to pack properly can result in irreparable damages like scrapes, tears, and scuffs or even mildew and warping. Not only will they compromise the look of your pieces but they can take away from their value, as well. Each item may require a different packing method, so it’s best to do your research or talk to a professional antique moving service to determine whether an item should be placed in plastic, blankets, or crates before being transported.
2. Neglecting to inventory and insureAlthough residential moving services should have their own insurance coverage, you need to take steps to protect your collection. You need to take a complete inventory of your items and protect them through insurance policies. An appraiser can help to determine their current value. Not only will this help you if an item gets lost or damaged during your move, but it can also assist you with the unpacking. You may want to structure your inventory list by room, rather than by item type, to make settling in even easier once you arrive.
3. Choosing inexperienced moversUltimately, the worst mistake you can make when moving antiques is to hire furniture movers who don’t have experience with these kinds of items. Modern furniture and belongings can be treated very differently from antique versions. And because of their extreme value, your furniture movers will need to be much more careful to prevent damage during transport and loading. Don’t be tempted to hire a company that makes no mention of antique experience or downplays the care needed to move these precious items. When you require special treatment for your decor, you should hire antique furniture movers with a great reputation.

Whether you have a few family heirlooms or your entire home is filled with antique items of great value, you need to take pains to protect them during your move. By packing them properly, taking a complete inventory, insuring when needed, and making a point to hire experienced antique movers, you’ll be able to make certain your items will arrive in the same condition that they departed.