How to Move and Store a Dining Room Table

At first glance, a dining room table may look like a hard thing to move and store. Won’t it be tricky to carry it to and from your moving truck? How can you fit it in there along with boxes and other items? If it shifts in transit, can the legs get loose or worse, break off? Won’t it be tough getting it up or down a set of stairs?

The truth is, compared to moving other furniture, moving a dining room table is actually pretty easy. You just have to follow the right steps:

Cleaning

Whether you’re moving to a new home or putting your table in storage, it’s a good idea to clean it first. For a wooden table, wipe it down from top to bottom with a damp cloth, then let it dry. Next, use furniture polish to buff all polished wooden areas to a shine. This has the added benefit of protecting the wood.

If the tabletop is made of glass, clean it with a wet cloth, dry it, and use a glass polish and paper towels or newsprint paper to remove streaks and make it shine.

Remove the Legs

That’s right, you don’t have to put the table in the moving truck as-is. Remove the legs by unscrewing or unbolting them, depending on how your table is put together. Put the screws or bolts in a plastic bag and tape it to the underside of the table top, so you won’t lose them.

Wrap each leg in bubble wrap and use packing tape to make it tight.

Remove the Leaf

If your table has a center leaf, remove it. You can wrap it in bubble wrap or in a moving blanket or two, and secure it with packing tape. You may need to wrap the tape around it.

Fold the Drop Sides

Alternately, your table may have drop sides you can swing out to make the table larger. If this is the case, fold them under and tape them to the bottom of the tabletop. This will ensure the table top takes up less space and that the sides will be safe and secure.

Wrap the Tabletop

This applies to wooden tables. If you removed a leaf from the tabletop, it’s time to push the sides together. Wrap it in as many moving blankets as needed. If you have to leave any part of the top exposed, leave a bit of the bottom. It’s also all right to affix packing tape to the bottom if necessary, but try to avoid applying tape to the top, as this can cause damage to the finish

Wrap the Glass Tabletop

For a glass tabletop, you need to be more careful. First, wrap it in bubble wrap, then in two or more layers of moving blankets. If you run out of moving blankets, use other blankets you have on hand. Tape all this in place. Next, cover all this with a couple large sheets of cardboard and tape these in place as well. All this is important to protect the glass as well as possible.

Carrying the Parts

An individual can carry the legs, but you’ll need two people to move a tabletop. Do so carefully, whether transporting it from your home to the moving truck, from the truck to storage, or from the truck to a new home.

A wooden table top can go on the floor of the moving truck and support a few boxes on top, or it can be propped on its side against the wall and secured in place with bungee cords. Do not put it on top of boxes, where it will slip in transit.

Place the table legs near it, in a space where they won’t slide and hit other items.

If you have a glass table top, you can either place it between two mattresses, or secure it flat against a moving truck wall with bungee cords. If you do this, include another layer of padding, such as an additional moving blanket, between the truck wall and the wrapped tabletop.

Storage

Place the parts in storage similarly to how you did in the truck, and they’ll be ready for you when you need to retrieve them and put the table back together.

Also, seriously consider getting a self storage unit with climate control. Depending on the yearly weather patterns in your area, this can help protect the wood from expanding, contracting, and splintering, and keep not only your table, but your other possessions, in great shape.