How to Move a Glass Dining Buffet

Moving a glass dining buffet, or any large or fragile furniture or household item, begins with planning. Even if you're using a moving company to transport your goods, you'll probably want to pack most of your belongings, both to save money and to ensure that they are safely and securely wrapped and stored. With a glass buffet, you're dealing with a large, heavy and fragile piece of furniture. You also have to concern yourself with the contents of the buffet --- sometimes called a hutch or sideboard --- which usually consists of fragile glassware and china. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Take an inventory of your buffet and its contents so you can determine what packing materials you'll need. The buffet itself will have to be wrapped and the doors and drawers secured. The contents will have to be removed from the buffet, wrapped and boxed.

2

Gather your packing materials. You'll need tape, string or bungee cords to secure doors, drawers and boxes, packing paper, tissue paper and possibly Bubble Wrap to wrap the plates, stemware and other fragile items contained in the hutch, boxes in which to put the buffet's contents, and blankets or other material to wrap the buffet itself. You'll need a marker to label the boxes. (See References 1)

3

Remove and separate the buffet's contents.

4

Wrap glasses and stemware individually in tissue paper. Fill each glass with tissue, then wrap each piece with a few sheets of tissue paper. Place each glass in a box. Use cell boxes for glassware. Cell boxes contain partitions that divide each box into separate cells --- usually 12 or 24 spaces --- into which the glasses are placed. Once the box is full, use brown wrapping paper or newspapers to fill the box tightly and tape the top shut.

5

Continue wrapping the contents of the buffet. Wrap flatware and silverware in bundles, such as forks and spoons. Tape a certain number together, say six or eight spoons, and wrap each bundle before placing in a box. Wrap all plates, saucers, coffee cups and other items individually, stacking the items securing and tightly. Again, use paper or Bubble Wrap to fill in any voids, pack tightly, and seal the boxes with tape. Make sure the boxes are sturdy enough to hold the items. Use duct or packing tape to reinforce seams.

6

Mark each box as you fill and seal it. This will make unpacking much easier.

7

Stuff pillows into the buffet's cabinets. This will provide protection as well as use otherwise dead space. Do the same thing with the drawers, using towels, linens or other soft items.

8

Tape shut or otherwise secure the doors and drawers.

9

Wrap the buffet in a blanket or blankets. Secure the blankets with string, rope or bungee cords. Depending on the size of the buffet, it may have to be transported on its side, so make sure all sides are adequately padded. If you're not using a moving company, use a dolly to move the buffet into a truck and secure it with wall straps or bungee cords. Use items such as mattresses to place against the buffet to further protect it. (See References 2)