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Last Updated: Sep 20, 2023
Some smart and easy steps and warnings will come of great help when the time comes for you to move your furniture items. To have a smooth and successful move of your heavily shaped furniture like a reclining chair, you will need specific guidance.
Most people have no idea on how to safely and securely move their reclining chair even though they all want to move it with them to their new place in an effective way.
There are, however, some tips that will guide you throughout the process so as to make the transfer of your reclining chair to your new home a sweet experience.
Let’s face it; due to the heaviness, fragility, and unwieldy nature of the reclining chair, it is often difficult to move around. To avoid damage to the chair during the move if you choose not to involve a professional moving company, there are some points that you should note when doing the move by yourself.
Having knowledge of how to raise the chair without smashing it and how to properly guard it against scratches and stains will come with great help. This post aims to share all that without missing words. It will take you a few minutes to read through this guide; hence, take your time to read it. Let’s start by defining a recliner.
In this article
A sofa or armchair that leans backward when the occupant reduces the back of the chair and raises its front is known as a recliner. The recliner has a backrest that can be leaned backward and a footrest that may be increased through a lever located beside the chair, and can also be automatically extended when the back is leaned.
A reclining chair, an armchair, and a lounger are all other names for a recliner. Nowadays, neck support, a standalone footstool that automatically adjusts it based on the weight and angle of the occupant’s legs to increase comfort, and an adjustable headrest has been added to recliners. Vibration, heat, and massage are other added features of recliners.
Although both construction and fabric of the chairs provide different types of qualities, the way each type of chairs reclines is the main point to consider.
Below are the available types of recliners:
When people hear the word recliner, what comes to people’s mind is the two-position recliner, which is the classic version. This model can be armchair style, upright or leaned with a footrest that comes out when reclined.
The change in position of the chair is caused by the lever on its side. Although there are many upholstery options and styles available, this particular type of recliner is a lot cheaper compared to some fancier versions. This option is likely included in the list of options of the stores that sells recliners.
Functioning and with its appearance like a 2-position version, this particular recliner model has a rocking or gliding functionality added to it. For the parent with little ones that could sleep comfortably in a chair moving gently, this model is most ideal.
Compared to the conventional recliners, the added mechanisms further increase the price of this chair.
With no lever needed, a pushback recliner will switch to a lie-down mode by leaning back with your body as you sit on the chair. This particular recliner model resembles a normal armchair due to the absence of extra hardware or mechanism on the side.
It is visibly difficult in most cases to find out if this model reclines. In a room where style is preferred to matching furniture settings, this model is actually ideal for lying around as it is meant for comfort and not for decoration.
The best option to consider when there is no much space is a wall-saver recliner. To get the exact reclined position, only 6-inches of space are required in between the recliner and the wall.
When compared, a standard recliner needs just 1- 3 feet of space between the wall and the back of the chair. Sometimes, the price of the wall hugger or wall saver is more costly than a normal recliner.
Users are only required to push a button to get a desired position for the recliner instead of making use of their strength. These recliner models are operated using electricity, and they offer more sitting positions compared to the conventional recliner model.
Some models even provide the occupant with USB ports for small devices like tablets and phones. Other recliner models that are powered by electricity works like adjustable beds, which gives you the chance to adjust the chair until the desired angles are achieved.
Furthermore, some recliner models may as well provide the occupant with different massage options for neck support, headrest, and other parts.
Moving a reclining chair can be a very difficult task due to its heaviness and shape. The chair might even get damaged if not properly moved. Having knowledge of how to lift and move a recliner will come with great help. Making sure no damages or stains comes to the chair while moving it is the essential thing to prioritize.
It is advisable to properly wrap a chair with a sheet or paper to avoid stains, scuff, and any other damages. It is also important to take the weight of the chair into serious consideration. It would be so much easier to make use of a dolly if the recliner is too heavy, as it will be more secure during the move.
Follow this step-to-step guide to move your recliner:
This step even though looks totally unnecessary, is very essential. You need to completely consider the route you want to take the chair though, the new position the recliner will be arranged, what damage could come to it if it is pulled through the main entrance. You have to be cautious of your decision as anything you decide could affect your chair in a great way.
It will hurt you greatly when after you have pushed the chair up the stairs you have to take it downstairs again after you discovered it wouldn’t be possible to move it through the door.
To avoid regret, you have to take this step with both hands. Although reclining chairs are known to be big and bulky, they are also known to be more fragile.
It is therefore advisable to wrap your chair around, and also add padding before the wrapping if you will be moving it through a bumpy road to avoid any form of damages. Do not put the chair to any risk as it is very much fragile.
This kind of move cannot be pulled off by only you. Enlist the help of a few of your family or friends as the weight of the recliner is not something you can do all by yourself.
A friend should be enough if your recliner is not that heavy or you are much stronger. Enlist the help of 2 or 3 friends to assist you if your recliner is heavier than your strength.
There are various types of recliner chairs which include standalone chairs and sofa sets. Having a laid down plan prior to the move is the most vital part of the process instead of concentrating on manpower. To ensure easy carriage, many recliner chairs come with a user guide that contains options for removing parts.
The methods of moving recliners are similar with just little differences based on the manufacturer and the model even though recliners differ from one to another. Some contain clips and thumbscrews, while some contain locking tabs.
We will now discuss some hitch-free steps to easily remove and install these chairs. Moving a recliner involves two parts, which are removal and installation. Let’s take one after the other.
Before you move the recliner into a new room or new house, its back must be removed. The manpower finds it easier when moving the recycler when you remove the back apart from the fact that it becomes lighter.
Tools for the Disassembling Recliner Sofa include:
After buying the items listed above, get ready for disassembling by taking note of the following:
The reinstallation of the dismantled recliner should not be delayed after it has been moved into its destination. The reinstallation of the recliner, however, requires more manipulation even though it sounds simple. The reinstallations process is just the opposite of the removal process.
It takes a lot of effort in planning and organizing to make sure your move runs to completion successfully. There are many benefits involved when you hire a professional furniture moving company even though you might decide to move smaller possessions by yourself.
Below are 5 reasons to hire a best moving company to handle the huge items such as recliners and other furniture items on your next relocation:
You will get relieved of so much stress when you hire a professional moving company, as there are so many things to move.
Your mind will know peace knowing that your huge possessions are in good hands, and are being transported safely and securely to your destination.
Without bordering yourself about your large belongings, you will have enough time to concentrate on your smaller items.
The risk of damaging your belongings or the buildings will be reduced, as a professional moving company knows exactly how to move things through stairwells, doorways, and corners.
Making good use of truck space by arranging your furniture securely so that no damage will come to the parts is also one of their jobs.
Regardless of how big or bulky, your furniture is, professional moving companies have the required tools and equipment to move them securely.
Hand trucks, dollies, straps to securely hold the items and transport without scratch or strain are some of their equipment.
They also make use of the pad to protect each edge of the furniture, and they also have good knowledge of disassembling and reinstalling the parts.
Professional furniture moving companies will get to the pick-up point as schedule without wasting time and with the needed equipment.
They will also make an inventory of all the items on their truck to make sure all your belongings get to your new location.
There is also no need to enlist the help of friends or families or worry about planning your relocation when you hire a professional relocation company.
You and your friends get safety from trying to lift or move furniture because they are well trained for such work. As you and your friends are not experts in this, you are more likely to sustain injuries or back strains. In this case, your family and friends can assist you in packing smaller boxes instead.
Being in such a situation is an understandable dilemma, as you may have a recliner that you love very much. But downsizing your living space means that a recliner that is appropriately sized now may be too big for a smaller room.
There are two approaches you can take. The first is to downsize some of your other possessions in that room to make space for the recliner. For instance, you could place a smaller table in that room, or sacrifice smaller items like side tables or other chairs.
The second option is to sell your recliner and invest in a smaller one that better fits the size of the apartment where you are moving.
The cheapest way to move a large recliner is by getting a few friends or family members to help. Perhaps one of your family members has a pickup truck where you could place the recliner for transport.
If that is not an option, you should rent a truck from a company like U-Haul, hire day laborers for a few hours through sites like Craigslist, and move your recliner that way. It will cost a fraction of what a moving service would charge for the same job.
If you are moving locally or within the same state, most movers can complete the job on the same day. However, multi-state or cross country moves can take several days to complete.
You may want to spend a bit more money on expedited moving. If reputable movers in your area do not offer such a service, you can also ship the recliner through a service like UPS.
Bear in mind that shipping furniture as a massive package is expensive, so you may want to sacrifice on time to save money.
Older recliners and leather chairs tend to look nice when surrounded by furniture of a similar aesthetic. But if you move into an apartment with a sleek, modern aesthetic, your recliner may not look as good.
You could choose to sell your recliner and invest in a sleeker model that fits the look of your new apartment. Or you could place a cover on top of the recliner. Slipcovers for recliners are available in a range of colors and patterns that can cover the entire recliner and help it match the aesthetic of your new apartment.
It is always a good idea to prepare before your movers arrive. If your recliner comes apart, it is helpful to perform some disassembly before they arrive.
Another step is to clear the path of the movers. Ensure there is space for them to walk up the stairs to your recliner, wrap it up in protective material, and then take it down to the moving van.
If you have a lot of furniture and boxes right next to your recliner, it makes the moves’ job harder. They have to move items out of the way, and they could damage some of your furniture while taking your recliner out of your house or apartment.
You are most likely thinking of how possible it will be to move your recliner to your next destination right now. Do not worry about it, because it is a possible task. All you need to do is to take some time to weigh in some factors and enlist some helpers. You may not like the result if you choose to do it by yourself.
Thomas has a degree in literature from Stanford University and a profession in Mass Communication. Thomas is a member of the Moving Feedback research team, an expert in writing educative articles to help readers make the right buying decisions. He is well versed in moving industry matters to give the best advice on moving needs.