Relocation planning is a stressful task, especially when you have so many fragile items, such as a glass top to move from one point to another. A glass tabletop is one of the toughest pieces of furniture to relocate. It is heavy, big, and will surely shatter if you drop it on a hard surface.
But on a serious note, moving glass-top tables is not hard; it only needs special attention and technical-know-how. Just wrapping it in the paper as you would take care of dishes and decorative items doesn’t cut it. When moving large glass items the wrong way, they get damaged easily. Organize your packing and your move to make sure that delicate items like glass table tops are safe.
To make the relocation easy for you, we have compiled this guide to help you move your glass top table on your own and stress-free.
Packing and Moving Glass Top Table
Glass tabletops are fragile, and at the same time heavy, too. If your glass table is wrongly packed and handled, you may get to your new home or office with a shattered glass tabletop.
To move your glass table, you have two options:
- Pack and transport it yourself
- Hire professional movers
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The DIY Approach to Packing and Moving a Glass Tabletop
If you are getting set for a DIY packing and moving of your glass tabletop, you must make sure you pack it properly and securely, so you can get it to your next destination safely and in one piece.
The glass tabletop will need special handling to save from cracking and breaking, but you can pack the base and the legs just like any other large furniture piece with the use of shrink wrap, moving blankets, heavy cardboard, furniture pads, and packing tape.
Consider the steps below to pack your tabletop:
1. Gather Packing Supplies
Protecting your glass table needs the appropriate materials. Below is a list of supplies popularly used for packing mirrors, glass, and pictures:
- Packing (Kraft) paper
- Bubble wrap
- Packaging tape
- Yardstick or measuring tape
- Styrofoam boards
- Telescopic box, cardboard to design a box or plywood to make a crate
- Scissors or utility knife
- Thick black marker for labeling
2. Take Off the Top
Even if the glass seems sturdy or thick, the best you can do is to remove it from the base it rests on. There are table tops that easily lift off the base of the table or piece. Others are screwed to the bottom. Find out how the top is attached and then make use of a screwdriver or other helpful tool to remove the glass gently.
If your piece is costly, it is best to hire a furniture moving service as recommended by John Linden, the top designer at a glass studio known as Mirror Coop. Lots of white-glove furniture services will help you pack and move fragile items for a small fee.
3. Wrap it Properly
Immediately you have taken out the glass top, wrap it using moving blankets. Make use of adequate blankets to ensure that there are at least two layers of blanket thickness all around the item.
Then, use bubble wrap to wrap the blankets. If you tape the wrap to hold it together, ensure it doesn’t contact the glass top. If you used excess tape on the glass, it can leave a residue on the glass when you remove the table.
How to Wrap a Glass Top for Transporting
Bulky glass table tops are highly tough to wrap and secure in place inside the transport truck. If you are packing a bulky glass tabletop, consider these steps:
Step 1: Clean & dry the glass tabletop: Glass table assists with making the illusion of large space and improving the brightness of rooms. However, they can easily get dirty and dusty. Before you disassemble the table, we advise that you remove the dust and dirt. This will prevent scratches while on the move which can happen due to some types of dust particles.
Step 2: Place table on moving blanket: Immediately your tabletop is clean, place a neat moving blanket on the floor and gently rotate the table to have the glass face the blanket and the legs are in an upward direction. This will ensure the table’s safety, which also provides easy access to the legs.
Step 3: Remove legs accordingly: You may need the user guide for this phase, but we hope the table legs’ mechanism is simple that you can easily see. Stick to the instructions and disassemble the table legs, wrap them in a moving blanket and hold them properly with tape.
Step 4: Monitor screws: This step is the most difficult to miss. Monitor all the screws or you may end up without a balanced table in your home. You can keep the screws in a zip-lock bag and tape them to the appropriate legs for easier assembly at the destination.
Step 5: Wrap the whole glass tabletop: Now that you have the legs and screws secure, we can shift our focus back to the glass tabletop. Wrap the two faces of the glass tabletop with packing paper and hold them with moving tape. You need to note that the tape should in no way touch any glass surface because it will leave it difficult to remove marks.
Step 6: Apply bubble wrap to increase a layer of protection: Immediately you are satisfied with your moving paper protection layer, you can then add a layer of bubble wrap. Glass is so much fragile and should be properly protected using a thick layer of bubble wrap. Ensure you don’t miss any of the edges and secure it with tape.
4. Use a Box
If you have a picture box or telescopic box that can hold the glass tabletop, position the piece carefully inside it. If you don’t have any box in your home, you can buy online or get creative by making one.
To make your cardboard covering, get and flatten a wardrobe box or other large cardboard box. Then gently slide the glass into it from the side.
5. Label Box Accordingly
Finally, allow your friendly movers to know that they are moving a fragile and heavy piece by labeling the two sides of the box.
6. Transport Properly
While moving the glass tabletop and loading it on the transport truck, make sure it is kept on its side, just like you are hanging a mirror on the wall. “Glass based solely on its molecular structure can better survive the strain of moving when it is on its sides” stated by Dela Duranty.
Immediately it gets on the moving truck, try strapping the glass tabletop directly to a side surface. Position padding around to cushion it from cracking. Also, ensure that there is no hard surface item packed near the tabletop.
7. Store Carefully
If you are storing a glass tabletop, avoid placing it straight against any other glass piece. Doing so could lead to scratches when a small amount of dirt or grime gets in between the layers of glass. Instead, cushion the tabletop using moving blankets and bubble wrap.
Make use of cardboard covering for added protection. Avoid storing any heavy items on top of the glass as it remains in storage. If possible, keep the table on its side and in a well-padded area.
8. Ask a Friend to Help
Always ask for help from people when you are packing and moving table tops beyond 3 feet together with any side. Even if you can handle lifting the weight by yourself, you will want to make sure that both ends of the tabletop are safe to make sure that it doesn’t hit a wall or doorway as you are moving out.
Immediately you get to your destination, you need to install it carefully, and make use of a residue cleaner if required to get rid of any tape adhesive.
Hiring Professional Movers
Professional moving companies or consolidated freight transport companies will have enough experience and knowledge to pack, load, and haul your glass tabletop so that you can know it will arrive in good condition. The good news is that your long distance movers are also experienced in moving fragile items like this. Contact them today!
Conclusion
Moving your glass tabletop doesn’t have to be a worrisome experience. Now that everything you need to know about moving a glass table top has been explained to you, you can begin to pack your glass items as shatterproof as you wish. And, with the appropriate assistance, you can make sure your items arrive safely.
If you have bothering questions about packing supplies and the right packing approach for your glass top table, reach us at 800-814-4884 for assistance and a free quote.
If you have a glass tabletop to transport, contact our cross-country network of professional movers now. Our movers have the right training and experience to take care of fragile items and valuable furniture, so you can rely on us to move your glass table top to your new home safely and without damage.
