No matter what you call it—moving, transfer, transition, relocation—packing up all your stuff and taking it from the place you used to live to the place you’re going to live (hopefully for a good, long while) next can be one of life’s most stressful activities. From trying to keep all your belongings organized to unpacking and acclimating to a new home, moving just isn’t fun—especially moving in the cold winter months. One of the many huge goals during a move is to not damage the home you’re leaving—or the home you’re moving into. Flooring is most susceptible to damage during a move because of all the traffic going over it—heavy, cumbersome traffic, full of drops and scuffs and whoopsies. It’s very important to protect your floors during a move for many reasons, not the least of which is you want to preserve the previous digs as much as possible, whether you’re turning it over to a landlord or the new homeowners.

But of course, you also want to start out with the best possible beginning in your new place, not immediately have to start repairing the damage you did when you moved in. If you’re getting ready to move, transfer or relocate (whichever word puts your mind most at ease), here are some things you can do to protect the floors you’re going to call your own, and the ones you’re leaving behind.

Masonite Is Your Friend

Masonite is a hardboard sold as 4-by-8 sheets, which can protect floors by acting as a shield when placed atop the floor as a barrier. Putting down Masonite boards in a main walkway and creating a path to and from the moving vehicle is a perfect way to protect your floors. It’s inexpensive enough that you won’t care how badly to wear it down, and it’s light and portable enough you can easily transport it to your new home.

Ram Board, Also a Friend

Ram Board is a temporary floor protectant that comes in rolls and is used during construction and moving to ensure that your flooring is not damaged. It comes in packs typically around 317 square feet, for contractor-grade ram board, and is easy to both roll out and pick back up. Since it comes in rolls it is much more compact than sheets of Masonite and can fit in virtually any vehicle, even a car. It’s heavy-duty and easy to lay as it rolls out and can be cut to size and angle. Like Masonite, you can create a path or walkway to avoid damaging your floors.

Moving Blankets: Not Just to Keep Your Stuff Cozy

Moving blankets are great because they can be wrapped around furniture and electronics to ensure that nothing gets damaged. The blankets can soften bumps or scrapes help avoid dings and nicks in your furniture, walls and floors. They are heavy-duty yet soft, so your possessions are protected. If you happen to have a ton of old blankets that you don’t mind getting dirty (don’t use your fine linens, as moving trucks aren’t exactly as clean as a five-star hotel), you can use those. Otherwise, moving blankets can be rented or even purchased for a reasonable amount of money.

‘The Slide’ Is a Great Line Dance, Not Moving Technique

Just. Don’t. Do. It. Even though it can be tempting to slide boxes and furniture across the room—don’t! You will scratch and even possibly gouge your floors, break your furniture and injure yourself (when the thing you’re sliding gets caught up on a floorboard and you ram headfirst into it). Instead, pick up and place the furniture and boxes where they belong,

Meet Your New Friend, Mat

Although it’s not just impractical but potentially dangerous to take your shoes on and off during the moving process (you might even consider investing in some steel-toes if you’ll be doing the moving yourself), putting down mats at entry and exit points will help minimize the outside debris that can ultimately scratch and damage your floors.

Being Cautious Never ‘Felt’ So Good

Before you start the move, install felt pads on all furniture and chair legs. That way, the felt will protect your floors from dents and scratching by acting as a soft barrier between the furniture and floors. You can carefully slide and move furniture after you have placed the felt pads. Always make sure that the felt pads are clean and free of scratch-causing debris.

Measure for Measure

It’s always important to plan and strategize your move, or else the process could take well over the time you’ve set aside for it. Understanding how wide furniture and doorways are will help your move go more smoothly. Not to mention, you won’t wind up trying to bring in any furniture that will not fit and potentially scratch and damage walls and floors.

Have Box Truck, Will Travel

Even though it’s more expensive than doing it yourself, hiring a moving company may be the best option for you. During a move, multiple helping hands make the process go by much easier and faster. Also, moving companies are equipped with everything mentioned so far. Their main goal is to transition you, your family and your belongings in the same condition in which they were packed. A moving company will do everything they can to avoid damaging any of your stuff. Plus, many moving companies ensure the liability should anything go awry, so you’ve got an added layer of protection.

Thinking about replacing either the flooring you’ll be treading on soon or the floors on the house you’re leaving behind? Check out our guide to hardwood and hardwood-inspired flooring as well as our explanation of the different types of tile to help you decide what flooring is right for you. Ready for a hassle-free quote with a pricing guarantee?

Call or email Flooring Masters & Professional Remodelers today for a free consultation. We know you only want the best in flooring. That’s why it’s important to hire the best in the business, and at Flooring Masters & Professional Remodelers, we can guarantee you that’s us.

Flooring Masters & Professional Remodelers have been flooring and remodeling Kentuckiana for over 30 years. Our certified installers have the ingenuity and know-how to assist you in choosing the perfect floors for your home. Don’t take matters into your own hands—let us guide your next project.