How to pack a bookcase for moving

If you’re a book lover, then there is little doubt that you’ll want to take your personal library along when moving to a new home – whether it is just across town or all the way across the country. Moving books, however, is not an easy task (they’re heavy and take up a lot of space), and neither is moving a bookcase. Bookcases are usually large and heavy and, thus, very inconvenient to move. They’re vulnerable to scratching, chipping, and denting and need to be well protected in order to survive the relocation intact and unscathed.

Moving bookshelves is not a complicated process, but it requires a lot of care – you need to properly prepare the bulky furniture for shipping and find a way to transport it safely to your new home.

Here is how to pack a bookcase for moving so that it remains in excellent condition and can house your treasured books, photos, souvenirs, and other knick-knacks once again after the relocation.

Consider whether your bookcase is worth moving

Moving furniture – especially bulky pieces, such as bookcases – takes plenty of time, effort, and money:

• Packing large furniture requires plenty of packing materials and a lot of hard work;
• Most bulky pieces require disassembly in order to be safely taken out of a home;
• Carrying heavy furniture requires several people and specialized moving equipment; etc.

It is, therefore, very difficult and very expensive – the moving cost increases in proportion to the weight of the shipment and the complexity of the job – to get furniture from one location to another. Besides, there is a great risk of damage to the pieces during the relocation process.

So, before you decide to take your bookshelves to your new home, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons of moving the furniture – it may make more sense to simply buy new pieces for your new place. (See also: Is it better to move furniture or buy new?)

There are several important factors to consider in order to make the right choice:

• The available space, layout, and design of your new home – if your bookcase doesn’t fit into your new home (either dimensionally or aesthetically), there is no point in bringing it along (See also: Why make a floor plan of your new place before moving);
• The value of the furniture – if your bookcase is made of quality materials and has a high monetary, sentimental, or aesthetic value (an expensive hardwood bookcase, an antique, a family heirloom, etc.), you’ll certainly want to keep it;
• The condition of the furniture – moving a damaged bookcase is not worth the money and effort involved in the process;
• The complexity of the job – the weight of the bookcase, the required special services, the peculiarities of the pickup and delivery locations, etc.;
• The risk of damage to the furniture – if the risk of damaging your bookcase during the relocation process is too high (if it is too large, too heavy, too awkwardly shaped, or too delicate to survive the relocation intact), it may be better not to move the piece;
• The relocation distance – moving heavy furniture across the country may not be worth it, but taking it across town won’t be so difficult or so expensive.

Good to know: Inexpensive pressboard bookcases are quite vulnerable to damage – not only during transportation, but also during disassembly/reassembly, so it’s usually not a good idea to move them. (See also: How to pack IKEA furniture for moving)

If you decide that your bookcase is worth moving to your new home, you need to start preparing it for shipping well before moving day.

Empty the bookcase

Your first step is to remove all the items from the bookshelves and sort them out:

• Books – Set aside the volumes you want to take with you and find a way to get rid of the rest of your reads before your move (See also: What to do with your unwanted books when moving). Wrap the books you’re moving to your new home in packing paper and place them in small, sturdy moving boxes (See also: How to pack books for moving);
• Photos – Wrap your framed photos in packing paper and bubble wrap, place them in padded moving boxes, provide plenty of cushioning between the individual pictures in a box, fill any remaining empty space with crumpled paper or bubble wrap, and seal the moving containers well. Write “FRAGILE” and “HANDLE WITH CARE” on at least three sides of the boxes (See also: How to pack pictures for moving);
• Souvenirs, figurines, and collectibles – Wrap each individual item in packing paper and bubble wrap, use packing tape to hold the wrapping together, and place the articles in strong, padded moving boxes with a lot of cushioning inside (make sure the items can’t shift and/or come in contact with one another during transit). Seal tightly and label the cartons with their contents and any necessary handling requirements (“This side up”, “Handle with care”, etc.) See also: How to pack figurines for moving

Pack any other keepsakes, decorative items, etc. you have removed from the bookshelves according to their type and specific packing requirements.

Dust off the empty bookcase and wipe the surfaces with a damp cloth.

Now that you have emptied and cleaned your furniture, it’s time to learn how to pack bookshelves for moving.

Disassemble the bookcase

Unless your bookcase is small and lightweight, try to disassemble it for moving – the furniture will be much safer and easier to transport when dismantled and packed flat:

• If your bookcase has glass doors, remove them first – use a screwdriver to remove the screws that hold the hinges together, then carefully take down the glass doors. Put large clean cardboard pieces over the glass and wrap the entire doors in bubble wrap (use plastic wrap or packing tape to secure the bubble wrap in place). Wrap the bundles in moving blankets for extra protection;
• Remove the shelves of the bookcase and wrap them individually to protect them from scratches and other damage during transportation;
• If your bookcase has legs, try to take them off (furniture legs /pre-move-tips/what-to-do-with-books-when-moving/are especially susceptible to damage) and pack them separately. Depending on the type of your bookcase, you may need to unbolt or unscrew the legs, or to break the glue joints between the legs and the bookcase frame. If you can’t remove the legs, wrap them in several layers of bubble wrap to keep them safe during the move;
• Remove the top side board of the bookcase – use a flat head screwdriver to turn the bolts on either side of the top side board counterclockwise;
• Detach the bookcase sideboards from the bottom – there’re usually two screws holding each side of the bookcase together. Use your flat head screwdriver once again to turn the bolts anti-clockwise and release the sideboards;
• If the different parts of the bookcase are glued together, you’ll have to break the glue joints to dismantle the furniture – to do this, slide the blade of a putty knife between the sideboards and the top/bottom of the bookcase and carefully break the bond;
• Number all detached pieces and mark them – left, right, top, bottom. Wrap them in bubble wrap or moving blankets;
• Place all screws, bolts, and other fastening elements into a sealable bag so that they don’t get lost during the move. Attach the bag to one of the larger bookcase pieces.

Good to remember:

1. Be sure to follow the instruction manual when disassembling your bookcase (if you don’t keep it, you’ll probably be able to find the relevant assembly instructions online – all you need to do if follow them in reverse order to safely take your furniture apart);
2. Take pictures at every step of the disassembly process, so you won’t have trouble reassembling your bookcase after the move.

How to pack a bookcase for moving if it can’t be disassembled

If the bookcase is one solid piece that cannot be disassembled, you’ll have no choice but to move it as it is. Just make sure you:

• Secure the doors – If the bookcase has lockable doors with latches, all you need to do is close the doors and lock them. If not, you’ll have to use straps or ropes to keep the doors tightly closed;
• Wrap the entire bookcase in furniture blankets (pay special attention to the corners and edges) to prevent scratching, denting, chipping, and other damage during the move. Use plastic wrap or packing tape to keep the protective covers in place. Make sure the tape is not in direct contact with the wood, as it can take off veneers or finishes or leave behind sticky residue that is difficult to remove.

How to move a heavy bookcase

If you’ve managed to disassemble your bookcase, it will be very easy to take the safely wrapped pieces out of your home and load them onto the moving truck.

If not, you’ll have to use specialized moving equipment to take your large bookcase out of the property and get it onto the moving vehicle:

• Place furniture sliders under the wrapped bookcase and carefully slide it across the floors (See also: How to protect floors when moving);
• Use a furniture dolly to take the bookcase to the moving truck. Make sure you use the proper lifting techniques when loading the piece onto the dolly to avoid accidents and injuries. Secure the bookcase with straps to keep it stable while wheeling it out of your home;
• Carefully load the bookcase into the moving truck and secure it well – use the loading ramp to get the furniture up and into the back of the vehicle and strap it securely to the side so that it won’t move during transport.

Good to remember: Moving a bookcase will be much safer and easier if you have professional help. The experts have the specialized equipment and technical know-how to perform the job in the safest, fastest, and most efficient way possible. Your items will be taken good care of and your relocation will be a guaranteed success. So, make sure you get a moving quote to see what the pros have to offer before deciding to move your bookcase by yourself (or attempt a DIY-move at all) – you may be pleasantly surprised by the quality of service and affordability of price.