Essential Steps for Measuring Large Furniture Before Storage
Properly measuring your large furniture is a crucial first step when preparing it for placement in an indoor storage unit. By taking time to confirm exact dimensions, you can avoid unnecessary hassle when loading and unloading your items, protect your furniture from damage, and optimize your available storage space. Below, we’ll walk you through comprehensive strategies for measuring, disassembling, and organizing bulky pieces so you can meet your storage goals with ease.
Why Accurate Measurements Matter
Having precise measurements does more than simply help you figure out whether your furniture will fit through doorways. It also influences how you plan the layout of your indoor storage unit, minimizes the risk of damaging items, and makes it easier to identify units that have enough room for both your furniture and other belongings. Measuring carefully in advance also helps you figure out if you need to disassemble certain pieces to make them more manageable, a step that can save significant time and frustration on moving day.
When you’re looking into local or indoor self-storage options, especially in places like Edmonton, it’s worth noting how variable furniture styles and sizes can be. From overstuffed sectionals to antique hutches, every piece has its own unique footprint. Thorough and accurate measurements ensure you can select a storage size large enough to keep everything protected and well-spaced.
Gathering the Right Tools
Before you begin measuring, it’s helpful to gather the tools you’ll need. A reliable tape measure is your most important asset, particularly one that extends at least 25 feet if you’re measuring pieces such as bed frames or particularly long couches. You may also need:
- Pen and paper or a smartphone note application to record dimensions.
- Masking tape or painter’s tape to mark out dimensions on the floor.
- Protective gloves if you will be handling heavy or rough wooden elements.
Along with these tools, plan on having a second set of hands if you can. Large furniture items can be awkward to maneuver, and an assistant can hold the tape measure firmly or help tilt furniture to get more accurate readings.
Identifying Key Dimensions
The primary dimensions to note for any furniture piece are length, width, and height. However, you should also keep an eye on any special protrusions that can affect fit. For instance, a sofa might have additional flared armrests, while a dresser might have ornamental trim extending beyond the standard rectangular shape. Record these measurements in inches or centimeters, whichever feels more comfortable, but be consistent so you reduce the chance of errors when converting sizes.
Let’s break down the recommended measure points:
- Width (or Depth): This is typically from the frontmost edge to the backmost edge for chairs, couches, or similar items. You may need to measure from the outer curve of an armrest to the outer curve on the opposite side.
- Length: Often measured from the furthest left edge to the furthest right edge for furniture like tables, beds, or credenzas.
- Height: The distance from the floor to the tallest point of the furniture piece, such as the top of a table or the back of a couch.
If you find that your measurements fluctuate slightly (for example, a couch might be 82 inches at one corner but 84 inches at the other), always use the largest measurement when planning your storage layout. This ensures you have a comfortable margin of error to avoid inadvertently exceeding the available space.
Measuring Bulky or Irregular Items
Some types of furniture—such as sectionals, recliners, or large bed frames—are trickier to measure because they include multiple components or mechanical parts. In these cases, you may need to measure each segment separately. For a sectional, measure each piece by length, width, and height, then add them together to determine the total space required when they’re all arranged side by side.
If you have furniture with extendable leaves (such as a dining room table) or recliner footrests, measure the item in its fully extended position. This is especially helpful if you ever anticipate storing the piece partially assembled or if you want to be sure the entire footprint fits comfortably in the unit. The more detail you capture in these measurements, the fewer surprises you’ll encounter on moving day.
Planning for Disassembly
Disassembling furniture is one of the most effective ways to reduce the overall footprint of large items and make them simpler to move and store. Bed frames, table legs, and even certain modular couches often come apart with partial or minimal effort. Before you begin disassembly, review the manufacturer’s instructions if you have them. If not, a quick manual check can help you locate removable screws, dowels, or bolts.
Once you remove these pieces, place all the accompanying hardware—like screws, bolts, or knobs—into labeled, sealed bags. Consider using small plastic bags with a note indicating which piece of furniture they belong to. Attach the labeled bag to part of the furniture with painter’s tape or keep everything together in a safe spot. Doing so will simplify reassembly, whether that’s happening in a new home or after your items come out of storage.
Even if you just remove a table’s legs, you can cut down on your furniture’s dimensions by several inches in width or length, enabling you to use a smaller indoor storage unit or have more leftover space inside your chosen rental.
Double-Checking Doorways and Hallways
When moving large items repeatedly—such as from your home to a storage facility, or from storage back to your new location—you’ll encounter doorways, hallways, elevators, and stairwells. Measuring your furniture is only the first step; measuring these passageways can be just as important. Ensure the largest items can pass through any narrow spaces. Occasionally, you might find that tilting a piece diagonally helps it fit through a doorway even if standard horizontal or vertical clearance seems too tight. But in all cases, it’s best to know your margins.
Arranging Furniture Inside the Storage Unit
After confirming your furniture’s final dimensions, consider mapping out how everything will fit in your chosen Self Storage unit. Some people like to use painter’s tape on the floor to replicate the storage unit’s dimensions or create a quick sketch of the layout. This approach makes it easier to picture how your furniture will sit and if you’ll have enough walking paths to maneuver around them.
Remember that strategic organization not only saves space but also prevents accidental bumps, scrapes, or stacking damage. For instance, if you have tall pieces like armoires or bookshelves, it might be wise to store them flush against the wall so you can use the central area for shorter items. Cameras, mirrors, and glass table tops can be carefully slid behind stable furniture as long as they’re well-protected, but they should never be precariously balanced.
Protecting and Labeling Your Furniture
Once your furniture is measured and disassembled as needed, preparing it for storage is the next critical step. Use soft blankets, bubble wrap, or furniture pads to cushion delicate surfaces and prevent scratches. This is especially important for items with varnished wood or glass components. Secure the pads with rope or stretch wrap, ensuring that you don’t wrap the furniture too tightly and disrupt its shape.
Labeling is usually straightforward with furniture, but you can also attach notes that specify which hardware goes where—particularly if you have multiple sets of bolts for different furniture legs. Clear labeling can save a lot of time when it comes to reassembling. Additionally, if you’re accessing your unit frequently, you’ll appreciate having items marked rather than rummaging around to figure out what’s inside cloth coverings.
Estimating Your Required Storage Space
By now, you should have enough details to confidently pick a storage unit size that fits your largest—and smallest—items. As a rule of thumb, group items in terms of height and width to see if certain pieces can be arranged side by side. For instance, you might discover that your disassembled table can sit flush against the back wall, leaving plenty of room for couches or other furniture in front.
When looking at unit sizes, always allow a little extra space for walking paths and airflow. Overstuffing an otherwise suitable unit can make retrieving seasonal items or reorganizing your space down the road more difficult. Extra space also reduces the chance of accidental damage if you need to move an item toward the front of the unit in a hurry.
Final Tips for a Hassle-Free Storage Experience
At this point, you’re well on your way to storing your furniture in a safe and organized manner. Here are a few final suggestions to help your storage process remain hassle-free:
- Consider Temporary vs. Long-Term Needs: If you’re only storing furniture for a month or two, you may not need quite as extensive a wrap as someone planning for long-term storage. However, protective covers are still encouraged in both scenarios.
- Maintain an Inventory List: Note each piece of furniture, its dimensions, and how it’s protected or wrapped. This helps you manage not just what you have in storage, but also how you might repurpose the space later.
- Stack Wisely: If you have smaller, sturdier furniture, it may be possible to stack them. Just ensure heavier pieces remain on the bottom. Place breakable items in a separate part of the unit to avoid accidental contact with heavier objects.
- Use Protective Furniture Pads or Pallets: Small wooden pallets or leveling boards can keep your furniture slightly off the ground, helping with airflow and reducing the risk of moisture-related damage on the floor.
Measuring your large furniture is one of the simplest yet most important steps in making sure your belongings stay secure, well-organized, and protected during their time in storage. By taking accurate measurements—down to every inch and protrusion—you’ll be equipped to choose the most practical storage solution and arrange your unit effectively. If you have questions or need to explore Self Storage options in Edmonton that let you safely store larger items, a local provider with reliable service and straightforward pricing can give you the peace of mind you need. With the right preparation, you’ll find that moving even the biggest pieces of furniture into storage can be a hassle-free experience.
