Is It Safe to Move Particle Board Furniture?

Quick question: What’s the most distributed book in the world? The Bible? Good guess but wrong. It’s second at a little more than 100 million per year.

Mao’s Little Red Book? Wow. Look at you Mr. Intercontinental… That’s another good guess but that’s actually third.

Nope, the most published book in the world with more than 160 million copies delivered is the IKEA catalog.

Raise your hand if you have some IKEA furniture in your house. I know I do.

IKEA’s furniture is great because it’s inexpensive, looks great, and the packaging it comes in is easy to transport.

Sure, it takes an evening with a hex wrench to screw in weird little locking bolts but when you’re done, it feels really good.

The problem arises when it’s time to move.  Ready-to-assemble furniture isn’t built to disassemble or move. It’s built to be easy to assemble and to stay in one place.

When moved it can be extremely easy to rip the screws out of the particle board. Another common problem is heavy boxes are put on furniture not designed to support the weight.

It’s not that furniture with particle board can’t be moved, it just presents its own challenges.

If you are moving particle board furniture yourself, consider reinforcing the connecting pieces with wooden dowels.

Certain pieces of furniture with many flat individual pieces, like bookcases, may be disassembled with minimal difficulty.

When in doubt, choose a professional moving company. When you choose a professional moving company to move your items, be sure that they are licensed and insured. North Carolina is one of four states that recognize a special status for ready-to-assemble furniture. If a piece is damaged during a move by a licensed and insured moving company, the replacement value is calculated at 60¢ per pound per article or $50 per article, whichever is greater.

So to answer the question, is it safe to move particle board furniture?

It depends on the furniture, its age, condition, and whether or not it is or needs to be reinforced. Using a proper moving company will ensure some insurance coverage to your items, should they arrive damaged, though that amount is relatively low. In some cases, moving the furniture is absolutely the right thing to do. But if it’s likely to break or be damaged during the move, serious consideration should be given to discarding the item.