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How to Move a Sectional Sofa Easily: A Simple Guide

Lili Hu 2025-09-29

Moving a big piece of furniture can feel like a huge challenge. Many people think the sofa is the toughest item to move. Sectional sofas are wonderful for relaxing, but they are often large and bulky. It is important to know how to move your sectional sofa safely. If you have a beautiful sectional sofa from Atunus Home, you want to keep it safe during the move.

Moving safely is about planning well. It is not just about using strong muscles. If you plan ahead and use the right steps, moving your sectional sofa will be much easier.

Table of Contents

Plan Your Path Before You Lift

You should always plan your route before you start lifting your sectional sofa. This planning helps you avoid getting hurt or damaging your furniture or home. People who plan ahead have a much smoother, less stressful move.

Measure Everything Twice

Measuring is the most important step. You need to know how big your couch is and how big your doors are.

Measure the Sofa: Use a measuring tape to find the sofa's width (arm to arm), height (floor to back top), and depth (front to back). Write these important numbers down.
Measure Your Home: Measure all the places your sofa must travel through. This includes doorways, halls, and stairwells.
Compare Sizes: Look at your measurements side-by-side. If your sofa is less than 80 inches wide, it is a good idea to move it standing up tall (vertically) because doorways are usually 80 inches high. If the couch is about 29 inches high or deep, you can usually move it straight through (horizontally) because standard doors are about 29 1/4 inches wide.

Pick Your Moving Buddy

You should never try to move a heavy item like a couch by yourself. Even a small couch can weigh 100 pounds, and bigger ones can be 350 pounds or more.

Choose Wisely: One out of every ten people argues when moving furniture, so choose someone you can talk to openly. Try to find a helper who is close to your own age. People of different ages sometimes move at different speeds, which can cause arguments and damage the furniture.
Talk Clearly: Clear communication is a must-have for teamwork. Make sure you can talk honestly with your helper. When you move as a team, pick one person to be the leader who gives simple directions like "lift," "hold," or "down".

Take Your Sectional Sofa Apart

A great thing about a sectional sofa is that it is made of separate pieces. Breaking it down into smaller parts makes the move much safer and easier. If you don’t take the sofa apart, it could be badly damaged during the move.

Remove Cushions and Legs

Start by taking off all the loose parts from your sectional.

Remove Soft Parts: Take off all cushions and throw pillows. If the cushions are loose, wrap them separately to keep them clean.
Unscrew the Legs: If your sofa legs can be removed easily, take them off right away. Legs can catch on doorways and might scratch your floors.
Save the Small Parts: Put all the screws, nuts, bolts, and legs in a small, labeled bag. This keeps everything together so you can easily put your Atunus Home sofa back together later. Try to keep this bag right with the sofa parts.

Disconnect the Pieces

Sectional pieces are held together by special connectors. You must disconnect these pieces correctly.

Find the Connectors: Look underneath the sofa where the sections meet. They are often held by hooked plates, clips, or bolts.
The Right Way to Separate: If they use clips (like an alligator mouth and a prong), you must lift the frame up to pop the pieces apart. Do not pull the pieces apart horizontally. Pulling can crack the frame. You don't need to lift very high to separate them.
Protect the Connections: If any connectors are fragile or stick out, wrap them with bubble wrap or cardboard and tape it securely. Some connectors fold away, but others need to be unscrewed.

Protecting Your Atunus Home Sectional

You want your beautiful Atunus Home sectional sofa to look just as good in its new location. Protecting the fabric from dirt and damage takes a few simple steps.

Clean Before You Wrap

It may seem strange to clean a sofa before moving it, but it helps a lot.

Dust and Dirt: Vacuum and clean the upholstery thoroughly. Cleaning ensures that dirt and mold do not ruin the sofa while it is being moved or stored.
Different Fabrics: If your sofa has a natural fabric like cotton, use a cleaner made for solvents. For synthetic fabrics, a water-based cleaner works well. If your sectional sofa is leather, wipe it down quickly with a microfiber cloth and a few drops of olive oil.
Stay Dry: Make absolutely sure the sofa is completely dry before you wrap it. Mold loves dampness, and moisture can cause damage during the move.

Use Moving Blankets and Plastic Wrap

Wrapping gives your furniture extra layers of protection.

Use Soft Blankets: Wrap each separate piece of the sectional sofa in dense fabric moving blankets or pads. This protects the fabric from scratches, dings, and rips.
Add a Waterproof Layer: Next, add a layer of plastic moving wrap or a tarp. Think of this as a raincoat for your sofa. It keeps the sofa safe from dust, dirt, and water damage.
Secure Tightly: Wrap the couch securely, like a gift, using packing tape to make sure the blankets and plastic stay in place. Make sure the wrapping is tight but does not press down too hard on the cushions.

Using Smart Tools and Proper Lifting

Lifting heavy furniture must be done the right way to keep you safe. Many people hurt their backs trying to carry heavy items.

Lift with Your Legs, Not Your Back

This rule is the most important rule for safe lifting.

Warm Up: Do a few stretches before you lift to get your muscles ready.
Bend Your Knees: Always lift by bending your knees and keeping your back straight. This lets you use the powerful muscles in your legs.
Keep Control: Keep your back straight and lift the couch slowly and smoothly. Jerky movements can cause you to lose your balance.
Use Straps: For heavy pieces, use lifting straps. These straps help share the weight more evenly across your body.

Smart Tools for Sliding and Rolling

You do not always have to lift and carry. Smart tools can make the job much easier.

Furniture Sliders: These little tools go under the sofa legs or corners. They reduce rubbing (friction), allowing you to slide the heavy sofa pieces easily across flat floors like wood or tile without scratching them. If you don't have sliders, a clean blanket can also be used to slide the couch.
Furniture Dollies: A dolly is a small platform with wheels. Dollies are lifesavers for moving heavy, bulky pieces. You will usually need two dollies, one for each end of the sofa piece. Lift the piece onto the dolly and then roll it to where it needs to go. Make sure to secure the piece to the dolly using straps so it does not shift.

Navigating Tight Spaces and Doorways

Getting a large piece of furniture through a small door or around a tight corner is often the hardest part. Planning the moves for corners is key.

Removing Doors for Extra Space

Sometimes you just need a small extra bit of space for your sofa piece to fit.

Remove Feet: If you need an extra inch or two, check to see if you can remove the sofa feet.
Take Off the Door: Interior doors are often light and easy to remove. You can take off a door by tapping out the hinge pins from the bottom.
Remove Door Stops: If you still need more room, the strips of wood called doorstops can be taken off. Removing doorstops on the sides can gain you half an inch, or a whole inch if you remove both. Removing door hinges can gain you another half-inch of width.

The Right Angle for Doorways

A rectangular sofa can be tricky in tight spots because its shape matters greatly.

Move Vertically: If the sectional piece is taller than it is wide, stand it on end (vertically) to move it through the door. Put a large towel underneath it to protect the fabric.
The "L-Shape Trick": When moving through a tight doorway and into a room, you can stand the sofa upright (vertically) with the seat facing the way you need to turn. This uses the empty space (cavity) of the sofa to create more room for turning.
The "Smile": When you are moving a piece around a corner, try to visualize "the smile". This is the smooth, curving path you move the sofa around, from one side to the other.
Don't Force It: If you get stuck, don't force it. You can un-stick it by doing everything you did to get it stuck, but in reverse.

Moving Your Sectional Sofa Up the Stairs

Stairs are a major physical challenge when moving. Over a quarter of people asked said they would not help a friend carry a sofa up stairs.

Who Carries the Most Weight?

The weight you carry changes greatly when you move up steps.

The Weight Shifts: When you are on a flat floor, you and your partner carry about half the weight of the sofa each. But as soon as the person in front takes the first step up, the weight shifts.
The Back Person is the Muscle: The center of gravity moves toward the person carrying the back of the sofa. This person will be carrying the most weight and needs to be the "muscle". The longer the sofa piece, the bigger this difference in weight will be.

Communication is Key on Steps

On the stairs, talking to each other is the biggest issue you will face.

Face Each Other: You need to be facing each other so you can communicate clearly.
The Eyes and the Muscle: The person going up the stairs first is the "eyes". They must shout out where the steps are and warn about any obstacles. They decide when to push, pull, lift, and turn. The person in the back must listen carefully to the directions given by the person in the front.
Stay Calm: Moving is stressful. If things get heated, remember that anger often comes from a buildup of other difficult feelings. Share your feelings right away to stop anger from taking over. If a move isn't working, take a short break, set the sofa down safely, and try a different angle.

Loading and Unloading with Care

Getting the sectional sofa piece onto the truck and into its final spot requires attention.

Load First: Since the sofa pieces are large, make sure they are one of the first items you move onto the truck.
Secure the Pieces: Once on the truck, use strong straps or ropes to tie the sofa pieces down. This stops them from moving and getting damaged during the ride. Avoid putting heavy things on top of the sofa pieces.
Unload Slowly: When you arrive, move slowly and carefully. Be ready to catch anything that may have shifted in the truck.
Reassembly: Once the pieces of your Atunus Home sectional sofa are safe in the new room, you can reattach the legs and put the pieces back together. Use the labeled bag of hardware to make this simple.

Conclusion

Moving a sectional sofa does not have to be a nightmare. It may seem like a large task, but breaking the process down makes it manageable. Remember to plan your path, measure your doorways, and separate all the pieces of your sofa first. Always lift using your legs, and communicate clearly with your moving partner.

By following these simple steps, you can make sure your Atunus Home sectional sofa arrives safely and without damage. Once the hard work is done, you will have a well-deserved moment to sit down and relax on your wonderful sectional sofa. Enjoy your comfy new space!