How to Get a Couch Through a Door?

The “oversized couch problem” is a common problem that many people face when moving to a new home or after the purchase of new furniture. Sofas always seem to be too large to fit through the front door, plus protruding legs, arms, and seat backs. But with knowing some hucks and planning, it becomes possible to squeeze your couch through a door opening even if before it looked like it won’t allow the piece to pass through. This article reveals the how to get a couch through a door.

Measures to get a couch through a door

Whatever you do, don’t panic and measure the sofa and doorway dimensions. (The same measuring applies if you need to move a couch into a stairway or elevator). If the legs can be removed, do this first, then measure the couch’s height, width, and length. If the pins cannot be removed, then measure the height of the sofa with the legs attached: from the floor to the top of the couch’s back. The length measurement of the furniture often is the most important; because many sofas are most comfortable to move when placed in a vertical position.

Because shortest dimension on a couch is usually at an angle from the bottom rear corner and up across the rear of the seat. With the sofa in a vertical (or nearly upright) position, you can move the back or seat through the doorway first; and the rest will follow moving the couch in a hooking motion through the opening. This allows you to fit a sofa when is wider than the door opening.

You may also need to measure all hallways and other passages that lead to the final point where the couch go. There are cases when the doorway is only the first obstacle. Doors can lead to hallways, leaving you a narrow space once you get through the door opening.

Technique – 1. Remove Doors and Door Stops

If your measurements show that the fit is too tight, consider removing the door and, if necessary, the door stops to have a little more space. Open the door as far as it will go; if any of the entries is blocking the opening, it can help to remove the door. Depending on their thickness, removing the door stops on the sides can gain you about 1/2 to 1 inch in available width, and sometimes that’s enough to make the difference.

Technique – 2. Lift and Move the Sofa

It’s better that each mover wear gloves and try to lift the sofa by the frame. Remove the cushions and throw pillows from the couch. For large couches, consider wearing lifting straps. If the couch is small enough to fit through the door (and space beyond), the easiest way moving it. Either right-side-up or rotated at 90 degrees, carry the sofa straight out in a level position. If you have found that the couch must be moved vertically, stand it on end, with a towel underneath to protect the couch fabric.

Slide the sofa toward the door and move it through the doorway in a hooking motion; (the back or the seat entering the door first). If you’re moving it vertically and the sofa is too tall for the door opening, you will need to tilt it back at the top end and probably rotate it to get an arm and a corner of the back through first. Keep tilting and rotating the sofa as needed to move the rest of it through the door.

If none of these techniques work for you, you can hire a moving company or furniture technician to partially or fully dismantle your sofa, move it, then reassemble it inside where you need. Also, read our 7 Moving Safety Tips to protect yourself during a move.

Contact us today and our team of professionals will be happy to help you make your forthcoming move fulfilled! We respect your time and money. Quality service, dedication to work we do and expert care. Start your FREE moving quote right now, don’t hesitate! We work hard to move you fast!