Moving Antique Furniture: Protect Your Valuables

Identifying Your Antique Furniture's Vulnerabilities

Antique furniture is irreplaceable, and every piece has unique vulnerabilities that standard moving techniques can damage. A 200-year-old Quebec pine armoire has hand-cut dovetail joints that can separate under stress. Victorian marble-top dressers have thin stone slabs that crack if flexed even slightly. Art Deco lacquered surfaces show every scratch. Before any move, a detailed assessment of each piece is essential.

Common damage during moves includes veneer lifting (caused by temperature changes and friction), joint separation (from vibration and improper stacking), hardware loss (pulls, escutcheons, and hinges coming loose), and surface scratches from inadequate wrapping. Each of these can cost $200-$2,000+ to repair with a qualified antique restorer — if repair is even possible.

At Up & Out, our white-glove antique moving service begins with a pre-move inventory. We photograph each piece, document existing damage, note construction type (solid wood, veneer, marquetry, lacquer), and flag specific risks. This inventory becomes part of your insurance documentation.

Professional Wrapping and Custom Crating

Never let anyone wrap an antique directly in bubble wrap or standard moving blankets. The plasticizers in bubble wrap can react with older finishes, and rough blankets can scratch delicate surfaces. We use acid-free tissue paper as the first layer, followed by cotton quilted pads, then moving blankets secured with cotton ties (never tape on the surface).

For high-value pieces — furniture appraised over $5,000 — we recommend custom crating. Our carpentry team builds museum-grade wooden crates lined with ethafoam and padded interiors. Custom crating runs $150-$500 per piece depending on size, but it provides maximum protection against impact, moisture, and temperature changes. For a Louis XV commode or a Tiffany lamp, it's a worthwhile investment.

Marble tops, glass panels, and mirrors are always removed and crated separately. We use specialty mirror boxes with foam corners for glass, and custom-cut foam cradles for marble. Hardware is removed, bagged, labeled, and taped to the corresponding piece.

Transport and Climate Control Considerations

Montreal's climate is an antique's worst enemy. Extreme temperature swings — from -30°C in January to +35°C in July with 95% humidity — cause wood to expand and contract, cracking veneers and loosening joints. We use climate-controlled trucks that maintain a stable 18-22°C during transport.

Inside the truck, antiques are secured with padded furniture straps (never ratchet straps, which apply too much point pressure). Each piece is positioned to avoid vibration contact with other items. We never stack anything on top of antique pieces, and we use anti-vibration pads between the truck bed and furniture feet.

Insurance and Valuation for Antique Moves

Standard moving insurance ($0.60 per lb) is woefully inadequate for antiques. A 50-lb Victorian side table worth $8,000 would be covered for only $30 under basic insurance. We strongly recommend declared value coverage, where you declare the appraised value of each piece and pay a premium based on that value (typically $15-$25 per $1,000 of declared value).

Get professional appraisals before moving day. A certified antique appraiser in Montreal charges $100-$300 per hour and can document multiple pieces in a session. Keep appraisal documents, photographs, and receipts separate from the shipment — store them digitally in the cloud. This documentation is essential for any insurance claim and gives peace of mind throughout the move.