Can Furniture Damaged During a Move Be Repaired?

DIRECT ANSWER:

Some moving damage can potentially be repaired depending on the furniture's construction and the type and extent of damage. Photograph the condition immediately, save broken components and hardware and avoid irreversible repairs until the piece has been evaluated.

THE TRUCK ARRIVED.

THE FURNITURE DIDN'T ARRIVE THE SAME WAY IT LEFT.

Before anyone throws away the broken pieces—

document everything.

COMMON MOVING DAMAGE

Possible problems include:

Broken legs

Loose joints

Cracked frames

Scratches

Gouges

Chipped veneer

Missing veneer

Broken drawers

Damaged doors

Missing hardware

Finish damage

PHOTOGRAPH BEFORE REPAIR

If a mover, carrier or insurance process may be involved, documentation can be particularly important.

Photograph:

Complete furniture

Damage

Packaging if relevant

Broken pieces

Labels or identifying information

SAVE THE ORIGINAL COMPONENTS

A broken original leg may be more useful than a photograph of the leg after it has been discarded.

DON'T LET SOMEONE MAKE A QUICK REPAIR JUST TO HIDE THE DAMAGE

A rushed repair may create:

Misalignment

Additional holes

Lost original material

Finish damage

Problems for later restoration

MOVING DAMAGE AND CLIMATE CHANGE CAN OCCUR TOGETHER

Furniture moving between different climates may also respond to environmental changes.

Not every new gap or sticking drawer necessarily resulted from impact.