Chandeliers are one of the most beautiful, elegant, and sometimes sentimental pieces that can be found in any home, and it is understandable why one would want to take their chandelier with them when they move houses. 

 

These kinds of light fixtures, however, are often made of glass or crystals, making them too fragile and difficult to move or transport. Fortunately, safely and successfully moving a chandelier is not as impossible as it seems. Here are two ways as to which you can move your chandelier:

Move Your Chandelier With The Help Of A House Removals Company

Hiring professionals is always the better course of action for such tasks. A house removals company can help you pack and transport your chandelier, together with all of your other belongings, safely and securely. 

 

Professional movers have the training and equipment to make sure the crystal or glass parts of your chandelier do not get damaged during the moving process. They will also have the necessary equipment to ensure that your chandelier is safely loaded and then secured into the moving truck.

 

The typical size and structure of a chandelier will also pose a problem if you plan on loading it into your car. Unless you have a van or a truck, it would be difficult to transport the chandelier yourself.

 

Lastly, a chandelier is an expensive piece of furniture. By moving it yourself, and therefore moving it without the basic transit insurance a removals company typically provides, you are risking having to pay for costly repairs, or worse, a replacement chandelier. However, by entrusting your belongings, including your chandelier, to the professionals, you can rest easy knowing that you will be fairly compensated if the movers do get your items damaged!

 

Planning On A DIY Chandelier Moving Job Instead?

If you would rather carry out the job yourself, do note that moving a chandelier without the help of an experienced professional will be quite challenging. So, to help you out, we’ve come up with a simple guide on what you should during a DIY chandelier moving job. Before that, though, here is a list of materials that you will need to have ready for the job:

 

  • One or two helpers
  • A study corrugated cardboard box slightly bigger than the frame of your chandelier
  • Two extra cardboard boxes: One for the detachable elements, one for the lightbulbs
  • Furniture blankets and packing paper or newspaper
  • Bubble wrap
  • Tape
  • Packing peanuts or foam padding
  • Cable ties
  • Plastic baggies or zip lock bags
  • Screwdriver
  • Pliers
  • Ladder 

 

A Step-By-Step Guide On How To Move Your Chandelier

 

Part 1: Unmounting Your Chandelier For The Ceiling

 

    1. Before anything else, locate your main fuse box and cut off the electricity in the room where your chandelier is situated. Remember: This step is extremely crucial to avoid electric shock, which is dangerous and sometimes even fatal. Read about the dangers of electric shock or electrocution here.

 

    1. Climb the ladder to reach the base of your chandelier. Disconnect the chandelier from the electric network. If you are not sure about doing steps 1 and 2, contact an electrician to help you out. 

 

    1. With your helper supporting the chandelier, slowly unhook it from the ceiling and use your screwdriver to take out the wires that go into the ceiling. 

 

    1. Carefully climb down the ladder while supporting the chandelier. Tell your helper to do the same thing at the same time. 

 

    1. Gently set the chandelier down on the floor. 

 

 

Part 2: Disassembling The Chandelier

 

    1. Gather all wires and roll them up. Hold them together using some cable ties and put them in a plastic baggy or zip lock bag. Set the wire and cables aside. 

 

    1. Unscrew each light-bulb from the chandelier frame. Put the light-bulbs in their original boxes, if possible. Otherwise, you may wrap them in wrapping paper or newspaper and then put all light-bulbs together in one box. 

 

    1. Before touching anything, take note of how individual components and pieces are attached or connected to make reattaching them much easier later on. 

 

    1. Make use of a screwdriver to detach any pieces that can easily be taken out. These include the chandelier’s arms, chains, shades, crystals/prisms, candle cups, and other ornaments. 

 

    1. Wrap the items mentioned above in bubble wrap to keep them safe and secure. Gently put them in a separate box.

 

  1. Place all components like hooks, screws, nuts, bolts, etc., in a separate plastic baggy or zip lock bag. Put these together with your baggy of wires and cables and put them in the box of loose chandelier pieces. 

 

Part 3: Packing Your Chandelier 

 

Once you’ve set aside the detachable components of your chandelier, you may begin packing the rest of it. 

 

    1. Reinforce the bottom of your corrugated box with packaging tape. You will want to make sure that it is as sturdy enough to hold your chandelier without giving way under its weight. Here are some more ideas on how you can reinforce a cardboard box.

 

    1. Line the insides of your corrugated box with bubble wrap, furniture blankets, or foam padding. This will ensure that your chandelier stays protected inside the box during transport. 

 

    1. If you have a crystal chandelier, you will want to take extra care of the crystal pieces. Wrap each crystal with wrapping paper to ensure that they do not break or get scratched. 

 

    1. Together with your helper, slowly lift the chandelier off the floor and gently place it inside the box.

 

    1. Once your chandelier has been situated, fill the space with crumpled newspaper or packing peanuts. You will want to make sure your chandelier is completely immobile. 

 

    1. Add another layer of packing blankets on top of the chandelier before sealing the box. 

 

    1. Seal and secure all three boxes (main chandelier box, accessories box, light bulb box) with packing tape.

 

  1. Label each box and indicate that it is FRAGILE. You will also want to put a “This Side Up” warning on the boxes.

 

Once you have everything packed and ready to go, you may start carefully loading your boxed up chandelier and its accessories into your vehicle.

 

Now that you’ve gotten an idea on what you’re supposed to do when moving a chandelier by yourself, you may easily decide if doing it on your own is the way to go! However, if at any point, you feel like you are not capable of moving your chandelier yourself, do not hesitate to ask for help from a house removals company.