I’ll start this with the disclaimer that this advice is based on our practices at Floors Come True and may not apply universally to other flooring companies.
Also, these are general guidelines. It is always best to discuss your specific situation with your flooring professional. Much better to have a plan ahead of time, then to be wondering who is responsible for what on installation day.
Floor installation day isn’t an emergency call, it’s something planned in advance. So, while you may have dirty water that won’t drain when the plumber comes to unclog the sink, we’d hope that if you planned a garbage disposal installation, you wouldn’t have a sink full of dishes and you’d clear out the under-sink contents. The same common sense approach applies to getting ready for new floors.
There are flooring companies that won’t move any furniture, and that’s certainly their prerogative. But I have never met a flooring company or flooring installation professional that wants to move “stuff”. So where do we draw the line? We’d hope it is clear, but here are a few examples.
Bed = Furniture 37 pairs of shoes under the bed = Stuff
Dresser = Furniture Jewelry box, perfume bottles and photos on top of dresser = Stuff
Curio cabinet = Furniture 4 decades of Precious Moments figurines inside the curio = Stuff.
Laundry, paperwork, holiday decorations, kids’ (or adults’) toys, partially completed jigsaw puzzles = Stuff
Beds - many larger beds may need to be partially or entirely disassembled. But at the very least, the mattress and foundation will likely be moved. So you not only have permission to skip making your bed on new floor day, you are also encouraged to strip all the bedding completely. Some beds deserve special consideration such as: medical beds, adjustable bases, air or other specialty mattresses, bunk beds, oversized/complicated bed frames,etc. BONUS TIP - Put the bedding into a CLEAN bathtub and you’ve just created extra space to carefully store other smaller items without scratching the tub.
Dressers - Generally these get slid into the hall or another bedroom. In those cases, they don’t have to be tilted so the contents can generally stay inside the drawers.
Closets- We are often asked if the closets need to be emptied. In some instances, a semi-permanent closet system may need to be partially or entirely removed. But, bost of the time, the bottom row needs to be cleared out. The installers need free and clear access to the floor. So, can you kneel in the closest and easily see and touch the baseboards under the hanging racks? If not, that stuff needs to be moved.
Large Pieces - If something was assembled in the room and cannot be removed from the room without disassembly,then special considerations and plans should be made.
Electronics - We’re not moonlighting with the Geek Squad. Computers, entertainment equipment and other electronics should be properly powered down and disconnected prior to flooring installation. If your clock alarm is flashing 12:00 when we leave, that’s up to you to fix.
Pianos, Billiard Tables, etc. - vary greatly, discuss with your flooring professional
Appliances, Sinks, Toilets, etc. - vary greatly, discuss with your flooring professional
Fish tanks - should be empty if we’re to move. Serious fish owners typically won’t let us anywhere near their tanks anyway. Look for another blog about pets on new floor day.
A lot of this will depend on the type of flooring being installed and the layout of the installation areas. Some flooring requires that the ENTIRE project area be free of contents. This is especially true of hardwood floor refinishing (or brand new site-finished hardwood). In those types of projects, contents need to be completely out of the space, so put to another floor of the home, a garage or may require renting a temporary storage pod. In most of these cases, we suggest our clients hire professional movers to move the contents prior to the start of work.
On the other hand, some projects and flooring types can accommodate the shuffling of contents from one area to another or if the room is big enough, perhaps just from one side to another. It’s very common, for example, to install new carpet in bedrooms and an upstairs hall by moving the furniture from room to room and everyone can still sleep in their own beds that same night.
Don’t forget to plan for some extra time and effort to put everything back after the flooring installers complete your installation.