Furniture moving services: Top 2025 Pros

The Heavy Lifting Dilemma

Moving heavy furniture yourself seems like a way to save money, but one wrong lift can lead to back pain, damaged floors, or broken heirlooms. Furniture moving services are the professional solution, helping you relocate heavy items safely without the physical strain or risk of damage.

Professionals offer a range of services, including:

• Full-service moving: Complete packing, transport, and unpacking.
• Labor-only help: Loading and unloading your rental truck.
• Specialty item handling: Pianos, antiques, and gun safes.
• In-home rearranging: Moving furniture for renovations or staging.
• Disassembly and reassembly: For complex pieces like beds and tables.

Hiring professionals prevents injuries, protects your furniture, and saves an average of 3+ hours on moving day. They come with specialized equipment and are licensed and insured, providing peace of mind that DIY moving can’t match—a reason top movers have over a 96% customer referral rating.

As Mina Georgalas, owner of Bernard Movers, says, “I’ve seen countless customers avoid costly mistakes by choosing professional furniture moving services.” With nearly 30 years of leadership in Chicago’s moving industry, Mina’s experience is foundational. Our family-owned company has helped Chicago, Melrose Park, and Illinois residents move safely since 1972, handling everything from single items to moves across 45 states.

Furniture moving services terms simplified:

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Your Complete Guide to Professional Furniture Moving Services

The Spectrum of Services: From Single Items to Full Homes

Every move is unique, which is why we offer a comprehensive range of furniture moving services to fit your specific needs. Whether you’re relocating a single bulky item or an entire household, we provide the muscle, strategy, and expertise you deserve. Understanding the different types of services available helps you choose the right level of support for your move.

Here are the types of services available:

• Full-Service Moving: This is the ultimate hands-off solution. Our all-inclusive Full Service Moving option covers every detail from start to finish. The process includes a detailed pre-move consultation, professional packing of all your belongings, careful disassembly of furniture, strategic loading, secure transport, and finally, unloading, unpacking, and reassembly in your new home. It’s the perfect choice for busy professionals, families with young children, or anyone who wants to eliminate the stress and physical labor of moving.

• Labor-Only Assistance: If you’ve already rented a truck or a portable storage container but dread the thought of lifting heavy dressers and sofas, this service is for you. Our trained movers provide the expert muscle to load and unload your belongings. They do more than just lift; they strategically pack the truck to maximize space and minimize the risk of items shifting and breaking during transit, a skill that can save your valuables.

• In-Home Rearranging and Staging: Sometimes you’re not moving out, just moving around. We assist with in-home furniture rearrangement for a variety of reasons—clearing a room for renovations or new flooring, staging your home for sale, preparing for a large event, or simply trying out a new layout. Our crews will carefully move your heavy pieces, protecting your floors, walls, and the furniture itself.

• Disassembly and Reassembly: Modern furniture can be incredibly complex. Our movers are skilled in taking apart and rebuilding a wide array of items, from bunk beds and cribs to large entertainment centers, modular sofas, and office workstations. We have the right tools and a systematic approach to ensure all hardware is accounted for and your furniture is put back together correctly and securely.

• Local Moves: As expert Chicago Local Movers, we specialize in navigating the unique challenges of urban and suburban moves. We understand the logistics of moving in Chicago, Melrose Park, and throughout Illinois, from securing parking permits to navigating tight spaces in vintage buildings.

• Long-Distance Relocations: Moving across the country requires a different level of planning and execution. Our Long Distance Movers ensure your furniture is properly protected and inventoried for the long haul, transporting it safely across 45 states. We’re currently offering a 20% additional discount on moves to Georgia and Florida booked for delivery by March 15, 2025!

• Commercial and Office Furniture Moving: Business relocations demand efficiency to minimize downtime. Our Office Movers Chicago specialize in relocating office furniture, sensitive equipment, and files. We work with you to create a detailed moving plan that gets your business up and running in its new location as quickly as possible.

Unlike anonymous moving marketplaces, we provide direct, professional service with our own background-checked, trained teams, ensuring consistent quality and accountability for every job.

The Art of Protection: How Pros Keep Your Furniture Safe

Protecting your furniture is an art we’ve perfected over decades. A successful move is a damage-free move, and our meticulous approach ensures every piece, from a sturdy couch to a delicate antique, arrives in pristine condition.

This is how professional furniture moving services prepare and protect your items:

• Protective Wrapping: We use a multi-layered approach. Thick, quilted moving blankets are wrapped around wood and hard-surfaced furniture to prevent scratches, dings, and dents. For upholstered items like sofas and chairs, we first apply the blankets and then cover them with specialized “stretch wrap,” which keeps the padding in place and provides a barrier against dirt, dust, and moisture.

• Specialized Equipment: The right tools make all the difference. Our teams are equipped with a variety of dollies—including two-wheel utility dollies for boxes, four-wheel dollies for dressers and desks, and heavy-duty appliance dollies for refrigerators and washing machines. Ramps ensure safe loading into the truck, while heavy-duty straps are used inside to secure everything into tight, stable tiers, preventing any movement during transit.

• Home Protection: Protecting your furniture is only half the battle; we also protect your property. Before we move a single item, we lay down durable cardboard runners or “Ram Board” on hardwood and tile floors and neoprene runners on stairs to prevent scratches and scuffs. We also use padded coverings for door frames, banisters, and wall corners to prevent accidental chips and scrapes.

Our comprehensive Packing and Unpacking Services are a testament to our deep commitment to a damage-free move from start to finish.

Moving the Unmovable: Handling Specialized and Heavy Items

Some items require a level of expertise and equipment that goes far beyond a standard move. This is where professional furniture moving services truly shine, turning a seemingly impossible task into a routine procedure.

Our trained crews are adept at moving a variety of specialized items:

• Pianos: A piano is not just heavy; it’s a delicate musical instrument. Our Piano Moving teams use specific techniques, custom padding, and specialized piano boards (skids) to safely transport everything from uprights to concert grands without compromising their intricate internal mechanics.

• Antiques and Heirlooms: Fragile and irreplaceable items demand the highest level of care. We assess each piece for structural weaknesses before the move and use custom packing solutions. For extremely delicate or valuable items, we can build custom wooden crates with interior padding molded to the object’s specific shape, providing a rigid shell of protection.

• Large Artwork & Gun Safes: We use custom crating for large paintings and sculptures, often using acid-free materials to protect surfaces. For extremely heavy items like gun safes, which can weigh over 1,000 pounds, we use industrial-strength dollies and may employ lift gates or even small cranes to move them safely without damaging your property or the item itself.

• Heavy Office Equipment: Our Equipment Movers are experienced in relocating large commercial items like servers, industrial printers, large conference tables, and other bulky machinery, ensuring your business assets are handled correctly.

• Navigating Challenging Spaces: Our crews are masters of geometry and leverage. They are trained to navigate the narrow hallways, steep stairs, and tight turns common in Chicago-area greystones and walk-ups. We meticulously measure doorways and passages to plan the safest route for even the largest furniture pieces.

Decoding the Cost of Furniture moving services

Understanding the cost of furniture moving services is key to budgeting effectively and avoiding surprises. Several key factors influence your final quote.

• Distance of the Move: For local moves (typically within Illinois), pricing is usually hourly. This rate includes the movers, the truck, and all standard equipment. For long-distance moves, the cost is based on the total weight of your shipment and the mileage to your destination. Remember our 20% discount on moves to Georgia and Florida booked for delivery by March 15, 2025!

• Volume and Weight of Furniture: Simply put, more stuff requires more time, more space on the truck, and potentially more movers, all of which affect the cost. This is why an accurate inventory is crucial for an accurate quote.

• Complexity of the Job: The layout of your home matters. Factors like multiple flights of stairs, the absence of an elevator, and long distances from the truck to your front door (known as “long carries”) add to the labor time and can increase the cost.

• Additional Services: Any services beyond standard loading and transport will be itemized in your quote. This includes professional packing and unpacking, the cost of materials (boxes, tape, paper), storage-in-transit (SIT), and handling specialty items like pianos or safes.

• Understanding Your Estimate: Reputable movers provide clear, detailed estimates. A binding-not-to-exceed estimate is often the best option, as it guarantees your cost will not go above the quoted price, but it could be lower if your move takes less time or weight than estimated. Be wary of vague quotes given over the phone without a visual survey.

We aim to be one of the Affordable Moving Companies in the Chicago area, providing transparent pricing and exceptional value without ever compromising on quality or safety.

How to Choose the Best Chicago Furniture moving services

Selecting the right furniture moving services is the single most important decision for a stress-free relocation in the Chicago area. Not all movers are created equal.

Here’s what to look for:

• Key Credentials: This is non-negotiable. Always choose a company that is licensed and insured in Illinois. A license from the Illinois Commerce Commission (ILCC) proves they are a legitimate operation. “Insured” should cover both liability for your property and valuation coverage for your belongings. Ask about the difference between basic “Released Value Protection” (which covers very little) and “Full Value Protection” for comprehensive coverage. Also, insist on background-checked moving teams for your safety and peace of mind.

• Local Expertise: A mover with deep knowledge of the Chicago area is invaluable. They understand local parking rules and permit requirements, know how to handle Certificate of Insurance (COI) paperwork for high-rise buildings, and can navigate traffic and construction to ensure an efficient move day.

• The Booking Process: A professional company has a clear, transparent process. It should start with a detailed quote, preferably after an in-home or video survey to create an accurate inventory. You should receive a written contract or “Bill of Lading” that clearly outlines the services, costs, and terms, with no hidden fees.

• Customer Reviews: Don’t just look at the star rating. Read recent reviews on multiple platforms (Google, Yelp, BBB) to understand the company’s strengths and how they handle issues when they arise. A strong track record and a high customer referral rating, like the 96%+ that top companies maintain, are powerful indicators of reliable service and consistent customer satisfaction.

Choosing us means partnering with a company that values transparency and prioritizes the safety of your belongings. For more helpful advice, check out our Moving Tips.

Make Your Next Move Your Best Move

Choosing professional furniture moving services is the secret to turning a stressful day into a smooth experience. When you partner with experienced movers, you’re investing in expertise that saves time, prevents injury, and protects your valuable furniture.

Professionals save you an average of 3+ hours on moving day, use proper lifting techniques to avoid the back strain common in DIY moves, and protect your belongings from damage with professional-grade materials and equipment. Your health and your heirlooms are worth the investment.

At Bernard Movers, we’ve been perfecting this process since 1972. Our deep local expertise means we understand the challenges of moving in Chicago, Melrose Park, and throughout Illinois. For those moving further, we’re excited to offer a 20% additional discount on moves to Georgia and Florida booked for delivery by March 15, 2025.

Your next move doesn’t have to be a source of worry. Trust the professionals for a seamless and stress-free experience.

Ready to learn more? Learn more about specialized moving costs and let us make your next move your best one yet.