Never really thought about it. But - we did move to the UK from Canada and shipped everything in a container - including a sofa that we unpacked and tried to get int the new house and when that didn't fit stuck it in the garage where it sat for 3 years till we shipped it back in a container. Same with another sofa (see photo) - which we managed to fit in the new house BUT only as far as the dining room as the door ways and halls are too narrow in traditional British homes. They still don't look that bad after all that if you can believe it!

Maybe it depends upon the style of furniture you have. We have a lot of antiques, purposely distressed pieces of furniture and upholstered pieces - sort of an Old World, traditional mix. Nothing is sleek or shiny. A nick or notch isn't very noticeable. What does stand out is anything new that is very light or bright colored. Those items look out of place.

very nice,i like it .

I moved 9 or 10 times growing up, and it was always a hold-your-breath moment when THE PIANO was moved. Thankfully it survived with only a one small corner dent.

We've moved a lot. Still have a few pieces from years ago. I guess it depends on how careful your movers are. We have had pretty good luck so far. :)

The past 17 years my spouse and I have moved 14 times! I love glass and mirrors so it takes a great deal of bubble wrap (not to mention the expense). Knock on wood, we have had only a few small items broken or chipped.

well, having lived through a devastating down-to-the-ground house fire where a life was lost - and having moved at least 10 times over the past 15 years - I'd have to say NO, there isn't about the same amount of damage!!! jus sayin...

I had always heard that saying too! I had a custom-made, solid oak bedroom set that I purchased when I got my first job when I was 17 years old. (My mom's idea - guess she knew I might waste a lot of that money - lol). I moved 13 times, 3 different states over the course of 40 years. After that last move, I found that even though the finish was still good with virtually no scratches (no professional movers were ever used), the frame, etc was starting to "fall apart". I think a lot depends on the care taken during the moves, & the general everyday care.

We moved from a "rural" state environment about 3 years ago, from a house we had lived in for 20 years. Sold most of the furniture to the people who bought the house! The things they didn't want, we sold in a garage sale & furniture consignment store. Only brought enough with us to have a place to sit!
Worked out great! Now we are in a metropolitan area, and have completely furnished a 6 bedroom, 6000 sq ft house from Craigslist for pennies on the dollar! It's been so much more fun than a retail furniture store!
Unless you have an emotional attachment to a piece of furniture, what works in one house doesn't seem to in the next - save the work & expense of moving or storage!

I moved 4 times and 3 states from 2002-2010. My main concern was my 72 X 48 glass top for the dining room table. It survived all moves intact, thank you Jesus! In addition, there are the glass tops for the living room cocktail and end tables. Then glass inserts for the coffee and end tables in the den (I've had them 26 years-survived a couple of local moves before the out of state moves-still intact). When I moved back to Michigan, I thought I was going to build a condo and stay there, so I bought a glass topped desk (five feet long), matching file cabinet with a glass top, and matching bookcase with five glass shelves. That was before the recession hit and the builder went belly up then 2 years later, my job was eliminated. I hired a national moving company for the move from MI to NC in 2010. However, they forgot to send crates for the dining, desk, and cocktail table tops! I was not a happy camper and let the office know of my displeasure!! The driver of the truck assured me that he could pack them in a way that they wouldn't get broken in transit. I told him and the office that they would be paying if they arrived in pieces! Lo, and behold, the driver did pack them and every single piece of glass arrived in NC intact!! Talk about being grateful to the driver! I don't intend to move again anytime soon (if ever). When I moved back to MI, I gave my kitchen table to my youngest sister as there was an island/breakfast bar in the condo I rented. After i moved here and bought this house, for the kitchen I bought, (you guessed it) a glass topped bistro table. It was never my intention to buy all of this glass, I was just drawn to it. Yes, I always have Windex on hand....lol

I've moved over 25 times and I can say that it's all about who you get to move your stuff and how you pack it. In my interstate move from Washington state to CA., the moving company was the worst, and I checked them out well too. I made sure to file a complaint and did get reimbursed. But, nothing can replace items holding sentimental value, so be sure to either carry those with you or ship ahead. Items being lost, stolen, damaged are a common thing in too many moves.

ALWAYS get good insurance through the company moving you. Your home insurance company does not cover this type of claim.

We've had so many things happen and have been told so many times, "Wow, I've never seen that happen before". So our rule of thumb has become... If it can happen, it probably will, so be prepared!

I brought furniture from England to Australia,nothing looked right,i moved house six times & i am now free of everything i brought here,sentimental value ? i don't know but i do know that the olde worlde english look doesn't work in Australia.I love how You Americans decorate,a mixture of old classical pieces in modern homes somehow you make it work,i watch revenge for decorating ideas & other programs from The U.S.A.
Moving ...buy new furniture !! a new start,it's good for the soul.Keep & display family memories ...thats what makes a home not ill fitting furniture from yesteryear.

It all depends on the packers and driver in charge. Five years ago we moved miles--nothing was specially packed--but the driver really knew what he was doing--and nothing was damaged in any way--everything was packed and unpacked. the driver of the van packed up my china hutch and put everything back in the same places.
We just moved to NC from NE--and the driver was a jerk. And he had 2 guys packing that didn't know what they were doing. My husband has built a wonderful bench/storage unit and a corner hutch among other things. To me they are priceless. The driver decided the corner hutch was not going to fit out the door--(same one that the movers last time moved in without a hitch) and absolutely destroyed both the hutch and the doorway. we notified the moving company immediately about the damage done to the house--and took pictures of it--our realtor helped us get it repaired before closing. Nothing has been done to repair the hutch yet. So many pictures were broken, and other things broken. These guys didn't keep sets together--spread out among 4=5 boxes. that is so frustrating. You can't tell what is missing and what is not. Hopefully we will never know the damage of a fire. And praying we won't be moving any time again soon. Anyone moving--get everything in writing--all promises. I was promised that everything would be packed--and unpacked and put away. I wouldn't have considered this move if it had been any other way.. There was no unpacking--they took it off the truck and that was it. My husband had no time off to help me move things around or unpack boxes. Get it in writing. Also get any promises about damages in writing.

Emily, how did a "rule of thumb" thread become a thread about moving furniture?

Holy cow, never heard that one. I would have nothing left!

Our rule of thumb is always do things in odd numbers.

l love it

We change furniture with every move, lol!

I move a lot too and I think this is true -my fave pics and books always come with me - three moves later my picture frames are terrible - but my books are fine as I like them to look well-read :)

I never thought this was about wear and tear. I think it means what you have won't work in the new place so you'll be buying lots of things for the new place--drapes, furniture, shelving, rods, etc. And you'll be painting too. Always been true for me.