How to Use Furniture Sliders

Furniture sliders make it possible to move heavy appliances and furniture short distances with little or no help. While you can use them to move items away from the wall when you paint or to reposition furniture to give the room a fresh look, furniture sliders are also invaluable on moving day. They can help you maneuver heavy, awkward items onto a dolly and protect your floor from scratches.

What are furniture sliders?

Known also as furniture glider, furniture sliders are usually hard plastic or rubber pieces topped with a foam or cushiony material. Sometimes, the bottom has a felt cover, sandwiching the hard material between the foam on top and the felt underneath. The furniture’s legs rest on top of the foam, and the felt or plastic comes in contact with the floor. In addition to the various materials used, sliders come in a variety of sizes and shapes, including round, square, rectangular and hexagonal.

Which furniture sliders you need depends on the size and weight of the items you intend to move and where the items are located. For your move, consider purchasing a mix of these three types of sliders.

Plastic furniture sliders: These sliders typically have a hard plastic bottom—although they can sometimes be made of hard rubber instead—so you can easily slide them across the carpet. Not only do they protect the carpet but plastic furniture sliders protect the furniture’s legs, which can get stuck on carpet fibers otherwise.

Felt furniture sliders: Instead of having a plastic or rubber bottom, these sliders have felt covering the hard surface that comes in contact with the floor. As a result, felt furniture sliders reduce the risk of scratching hardwood floors, ceramic tiles, vinyl, cement and other hard surfaces.

Permanent furniture sliders: This option comes with screws or tacks that adhere the slider permanently to the item’s leg. If you plan to rearrange furniture frequently or want to protect your floors against scratches, opting for permanent sliders makes sense.

How to choose the right size

Once you’ve decided on the type of slider you need, consider the size of the item (or items) you intend to move. Are the legs thick? Spindly? What shape are they? Their width (or diameter) and shape will dictate what the size or shape of the sliders you purchase. To avoid buying sliders for every appliance and piece of furniture you need to move, determine sizes and shapes that can do double duty. A 4”-square slider can accommodate a 2”-round leg as well as a 3.5”-square one.

Before you purchase, check the weight limit on the package. If you intend to move exceptionally heavy items, like a 300-lbs. dresser, make sure the furniture slider can manage the load, including the weight of any items left inside it. While most sliders can easily accommodate 40 lbs., you’ll need heavy duty sliders for loads more than 100 lbs.

When to use furniture sliders

Furniture sliders come in handy on moving day for a variety of tasks. You can use them to move an appliance away from the wall to unplug it and ready it for the move or to maneuver it onto a dolly. Additionally, you can use sliders to move furniture a short distance, such as across the room to the dolly you don’t want dirtying your carpet.

Ever started moving a heavy piece of furniture only to find another heavy piece blocking your way? With sliders, another person can quickly move that piece out of your way by themselves.

In your new home, you can use sliders to rearrange your furniture until you find the best layout. Sliders are also helpful when you need to move furniture away from the wall to repair damage or repaint. And, if you purchase a new piece of furniture or appliance for your home, furniture sliders make it easy to load the old piece onto a dolly and out to the curb and replace it with the new piece.

You can use furniture sliders to move:

  • Refrigerators and freezers
  • Washers and dryers
  • Dishwashers and ovens
  • Sofas
  • Tables
  • Desks
  • Beds
  • Dressers and wardrobes
  • Bookcases and cabinets
  • Bureaus
  • Safes

Why you need them for a move

You probably can maneuver your empty refrigerator away from the wall and onto a dolly with the help of a few friends, but sliders will make the job a whole lot easier. And, there are several advantages to using them.

Sliders prevent injuries. Because the items slide along the floor, you don’t have to lift them. That means less pressure on your back and fewer chances of injury. Plus, if you don’t lift the item, you’re much less likely to crush or pinch a finger or toe in the process.

They increase your manpower. Since sliders require minimum effort, you can move more items and heavier items throughout the day. The same goes for the rest of your team. And, with sliders, people you normally wouldn’t think strong enough to contribute may be able to assist.

Sliders protect your floors and furniture. As mentioned above, sliders with felt bottoms keep particles from scratching and damaging your scratching hardwood floors, ceramic tiles and other hard surfaces. Plastic sliders can protect your furniture as well by eliminating the risk of legs getting damaged or broken as you move a heavy item on carpet.

You can use them after moving day. Furniture sliders aren’t just for moving day. You can use them any time you want to move a heavy piece of furniture or appliance. Because most are small, you can store them in a plastic container in a closet until you need them.

How to use furniture sliders

Furniture sliders are fairly straightforward to use, but to avoid unnecessary injuries, follow the below steps.

  1. Open the package, and read the instructions.
  2. Get a helper to help place the sliders, especially if you are moving a heavy item or loading it onto a dolly.
  3. Remove any items from the top or from inside your piece. (If you’re moving a short distance, like away from a wall, you can secure doors and drawers instead.)
  4. Slowly tilt or lift the item and slip a slider under a leg. Repeat for each leg.
  5. Confirm each leg is centered on a slider. If a leg is too far to one side, the slider could possibly come out from under the leg during the move. Reposition as needed.
  6. Push the item slowly and steadily to where you want to go. Whenever possible, avoid pulling items as this can put strain on your back.
  7. When you finish the move, tilt or lift the piece to remove each slider one by one.
  8. If transferring to a dolly, slip its metal edge under the item (there should be just enough space) and gently tip the item back onto the dolly. Remove the sliders and secure the item to the dolly.

DIY furniture sliders

While commercial furniture sliders work best to protect your floors and furniture, you can make your own in a pinch. To slide heavy items on hard floors like wood or tile, use a thick towel or rug with a soft side that will glide across the floor. For moving heavy items across carpet, use thick cardboard or, better yet, old Frisbees.

Locating old towels, Frisbees or cardboard on moving day is a hassle, though, so do yourself a favor and purchase sliders before moving day. They’ll make moving a lot easier, save your body from strain and injury, and protect your furniture and floors.

Want to lighten your load?

Furniture sliders make moving easier, but it’s still a lot of work to move yourself. Let someone else do the heavy lifting for you. Moving.com has an extensive network of reputable and reliable movers who can pack and move your entire home, including those heavy items you’d need furniture sliders for.