What You Need to Know About Transporting a Flat Screen TV

We often talk about the hardest things to move being the things that are overly heavy or bulky: couches, appliances, pool tables, and so on. But there’s one difficult item that isn’t necessarily very heavy, and certainly isn’t bulky—your flat screen TV. Yes, transporting a flat screen TV isn’t always an intuitive process. Nor is it one you can afford to mess up. Today’s flat screens range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, and repair costs generally start around $100. Make a mistake in transport and you could be out a lot of money.

Now, there’s nothing inherently complicated about transporting a flat screen TV. What makes the task difficult is the logistics. Flat screen TVs are surprisingly delicate, and you need to be extra careful if you want to avoid causing any accidental damage. Below, we’ll go over the basics that you need to know in order to transport your flat screen TV safely and without any problems.

How to pack a flat screen TV

For the most support and protection when transporting a flat screen TV you’re going to want to use a box. Kudos to you if you held on to the box that your TV came in, but if you didn’t, no worries. You can buy a specialty box for your flat screen, just be sure to double check your measurements so that you purchase the right size. Expect to spend about $30 to upwards of $100 for a sturdy box that you can use to pack your TV.

Follow these steps to get your flat screen packed up:

Remove all power cords and cables

Remove all screws and bases

Box it up

No box? Use moving blankets instead

If you don’t want to spring for a box then your next best bet is to wrap up your TV securely using moving blankets. While not ideal, they’ll provide some much-needed padding that will hopefully serve as sufficient protection during your move.

Even with moving blankets you’ll still want to use foam corner protectors. You can buy these wherever you buy the rest of your moving supplies, or you can order them online. And just as you would if you were loading your TV into a box, put the corners on and secure the entire TV with plastic stretch wrap. Then generously wrap the TV in moving blankets. You’ll probably want to use more than one, especially if you’re going to be putting your flat screen in the back of a moving truck instead of the backseat of your car.

Transporting a flat screen TV: Can you lay it flat?

The answer to whether it’s okay to lay a flat screen down flat on its side is yes… and no.

Commonly, the reason that you’ll see for why a flat screen cannot be laid on its side is that you’ll damage the plasma or LCD crystals inside the screen. But it doesn’t really work like that. You aren’t going to damage the internal workings of your flat screen TV by laying it flat. After all, if that was the case then having the TV standing upright during normal use would also cause these elements to get displaced.

That being said, even though laying your TV down flat won’t cause internal damage, it could be a recipe for external damage. There’s a complex balancing act going on in the way that flat screen TVs are constructed. Weight is distributed around the edges, to keep pressure off the delicate surface of the screen. Lay it down and you disrupt this balance and shift weight to the middle of the device. In this position, you put your TV in danger of incurring cracks that could either disable your TV immediately or grow gradually over time.

Either way, your best bet when transporting a flat screen TV is to keep it propped up, instead of laying it down. Help prop it up in the moving truck by wedging it in between mattresses or other soft furniture items.

Bring in the pros

If you’re wary about moving your flat screen TV on your own, then it may be a good idea to hire professional movers who can do it for you. Use Moving.com to quickly search for reputable movers in your area. Then sit back, relax, and let the experts take care of getting your flat screen safely to your new home.