How to get a sofa through a narrow door without damaging it

Before you lift the sofa: measuring is what counts

Most sofas will fit through; you just have to turn them the right way. How to get a sofa through a narrow door is decided before the first lift, with a tape measure rather than at the door frame. A few minutes of measuring will save you scuffed walls and torn upholstery.

Measure the sofa in three dimensions

You need the height, the depth and the so-called diagonal. The diagonal is the longest line across the side profile, i.e. the distance from the front bottom corner to the back top corner. It is this that determines whether the sofa will go through the opening upright or at an angle.

Measure the opening, not the door

What matters is the clear width of the frame once the door leaf is removed. The door leaf takes up three to five centimetres, which are often exactly what is missing. Measure the height of the opening too, and don't forget the handle, the architrave and any light switch right next to the frame.

Walk the whole route

The narrowest point is often beyond the door. Measure the landing, the width of the staircase, the banister and the inside of the lift, including the height of the car. On spiral stairs, note how much space is left at the turn. Clear the route in advance, including the coat rack and shoes in the hallway.

What can be removed from the sofa

Legs, armrests, backrest

Start with the legs; they unscrew in a minute. On many models you can also remove the armrests and fold down or detach the backrest, which is held on metal hooks. Put the screws in a bag and tape it to the underside of the frame so you can find them in one place when reassembling.

Secure the sofa bed mechanism

A sofa bed must be firmly closed. Strap or tie the mechanism shut. If it opens while you are carrying it, the centre of gravity shifts suddenly and a hand inside the frame can very easily get trapped.

Remove the covers and cushions

Carry the loose parts separately. Seat cushions and pillows take up less space in the van when stacked separately, and the sofa weighs noticeably less without them. Put a removable cover in a bag so it doesn't get dirty on the way.

Take photos as you dismantle it

Reassembly is always harder than disassembly. Take a few photos of each step, especially of the backrest fittings and the sofa bed mechanism. In two days' time, when you are standing over a pile of parts in your new flat, you will appreciate it more than you expect.

Take the door off its hinges

You can lift the door leaf off its hinges in a moment. Open the door fully, lift it and take it off upwards. With newer doors you first need to push out the hinge pin. This gives you a few extra centimetres and removes the risk of the door breaking against the sofa.

Getting it through the door

Stand the sofa on its side

The standard method is to turn the sofa with the seat facing the door frame and stand it on its side. It then passes through with its narrowest dimension, i.e. its depth. One person guides the front corner, the other adjusts the back and makes sure the backrest doesn't catch on the architrave.

Use the diagonal

If the sofa won't go through upright, try tilting it. Put the front bottom corner as low as possible into the opening and lift the back top corner. The sofa passes through diagonally and gradually straightens up halfway through the opening. Move slowly; force won't fix anything here.

At a corner, turn, don't push

At a turn in the stairs, the person in front guides the sofa into the space above the steps. The sofa rotates around its vertical axis and uses the free space upwards, not forwards. Agree on simple commands in advance so that you both push in the same direction at the same moment.

Protect the door frame and the upholstery

Cover the edges of the door frame with a piece of old blanket or cardboard. This protects both the plaster and the fabric. A fabric cover tears on a sharp corner instantly, and such a repair tends to cost more than a whole extra day of work.

Take off hard-soled shoes

A smooth floor causes the most slips. On varnished parquet and tiles, shoes with soft soles give you the best grip. Furniture sliders or a piece of carpet pile-side down are handy under the sofa, letting you slide it along without lifting.

Lift, don't drag

Never drag a sofa over a threshold. The legs and the bottom rail will break off and scratch the floor. Always lift it, even if only by a few centimetres, and carry it over the threshold in one go.

When it really won't go

Consider dismantling the frame

For fixed sofas, the last option is to take the frame apart. It requires a staple gun and a little patience when re-upholstering, but for pieces that wouldn't get into the flat even diagonally, it is the only way without a window and a crane.

Loading into the van

In the van, stand the sofa on its side along the side wall. That way it takes up the least space and can't tip over. Put a blanket underneath so it doesn't rub against the metal, and strap it to a tie-down point in the floor.

Choose the van according to your longest piece of furniture, not the number of boxes. A longer sofa needs a longer load floor. Compare the internal dimensions of the individual vans in our fleet, and you will find more tips on our blog.