Preparing for Furniture Delivery

How to Prepare Your Space for Furniture Arrival and Set-up

If you’re going to receive and unload your new furniture yourself, here is a helpful list of things you need to think about...before the delivery gets to your office door.

Make sure your space is clean:

• Purge your space before delivery to get rid of excess items.
• Label any furniture to be re-used and move it to the new location.
• Print and post the new floor plan in an obvious spot.
• Review installation videos and assembly directions for the products you’re receiving.
• Walk from the entry of the building, up the stairs or elevator, to the workspace. Look for and remove tripping hazards.

Logistics of your Space for Furniture Arrival:

Building level of office space:

• What floor is your space on?
• Is there an elevator to use? Or will product need to be carried up stairs?
• Be sure to check the packaging dimensions (listed on each product page) against the dimensions of your hall ways or stairwells. You can also unpack product before carrying it your space.

Size of elevators: 

• If product needs to go into an elevator, make sure it will fit!
• When is the elevator least busy?

Location of delivery and distance from work space: 

• Is there a receiving dock, side or back door?
• Consider having the product delivered to a door that is closest to your work space. It will make for less carrying and work for you!

Building access: 

• Do you have a key to the door?
• Is security access needed?
• Will you need to hold the door open or can you prop it open?

Receiving: 

• Does someone need to be there to receive your delivery? And unload? Or can the delivery be left on a dock with attendant?
• Do you have a receiving dock? Size? Height? Availability?
• If street unloads are necessary, are there restrictions or permit requirements?
• Can you bag-off parking meters?
• Do you have a floor plan on where the product needs to set up?
• As product comes off the truck or into your space, sort the boxes by grouping together similar sizes.
• Read boxes to determine what is in them.
• Put boxes near where the product will be used or ‘live’. In the office furniture industry, people refer to this as ‘staging’. It helps prevent double handling and starts getting furniture and other items close to where they belong.
• If you have multiple areas that use the product, focus on the boxes that have furniture for your workstations. Open the boxes for the desks or tables first, then chairs or seating and accessories last.

Number of people available or needed to receive product:

-For instance, if you ordered product for a five person office, you may consider asking a few co-workers to help you! Maybe reward them with a lunch at a favorite place.

Protecting & Moving Furniture

• If opening the product and carry it to your space, use old blankets or padding to protect the walls and the furniture.
• Use a dolly or moving rack to move heavy pieces easier and with less strain.
• Don’t forget that you’ll have to get rid of the packaging material. Can you recycle or reuse any of it? 

Then again...if all this sounds like too much work, we do offer white glove and can do all this for you!