My Furniture Won’t Fit Through the Door! Now What?

Moving house can be stressful enough without having to worry about whether your furniture will actually fit through the door.

Imagine carrying a heavy sofa down the hallway only to discover it’s too wide for the doorway, or worse, getting stuck halfway up the stairs with a wardrobe that refuses to budge.

Oversized furniture like sofas, dining tables, wardrobes, and dressers is notorious for causing moving-day headaches.

But here’s the good news: with a little preparation and the right techniques, you can avoid damage, injury, or last-minute panic.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through practical solutions for when your furniture won’t fit through the door, hallway, or staircase, and show you how to prevent the problem in the first place.

Why Oversized Furniture Causes Problems

Large furniture pieces are awkward, heavy, and often built with dimensions that don’t account for tight hallways or narrow staircases, especially in modern or newly built homes.

These are the types of challenges you could face on moving day:

• Doors are too narrow for your sofa, table, or dresser.
• Staircases with sharp turns that block furniture movement.
• Low ceilings or overhanging fixtures in stairwells.
• Hallways are too tight to pivot a large piece.

The key to success is knowing whether your furniture will fit before moving day, and having a plan B if it doesn’t.

You may also like to read: How to Protect Your Home When Moving. A common occurrence when moving without professional help is that damage is caused to walls or floors as heavy and large pieces of furniture are moved. In this guide, we explain how to protect your home from damage.

How to Avoid Furniture-Doesn’t-Fit Problems

1. Measure Your Furniture

Grab a tape measure and record the following dimensions for your sofa or other bulky furniture:

• Height (H): From the floor to the tallest point.
• Width (W): From one armrest edge to the other.
• Depth (D): From front to back.
• Diagonal Depth (DD): From the top corner of the backrest to the opposite lower corner—useful for angled door entries.
• Diagonal Height (DH): From the front of an armrest to the opposite back corner—handy for standing the sofa upright in doorways.

2. Measure Your Openings

Walk the path to where the moving van will be and measure the room door, hallway, main entrance, stairwell, and even the lift if you’re in a flat. Write down:

• Height of the opening.
• Width of the doorway or stairwell clearance.

Pro tip: Even if the numbers are close, you may still be able to fit furniture through with the right angle or technique.

3. Disassemble Where Possible

Most sofas, tables, and beds can be partially dismantled:

• Remove legs, feet, or armrests to shave off crucial centimetres.
• Take out cushions and detachable parts to reduce bulk.
• For tables, remove tabletops from legs.

This also makes it easier to handle the item and makes more efficient use of the space in the van.

4. Clear the Path

Check the hallway and door area for obstacles like rugs, lamps, or radiators. Move what you can so you have maximum room to manoeuvre.

Watch out especially for low-hanging ceiling lamps or wall lights.

You may also like to read: How to Make a Floor Plan. It is really useful to make a scale drawing of your old and new home so that you can be sure that you can get your furniture out of and into your home. In this guide, we explain how to make a simple floor plan.

What to Do If Your Sofa Won’t Fit Through the Door

Despite your best efforts, you may still find yourself staring at a doorframe that seems determined to keep your sofa out. Here are your options:

1. Work the Angles

Often, it’s not about the size but about positioning. Tilt the sofa vertically with the seat facing in and pivot slowly through the doorway.

2. Compress the Upholstery

Sofas have soft padding, so gently squeeze the cushions to reduce the width and slide them through. Wear work gloves for better grip and finger protection.

3. Remove the Door

Taking a door off its hinges can free up several centimetres of space. In extreme cases, removing the door frame may be necessary.

4. Use Professional Techniques

Experienced movers sometimes use:

• Furniture hoists to move pieces through windows.
• Ropes and lifting straps for stairwell manoeuvres.
• Special tools and padding to prevent property damage.

If you’ve tried everything else, call a professional removal company. They deal with oversized furniture daily and have the skills to solve tricky moving scenarios without damage.

You may also like to read: How to Move Heavy and Large Furniture. In this guide, we share safe lifting techniques, explain how to use furniture moving equipment, and how to move some specific types of furniture safely.

Moving Day Scenarios You Might Face

• Scenario 1: Leaving Your Old Home. You’re packed and ready, but your sofa won’t leave the front door. Panic sets in.
• Scenario 2: Entering your new home. Worse still, you arrive only to find your sofa won’t make it inside your new front door or up the stairs.

Instead, use the steps above or call the pros.

You may also like to read: Essential Tools for Moving Day. It’s worth having a good tool kit to hand on moving day, just in case you need to dismantle the furniture some more, for example. In this guide, we suggest what tools to have nearby on moving day.

FAQs About Moving Furniture That Won’t Fit Through Doors

What do I do if my sofa won’t fit through the door?

First, try repositioning the sofa at different angles, standing it upright, and pivoting often works. If that fails, remove the legs, cushions, or arms to reduce its size. Still stuck? Take the door off its hinges for extra space or call a professional removal company.

Can movers take furniture apart?

Yes. Most professional movers are trained to dismantle large items such as beds, tables, wardrobes, and sofas. They’ll also reassemble them in your new home. If you’re unsure, ask your removal company in advance to confirm whether disassembly and reassembly are included.

What happens if the furniture won’t fit in my new house?

If you can’t get a piece of furniture inside your new home, you have a few options:

• Bring it in through a larger opening, such as a patio or balcony (using hoists if necessary).
• Disassemble it into smaller parts.
• Place it in storage until you find a long-term solution.
• Sell it or donate it if it truly won’t fit.

How do I measure my sofa to see if it will fit?

Measure the height, width, depth, and diagonal depth of your sofa. Then measure your doorways, hallways, and staircases. If the sofa is larger than the entryway, check whether it can fit through at an angle. Don’t forget to factor in space for manoeuvring.

Can I move large furniture without professional help?

It’s possible, but risky. Without the right tools, techniques, and extra hands, you could damage your furniture, your home, or even injure yourself. If you’re moving oversized furniture like a sectional sofa, wardrobe, or piano, hiring professional movers is often the safest and most cost-effective choice.

Do movers use special equipment for oversized furniture?

Yes. Professional movers often use:

• Lifting straps to reduce strain and help prevent back injuries.
• Furniture dollies to move heavy items.
• Protective padding to avoid wall and floor damage.
• Hoists and cranes for moving furniture through windows or balconies.

You may also like to read: How to Pick a Good Removal Company. To save yourself all the stress of trying to move your furniture yourself, hire a good removal company to do all the hard work for you. In this guide, we share a step-by-step process for picking the best movers for your home move.

Prevention is Better Than Panic

The best way to avoid moving-day stress is preparation. Measure everything in advance, disassemble where you can, and plan your moving path.

And if you do run into problems, don’t worry, you still have options, from working the angles to calling a professional removal company for help.

Remember, moving oversized furniture safely is about more than brute force; it’s about planning, technique, and knowing when to get expert assistance.

Good luck with your move, and be sure to visit our home moving blog, which is packed with guides to make every aspect of your home move easier, cheaper, and safer.