Protecting wood floors when moving games?

[DeLuSioNal29]

Hi all,

I will be moving my arcade games soon into my new home.  But I need to do it without scratching or denting my laminated wood flooring.  Most of my games have wheels, but I would use a handtruck otherwise.  Does anyone one have any suggestions on how to go about moving them from the outside to my basement?  Basically I'd be moving them in through the sliding doors, and about 100 feet to the carpeted stairs to the basement.  The carpet should not be an issue with scratching and such, so my main issue is going from the doors to the stairs.

Any suggestions?  I'm thinking a runner of some kind.  Maybe a cheap carpet runner with anti-skid foam underneath?  I can simply roll it up once I'm done and store it for future moves.  I was also thinking of buying a piece of plush carpet and turning it upside down so the the carpet faces the wood flooring.  I can then place the game on top of it and simply slide it across the floor to the stairs.

Thanks in advance!

DeLuSioNaL29

I've included pics below of the floor, along with a pic of the carpeted stairs leading to the basement where the future game room will be.

[yotsuya]

Get those stick on furniture gliders and put them under your games.

http://www.amazon.com/Waxman-4703495K-Reusable-Sliders-pieces/dp/B001WAK5UW/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1435166102&sr=1-4&keywords=furniture+glides

[JDFan]

Could lay down a couple of the cardboard boxes you moved other things in after they are emptied down on the floor for a bit of protection ! 

[yamatetsu]

I would go with the plush carpet. If you get a bigger piece of it, you can even put the 'wheelies' on it and then pull the carpet to get them across the floor.

[BadMouth]

I definitely wouldn't roll the wheels of the cabs across the laminate.

I've only moved a few cabs, but one trick I use for moving large objects on hard floors is to lay it down on an old comforter then drag the comforter.

Harbor Freight sells a "bigfoot" hand truck that is easier to get up and down stairs.
http://www.harborfreight.com/bigfoot-hand-truck-97568.html#pr-header-back-to-top-link
I helped a friend move a woodstove out of a basement with one and was impressed with it enough to buy one for myself.
Put air in the tires before moving anything heavy.

If it were me, I'd have a couple friends on hand, strap the cabs to the bigfoot handtruck one at a time, and make the trip all the way from outside to basement in one shot before unstrapping it.

Typically I'll run straps to the hand truck and lower it down from above.

EDIT: To elaborate, I'll hook both ends of a strap to the hand cart and then stand inside the loop with the strap going across my back.  That way I can use my legs to hold the weight while lowering it down the stairs instead of trying to hold onto the cart hunched over.

[Vigo]

Congrats on the house! Use the handtruck, but get a bunch of old wooly blankets and strap them on the outside. If you are worried, even wrap on the underneath the metal handtruck place and bottom of the cabinet. The tires of the handtruck should be fine if they are rubber, but if at all possible, use a handtruck with inflatable tires rather than hard tires.

[Vigo]

The handtruck BadMouth linked should be perfect. 

I have this one and love it:

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/super-brute-900-lb-convertible-dual-purpose-hand-truck-green/184122.ip?navAction=push

[jdbailey1206]

My old man has one of those hand trucks.  Works like a champ.

[MonMotha]

The same Harbor Freight that sells hand trucks also sells moving blankets pretty cheap - typically $5-6 with coupon.  They're surprisingly good, though not as nice as the high-end ones commercial van lines usually use.  Big wooly blankets work well enough, too, but real moving blankets are super handy for this kind of thing.

As for the floor, cardboard is not a bad idea.  Contractor paper or red rosin paper is cheaper and offers decent protection, too, especially if you don't anticipate any small rocks.  For carpet, you can get stick-on carpet runner film.

[DeLuSioNal29]

I may go with the moving blankets.  They are soft enough that I can put a cab on it sideways, slide it to the edge of the stairway and then bring it down the carpeted area.

Thanks for the suggestions!

DeLuSioNaL29

[RayB]

Just beware of the "slide it on ____" approach. One little pebble or some sand between the cloth/blanket, whatever and your shiny new floor will be like sandpaper. Average cabinet is 250 lbs. That's a lot of weight regardless of what you have it on.

[HanoiBoi]

Same as BadMouth, but you don't have to lay them sideways.  Just stand them up and slide the whole blanket.  When you get to where you want the machine, remove the blanket.   I use those 'mexican' style blankets and never have and issues.

The laminate in the basement is '30 year' warranty and is pretty darn sturdy.

Another option it to lay down carpet remnants and use furniture sliders under the feet and move it as you would on carpet.

[knave]

Don't overthink it. If it were me I would use a couple towels and be done. Just don't slide a hard surface across your floor. too easy.

[MonMotha]

If you need to move it across a hard floor without tilting it, you might look into using some sufficiently sturdy furniture dollies.  You just have to have a way to get the thing on and off them which can be as simple as having enough people to deadlift the thing.  Blankets are for protecting things against bumps and scrapes, not sliding stuff.

Guess who sells furniture dollies?  Hint: Take your 20% off coupon.

It's worth pointing out, perhaps, that the cabinets I'm used to moving weigh 500-600 pounds - quite a bit more than most classics.