Securing your furniture is a crucial thing that you need to take care of while shifting toward a permanent home. You may block the furniture to the wall or if you want, the floor. It is good to secure your furniture to the floor when you think of your home as a permanent dwelling place.
This article will tell you how to secure furniture to the floor. There are countless DIY methods to get the job done. That is why I am here to assist you with the right path to go so that you don’t pick the wrong one.
Placing the furniture on the floor permanently is not the only reason to secure them to the floor. It also provides safety for children and pets. You are about to know everything about securing the furniture to the bottom here.
5 Easy Ways To Secure Furniture To The Floor
The method of fixing your furniture to the floor depends on the type of furniture and floor. It also depends on the solution you choose. For example, permanent or temporary. If you own a house or intend to live in a house for a long time, I suggest you go with method 1.
1. Anchor The Furniture To The Floor (Permanent Solution)
I vigorously recommend not applying this method if you are not a professional in this sector. You may follow this method if you are comparatively familiar with the home improvement tools. However, during the application, feel free to take help from a professional at any stage.
Start the process by determining the weight of your furniture. Select the appropriate anchor for your furniture, considering the weight and size of the furniture. After that, mark the location of your anchors on the floor, using a pencil or chalk.
When marking the location is complete, drill holes into the floor using a drill bit that is slightly larger than the anchor’s diameter. Then tap the anchor into place with a hammer and screwdriver.
Lastly, screw the furniture leg into place with a Phillips head screwdriver. After this step, you should be done. However, confirm the stability of the furniture before calling it a day.
This is the only permanent solution on the list. The following five methods or ways are more like temporary solutions. Even though they are quick, it doesn’t mean applying these methods will ensure less stability.
You can easily remove your furniture from the floor if you apply the following methods.
2. Use Rubber Grippers
Securing furniture to the floor using rubber grippers on the bottom of the legs of each piece of furniture is a prevalent method. These grippers are made of a soft, sticky material that grips the flooring and prevents sliding.
You can place them on the carpet and hardwood or laminate floors. Be sure to clean your floor before applying the grippers so that they will adhere properly.
3. Use Adhesive-Backed Felt Pads
Another option is adhesive-backed felt pads, available at most hardware stores and home centers. These pads have an adhesive backing that attaches directly to the bottom of each leg. Thus, they prevent the furniture from moving when someone steps on it or bumps it.
To install these pads, simply peel off the backing and stick them on the bottom of your furniture legs. However, it has a drawback. If you have to move your furniture frequently, these pads may not work for you. Because they don’t stay stuck very long once removed from a surface.
4. Use Casters
Casters are small wheels that you need to attach to the bottom of pieces of furniture such as tables and chairs. These wheels make it easy for you to move around the room.
But they also allow you to lock them in place when needed so that they remain stationary on one spot of flooring at all times. You can find casters with locks on them at most hardware stores or online retailers like Amazon or Walmart.
5. Secure Legs With Cable Ties
A cable tie is a thin plastic strip with teeth on one side and a hole for threading on the other end. The teeth grip onto each other when you pull them tight, which creates a practical anchor point for securing furniture legs.
You can also use cable ties to anchor larger pieces of furniture together (like a coffee table) or tether smaller pieces together (like two chairs). This can be a handy trick that can come in handy.
8 Reasons To Secure Furniture To The Floor: Safety Issues
As I have already mentioned, placing the furniture permanently on the floor is not the only reason to secure them to the floor. Here, I will mention eight reasons to secure the furniture to the floor.
1. Child Safety:
Children are naturally curious about everything around them, including their own home. They want to explore and learn about their world. This often means trying to climb onto things like couches or chairs so they can get a better view of what’s going on around them.
This can lead to accidents if they fall off and injure themselves while getting down from something high up like a couch or chair. You will be able to prevent these types of accidents by securing all furniture. If you do so, your kids cannot climb on them unsupervised during the day or night.
2. Pet Safety:
Just like children, pets can often be curious. In that case, an accident is likely to happen if you have unsecured or unstable furniture around your house. Securing the furniture to the floor using either a temporary or a permanent method is a great way to ensure your pet’s safety.
3. Safety Of The Furniture:
You may find this point surprising and wonder why I am mentioning it here. During an emergency or a natural calamity, your furniture may often get damaged if they are unsecured.
Now it makes sense, right? If you live in an earthquake-prone place, securing the furniture is a must to ensure the furniture’s safety.
4. Safety Of The Flooring:
Securing the furniture to the floor prevents scratches and dents on hardwood floors and tile floors. Even if you don’t have children or pets in your home, there are other ways furniture can scratch and make dents on hardwood or tile floors.
And if you improperly move unsecured furniture, it will likely cause severe damage to the floor.
5. Safety Of Other Stuff:
Your house will be safer from damage from the moving furniture. For example, unstable furniture will hit large appliances, like refrigerators and washing machines, when on the move due to an earthquake. Placing the furniture on the floor is the way to prevent this from happening.
6. Security Against Thieves:
Securing your furniture to the floor covers another significant aspect. For example, you live in an area that is theft or burglary prone. Furniture is often quite expensive. To safeguard them from thieves, it is wise to ensure that all of your furniture is screwed into place.
In this way, the thieves won’t be able to remove them easily. It protects your property from theft before you move out and leave them behind for someone else to take care of.
7. Security When Moving Furniture From One Place To Another:
Securing furniture can also help prevent damage when moving from one place to another. If your sofa or chair does not have legs made out of metal or wood, there is a chance that it will get damaged during transport.
It is especially when it isn’t correctly secured down with screws or bolts through its legs into the floorboards beneath them. The floor can also be of other surfaces such as concrete slabs or cement floors. Regardless of the floor type, securing the furniture to the bottom always gives you an advantage.
8. Safety From Natural Disasters:
Securing your furniture to the floor will help prevent damage from earthquakes or other natural disasters. If there is an earthquake while sleeping at night, things can become pretty nasty. All of your furniture could come crashing down on top of you if it isn’t secured.
5 Mistakes That You Should Ignore When Securing Furniture To Floor
The work you need to do to secure a particular piece of furniture to the floor can differ depending on various things. That is why you should try and avoid mistakes as much as you can. The following are the five mistakes you should ignore when securing furniture to the floor.
1. Not Installing The Anchor Properly
If you are going for a permanent solution like installing an anchor, you should always focus on installing it properly. You should not do some things like using too much force, not using a level while installing anchors, not pre-drilling holes for the anchor, etc. Doing this type of thing can mess up the whole installation.
2. Not Using Strong Enough Anchors And Screws
Choosing an anchor or the screws without considering the size and weight of the furniture is not the right thing to do. The installation will become messy if you do anything wrong while selecting the anchor or screws. The screws can even become thrashed or bend due to improper pressure from the furniture.
3. Not Using Strong Nails
Nails are handy for securing furniture, but they also have their drawbacks. One of the biggest problems with using nails is that they can easily bend or break under pressure, which can cause an accident in your home. If you’re going to use pins, make sure that you use thick ones to hold up better under stress.
4. Not Making Sure The Floor Can Support The Weight Of The Furniture
People often miss this point. But you also need to make sure the type of floor you use can support the furniture you intend to secure. Otherwise, the flooring will get damaged due to the heavy pressure from the furniture.
5. Using Temporary Solution For Permanent Furniture
This is another mistake that people often make. I have already said that you can either use a temporary solution or a permanent one to secure the furniture. But if you choose a temporary method for the furniture you intend to keep in your house for a long time, things can go wrong.
Temporary methods won’t give you backup for a long time. If you become assured of the stability of the furniture for a long time after applying a temporary solution, it won’t work after a certain period. So, it is a big no.
5 Tips To Install Furniture Restraints For Preventing Tip-Overs
Furniture restraints are a great way to prevent tip-overs. However, there is always a chance that you might do something wrong. To help you do the things in the right way, here are my five tips that you may follow while installing furniture restrains-
Tip 1: Measure Furniture Leg Thickness
Measure your furniture leg thicknesses before purchasing a tip-over restraint kit. The kit should include two straps with hooks on each end, two anchors (one for each strap), and screws. The screws will secure the anchor on top of the flooring surface where you want to install it.
Tip 2: Measure The Overall Furniture
Measure your furniture thoroughly before installing any type of restraint system on it. It will ensure that there is enough space between them and any other objects nearby (such as walls or other pieces of furniture).
Tip 3: Keep All The Hardware And Tools Nearby
Ensure you have enough hardware and tools on hand before you begin the installation. You need a drill and bits for drilling holes, screwdrivers for installing screws, and possibly an electric screwdriver.
Tip 4: Choose The Right Restraint
Choose your restraint based on what type of furniture you have. If it’s a large piece of furniture, try using a strap anchor kit or strap anchor kit with a strap. And in the case of light furniture, use a tip-over restraint bracket instead.
Tip 5: Consider Adding Additional Restraints If You Have A Large Couch Or Heavy Chair
Sometimes a single restraint may not be enough to prevent tip-overs of a large piece of furniture. If needed, go for additional control. In this way, you will get the right amount of necessary support to prevent tip-overs.
Related Questions:
Do You Need To Attach Furniture To The Floor?
You need to attach the furniture to the floor if you have a heavy piece of furniture like a TV stand or dresser. This helps prevent tipping, which can cause damage and injury if someone is standing nearby. You will need the attachment, especially when kids or pets roam around your house.
On the other hand, if the furniture is not heavy, a tiny table, for example, you may not need to attach them to the floor. However, you can use temporary ways to secure the light furniture for extra security.
How Do You Keep Your Furniture From Falling Over?
You can keep your furniture from falling over by securing them to the floor or the wall. You can easily secure the furniture to the wall by applying the kit that comes with the furniture. However, to secure the furniture to the floor, you must consider certain other things.
For example, you have to consider the floor type and the furniture type. You also have to think about how long you intend to live in the house. For securing furniture to the floor, you can use an anchor to attach them to the ground, and you can also use rubber grippers, casters, or even cable ties as a temporary solution.
How Do You Secure Furniture Without Studs?
You can secure your furniture without studs by using the furniture anchors. These anchors come in different sizes and work with different types of furniture. The design of anchors is suitable for holding up heavy items. You just have to drill holes into the bottom of your piece of furniture and then insert the anchor into it.
A power drill may become necessary for this job because some of these anchors require more than one hole to be drilled into your piece of furniture. Once they are in place, they will hold everything down securely. And after that, the furniture won’t move or tip over while you are moving around it.
What Is The Best Way To Secure Your Furniture To The Floor?
The best option is dependent on whether you have wood floors or concrete floors. There are two ways to do this- using metal brackets or wood blocks. If you have wood floors, using wooden blocks is your best bet since they won’t damage the flooring.
In addition, they’re easy to install and remove if needed. If you have concrete floors, using metal brackets will work just fine if you don’t overdo it. Too much weight on a single bracket can cause it to bend or break off entirely.
Conclusion:
You should know how to secure furniture to the floor at this stage of this article. Securing heavy furniture is a must. However, you should also consider securing the light furniture using temporary methods. It will provide you with extra safety for children and pets.
As the permanent solution or attaching the furniture to the floor is complex, you have to be precise. Never hesitate to call a pro if you think you are doing something wrong.
