GUIDE · HOW TO GET A COUCH THROUGH A DOORMeasure twice. Lift once.
Before you push, pivot or give up, a few measurements will tell you whether a couch can get through a door in one piece, and which way to carry it. Here's the method we use in New York apartments every day.
Start with the couch
Measure three things: the height from the floor to the top of the back, the depth from the front of the seat to the back, and the overall length from arm to arm.
Then measure the diagonal depth, the number that decides most doorways. Lay a straight edge from the top of the back to the front of the arm, and measure from the bottom corner at the back of the sofa up to the straight edge, at a right angle to it. If the doorway is wider than the diagonal depth, the couch can usually be tilted back and eased through, even when its plain depth is a little too much.
Take the cushions off and check whether the legs unscrew. Removing them often gains a few inches.
Measure the whole route
A couch has to clear every point between the street and the room, not just the apartment door. Measure each doorway with the door fully open, from the face of the door to the opposite frame. Then check hallway widths, the ceiling height at each turn, the width of the stairs and the headroom above each landing.
In an elevator, measure the door width and the cab's depth, height and diagonal. In many prewar buildings, the elevator decides the plan.
Moves that help
Take the door off its hinges and remove the legs and cushions. Wrap the couch in blankets to protect the fabric and the walls.
For most sofas, the move that works is to stand the couch on its end, back toward the hinge side, and hook it through the opening: top through first, then curl the bottom around the frame. Go slowly, with someone on each end.
Never force it. If it's binding against the frame, stop. Forcing can crack the frame, tear the fabric and damage the doorway.
When disassembly is the answer
If the measurements don't work, or the couch is stuck halfway, it's time to take it apart. Most sofas can lose their arms, back or seat sections, and sectionals separate at their connectors. Done properly, the couch goes back together looking and sitting as it did before.
Send us photos of the couch and the tight spot, and we'll tell you what it will take.
New York extras
Many buildings need a freight elevator booked in advance, keep set hours for furniture moves or ask for a certificate of insurance. Check with your super or management company before delivery day.
