How to Move an Oak Desk By Yourself

Last Updated: March 12, 2021

Oak is a very heavy wood when used to make furniture. A desk is a particularly heavy item of furniture because it's large, solid and contains drawers and other features. Trying to shift one alone is very hard work but there may be times when you have no choice but to try to do so. If this is the case, then the following suggestions may be of help to you, including sparing your back.

Steps

1
Remove all the things that can be taken off the desk. Remove all the drawers from the desk and set aside.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Shifting the desk if the floor can be marked

1
Prepare a piece of scrap lumber, about 1" thick and 3" x 9". Place it on the floor, butted up to the side of the desk. Pre-drill two holes and place a couple of deck screws through the scrap piece, into the floor. This provides a 'hard stop' for the desk on one side.
2
Position one of the dollies (flat, 4 wheels, available from hardware stores) on one side near your wide stance feet. Lift the desk end, by pushing on the side of the desk opposite where the floor cleat is, holding the desk from sliding.
3
Brace the desk up with your body. Carefully glide the square dolly under the lifted end of the desk. The dolly has carpet fabric attached to it, so it provides a 'grip' on the heavy desk.
4
Go around to the side of the desk that is braced on the floor cleat. Place the other dolly right next to the desk. Using a wide stance, lift the side of the desk up. It lifts much easier than the first side because the other end is already up on the dolly. You can now walk the desk over the other dolly, if the dolly at the other end has rotating caster wheels.
5
Remove the cleat from the floor.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Shifting the desk if the floor cannot be marked

1
Find a piece of 2 x4 long enough to extend to a wall. Cover the end of the 2 x 4 with a thick cloth or carpet piece so as not to mar the floor molding.
2
Attach the cleat to the end of the 2 x 4, on a slight angle, so that the cleat is at the approximate angle of the furniture in the tilted up position on one dolly. Depending on how bulky and heavy the item is to be moved, use two of them for better stability.
3
Move the furniture piece close to the 2 x 4/cleat device, until contact with the wall is made. Then lift/push on the opposite end, until the piece is tilted high enough to slide the dolly under.
4
Move the desk to its new location.

Warnings

If you can't lift/push the furniture item high enough to get first dolly under end, quit, and get help. Or, go out to the car and get the tire changing jack to get the lift done without hurting yourself.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0