Glass tabletops: separate, wrap, stand on edge

Glass dining tables, coffee tables and desks with a loose glass top are common on Bay Area moves, and they are easy to underestimate. A tempered glass top is strong across its face and weak at its edges and corners, and a top resting on its base in a moving truck is a top waiting for a pothole. So the top and the base are handled as two separate items. The base is wrapped in moving blankets like any furniture; the glass gets its own packing.

Our crews wrap glass tops all the time. The top is lifted off by two people, wrapped, and protected along every edge and corner, then carried and loaded standing on its edge, never laid flat with things on top. If the top is set into a frame or bonded to the base, the foreman will decide on the spot whether it is safer to move the piece whole. Packing materials for a glass top are bulky-fragile materials: they are charged as used, or covered by the Silver Package.

The Silver Package adds $35 per hour to the whole move and covers the packing of bulky fragile items such as TVs, mirrors, large frames and glass tops, plus mattress covers. With one coffee table, buying materials as used is usually cheaper. With a glass dining table, two TVs and a few mirrors, Silver often wins. You do not need to decide in advance: tell the foreman at the end and we will compare both totals. The base rate is the same any day: $175 per hour for 3 movers, $235 for 4, with a 3-hour minimum.

Many glass tables sit on a metal or wooden base that comes apart. Taking a table apart and putting it back together is included in the hourly rate, so legs come off and the hardware is bagged and kept with the base. Stone and marble tops are a different matter because of their weight: a large stone slab can be well over 300 pounds, and anything in that range needs a photo first so David can confirm whether we can move it and whether to add a mover.

• Clear everything off the table the night before, including decor and runners.
• Note whether the glass is loose, clipped or glued to the base.
• Measure the top if it is unusually large or round.
• Keep pets and children away from the room while the glass is moving.
• Decide where the table goes at the new home so the glass is not leaned against a wall twice.

Basic valuation of $0.60 per pound per article is included on every move. It is weight-based, so for a light glass top it is a small amount. If a table is expensive to replace, consider full value protection from Baker International at bakerintl.com, mover ID 17421, bought directly by you before the move.