You’ve found it — the perfect sofa or sectional for the basement. It’s the perfect fabric, the right colour, comfortable, and the right price. But… will it fit?
Basements can sometimes be tricky to furnish since stairways can be narrow and steep. Don’t be discouraged — there are a few methods and tricks to use, so hopefully you can find out if your sofa will fit before you leave the store.
Measure twice, buy once
First things first: using a measuring tape, find the dimensions of the tightest space you need to navigate to get to the basement. If you have multiple entrances to the basement, like an exterior door, measure that too — it might be a little wider or easier to get through.
Now, armed with those dimensions, visit the store. Find the dimensions of the sofa. You need to know the height from the floor to the highest point on the back, the depth from front to back, and its length from one arm to the other.
Compare and angle
Compare the dimensions from your home to those of the sofa. If you have enough space on either side of the doorway for the length of the sofa, and it’s smaller than your doorway, you’ll have no problem getting it down the stairs. Keep in mind, if it’s too close to call, you should be able to remove the feet on the sofa to gain a bit of space.
When that doesn’t do it, try comparing the sofa length to the height of the doorway. You may be able to stand the sofa on its end and fit it through on an angle, rotating it halfway through the doorway. This might be the most difficult measurement, and you may not know for sure unless you try it.
Get help and prep the sofa
When you do get the sofa home, be sure to have enough help — sofas can be quite heavy and awkward to move, especially through a narrow stairway. It would be ideal to have four people helping out, with one person at the bottom of the stairway to help navigate through tight spots and let the movers know when the last stair is coming.
If there are removable sofa cushions, this is the time to put them aside. Cushions that aren’t permanent to the sofa can shift and move, get stuck on wall corners, or fall off — making the move down the stairs not only difficult but potentially dangerous.
If the sofa just won’t fit down the stairs no matter which way you manoeuvre it, you could try to see if it comes apart into smaller sections. Sectionals and reclining sofas have removable parts that help make the pieces smaller and more manageable for tight spaces. If there are no obvious ways to take it apart without ruining the sofa, you could try finding a professional who can dismantle the sofa and then reassemble it for you in the basement.
Come in to your local Surplus Furniture Warehouse and let one of our knowledgeable salespeople help you pick out the best sofa or living room set for your space today.
