Will A 40 Inch Wide Sofa Fit Through A 36 Inch Door? (It Depends!)
Getting new furniture is fun and exciting, as is moving (depending on the circumstances). But, what if you have a sofa that’s 40-inches wide? The standard clearance for a door is 36 inches wide, so would the sofa even fit through that small of an opening? If you don’t have an alternative way to get the couch in or out, like through a sliding glass door, will this be a problem?
Fitting a 40-inch wide sofa through a 36-inch door is possible. However, you do need to do some homework beforehand. If the feet of the couch come off, you might be able to maneuver it through the doorway. Furthermore, you may have to get creative in the way you transfer the sofa through the entrance, but it can be done.
Most furniture can easily pass through doorways of size between 33 inches and 34 inches. Therefore, a 36” width is more than enough to pass regular sofas through the door. However, it would help if you had enough egress on both sides of the door to give space for the furniture to pass. In this article, we’ll cover the possible issues with fitting couches in doorways, as well as ways to work around that.
Related Content: Sectional Sofa Dimensions | Types of Sofas & Couches | How To Remove A Door Handle Without Screws
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Why Doesn’t My Sofa Fit Through The Door?
If your sofa does not fit through the door, the chances are that your door width is not appropriate for the furniture to fit through. If the door is more than 33-inches, then you may not be turning the couch the right way to allow it to pass through the opening. Additionally, the egress around the door might not be enough for the furniture.
Video: Will Your Furniture Fit?
How Can I Pass My Sofa Through The Door?
Fitting a sofa through a door requires technique. Let’s look at some of the methods by which you can move the furniture through the doorway.
Measure Everything Accurately
This is the first step that will help you understand if your sofa can move through the passageway easily or not. Measure the couch accurately. If the sofa has legs, make sure to add their length in width as well.
Then, measure the door for both length and breadth. Additionally, measure the egress on both sides of the door, as the hallway through which you need to move the sofa should also be big enough to pass the couch through the doorway.
With appropriate measurements, you have a better idea of moving the furniture through the door with little difficulty. If the legs on your sofa are too long, you can look and see if there is a way to take them off. Then, measure how wide the couch is without the legs. Check out our guide: Sectional Sofa Dimensions.
Use Padding On The Sides
Sometimes the door sofa is a tight fit through the door, causing an abrasion on the furniture. If you do not want to risk that, use pads to help the couch slide through the door a little easier.
Such pads are vertical metallic, plastic or wooden planks with soft padding on one side. Position these padded planks with the soft side touching the couch. Then push the sofa through the door to slide it through.
Tip: You can also use a furniture dolly beneath the sofa to make the moving part as smooth as possible.
Dismantle The Sofa
If the sofa is too big to fit through the door opening, choose to dismantle it if your chosen furniture has that feature. For instance, legs on some sofas can be removed to decrease the width. You can also remove headrests and armrests in some couches. Also, an entire section won’t fit into any doorway unless you plan on putting it in a garage for a man cave. So, in this situation, you’ll want to take it all apart to fit it into your home.
Move The Sofa In A Vertical Position
Position the sofa in a vertical position. Make sure to place it over a sliding surface like a cardboard piece so that the sofa’s fabric does not get damaged while you move it.
See which side of the sofa is able to fit easily through the opening while the furniture is standing vertically. Use 2-3 additional people to help you move the couch while in this position.
Move The Couch In An Angled Position
Another possible position is an angled one. Some sofas might have a decreased width when placed in an inclined position. In this position, you will need additional help to balance the unit over two legs. Be careful while using this method, the body of the sofa will put a lot of pressure on the legs at work.
Move The Couch In A Curved Position
This applies Physics to move the furniture through the door smartly. It works efficiently for sofas, especially with legs. Position the sofa on its back so that the legs are facing forward. Pass the part of the sofa with the front two legs through the door.
Then curve the furniture to let the front legs forward. This positioning of the sofa will give you a convenient space for pushing the rest of the furniture with the rear legs through the door. Then, move the sofa back in its upright position to place it wherever you want.
Tip: You need to have enough egress around the door to let the sofa pass through easily.
Get A Flat Pack Instead
If you still need to purchase a sofa, order a flat-pack instead. Flat packs can easily pass through small doors and assembled inside the room where you need to place the furniture. These are super convenient for the ones who have very narrow hallways, egresses, and corners around their doors.
Remove Baseboard Of Door To Create More Space
Some doors have a removable baseboard around them. When you remove these boards, the doorway’s width increases, which can give you some more space to pass the couch through the door opening, it might be a little tedious and time-consuming, but it can solve your problem.
Hire Professionals
If none of the above methods work for you, it’s time to take help from the professionals. Pro movers have decades of experience, tools, and skills to move furniture from one place to another through the most stubborn openings.
By looking at the area, they will be able to let you know the right method for fitting the sofa through your desired door.
Remove The Door
Something else you can do is take the door off of the hinges. It’s amazing how much room the door takes up when it’s in place. By removing the door, you’ll create enough room to be able to get your couch through the opening. All you need to do is take a hammer and a rod and tap the hinges out of place. Then, when it’s time to replace them, simply tap them back into place.
Use An Alternate Entry
If you have a home where you have more than one entrance, you can always try measuring the other doors. Sometimes even just 1/2 inch more will make all the difference in being able to wedge a couch through the opening. However, do so carefully. There have been instances of people harnessing couch and raising it to a 2nd or 3rd story apartment balcony. Don’t do this without the correct equipment and help.
Some Tips To Move The Furniture Efficiently
- Take the sofa apart. Remove the mattress, cushions, legs, and removable parts from the sofa so that it becomes lighter and narrower for you to move through the doorway.
- Never do it alone. Use all the help you can get. Let the helpers position at various sides of the sofa so you can all divide its weight evenly.
- Wear anti-skid shoes while pushing the sofa. You do not want to slip and injure yourself.
- Protect your walls. Your walls around the door also need protection from sharp corners and edges of the sofa. Use furniture wrap or blankets to cover the corners so that they do not scrape or dent the walls.
Related Questions
How do I know what size sofa will fit through my door?
What do you do if your couch doesn’t fit through the door?
Try to set the sofa upright on the end and enter it through the door seat first. Try to twist the couch through the doorway slowly. It’s almost like you’re curving it through the door. Sometimes, you might have to force it in. However, be careful with his as you may need to replace any trim if it’s damaged.
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Our Takeaway
Trying to move furniture can be stressful, especially if that piece of furniture doesn’t fit the way that it should through the doorway. By angling the couch or taking off the door, you should be able to make enough room to fit it through. If you can’t, you may want to hire a professional who can help you either by dissecting your couch, or taking it through an alternate route.
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