Try these two things first
- Take the legs off. Many unscrew by hand, and every bit of height helps at the door frame.
- Take the door off its hinges. It gives you a little more width.
Then stop pushing. Forcing a sofa through an opening that is too small marks the sofa, the door frame and the walls. If the legs and the door don't do it, the sofa is simply bigger than the opening, and another angle won't change that.
Why some sofas still won't pass
Every sofa is wood with upholstery over it, or metal with screws and upholstery over it. So every sofa can come apart. What changes is how much work it takes, and that depends on the upholstery, not the price tag. When the back upholstery is its own panel, the job is quick. When the back and arms are one continuous piece, more of it has to come off. Sleepers and recliners take more work because they are heavy. Which types of couch come apart →
How we take the back off
Most sofas don't come apart at factory joints. We lift the back upholstery panel and look at the frame to see where to cut. To get the back off, we usually cut the wood frame.
The U and the L
With the back off, what's left is a U: both arms and the seat. That fits through almost any NYC door. When the entrance is tighter, we take out an L instead: the back plus one arm, leaving the seat and the other arm.
How it goes back together
Inside your home, we screw wood pieces or metal plates across the cut. Most frames are held together with glue, so the reassembled joint is sturdier than it was. Then the upholstery goes back the way it was, and the sofa is placed where you want it.
Should you take it apart yourself?
Taking the legs off and the door off its hinges, yes. Cutting a frame and putting the upholstery back is a different job: it takes the right tools and the know-how to put the joint back together so it holds.
What it costs
- Most sofas, where the back upholstery is its own panel: from $275.
- Sleepers: about $300–$350. Recliners: about $350. They take more work because they are heavy.
- Back and arms in one continuous piece of upholstery: $400–$450.
- Each extra sectional piece taken apart: +$175.
- Stairs: no charge up to three flights, then +$25 per flight. Same day when you book before 7 PM; otherwise, the earliest open slot.
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