Moving large TVs and screens in Jeddah
A large screen is the most expensive thing in the house for its size, and what ruins it is almost never a drop. It is travelling flat. The display panel in a modern television is extremely thin and held in a frame, so pressure on its face or a slight twist in the frame leaves a permanent mark that cannot be repaired and is not covered by warranty. One rule never bends: a screen travels upright, braced between soft items, with nothing on top of it.
Why screens fail in transit
The reason is technical, simple, and worth understanding before you book.
A television is not a sealed box. It is a stack of thin layers held in a frame. Laid flat, the panel carries its own weight across its whole area instead of letting the frame carry it, and every bump on the road turns into point pressure in one spot.
- Flat transport produces dark patches or lines that only appear once the set is switched on.
- Pressure on the face, even by hand, can leave a permanent mark on a thin panel.
- A slight twist in the frame separates the backlight layers and shows as a bright blotch.
- A sudden temperature change from an air-conditioned room to an open bed at midday causes internal condensation.
Everything that follows is aimed at those four specific failures rather than at general carefulness.
Before dismantling: what to photograph and collect
Five minutes that prevent an hour of guesswork at the new address.
Photograph the cables
One picture of the back before anything is unplugged removes all guesswork about ports later.
Collect the bracket screws
Wall-bracket screws are non-standard sizes and hard to replace. Bag them and tape the bag to the bracket.
Look for the original box
If you kept it, it is the best possible packaging by a distance, with foam shaped for that exact model.
Unplug well in advance
Disconnect before the slot and never move a set that is still warm after hours of use.
The original box halves the risk on its own. Without it, the alternative in the next section does the job.
Correct wrapping without the original box
Layer order from the inside out.
A soft layer against the face
Clean cloth or a soft cover in contact with the screen. Never rough plastic and never printed paper.
Foam or bubble wrap
A full layer over the face and back, with extra attention to the four corners, which are the break points.
Stiff card over the face
A sheet of card cut to the screen size, fixed over the face so nothing can press on one spot.
An outer wrap
Plastic film or a moving blanket, tied without heavy tension. Over-tightening the frame is as harmful as pressure.
A clear mark
Write the upright direction and the word SCREEN on both faces, so whoever lifts it next cannot get it wrong.
Full wrapping takes ten to fifteen minutes for one screen, and it is the best quarter of an hour spent on moving day.
Removing and refitting the wall bracket
The part that takes longer than the screen itself.
Large screens in Jeddah are usually on a wall bracket, and taking it down and putting it back up is not a minor step. The bracket fixes into either concrete or plasterboard, and the difference decides the fixing type entirely.
- A concrete wall takes the bracket directly with suitable anchors.
- Plasterboard needs specialist fixings or mounting onto the metal studs behind it, or the bracket pulls out within weeks.
- Mounting height is set so the centre of the screen meets the eye line of someone seated, not standing.
- Enough clearance is left behind the set for heat to escape and cables to run.
- If you are a tenant, the old bracket holes get made good before handover.
General dismantling and assembly is covered on the disassembly and assembly page.
How the screen rides in the vehicle
There is exactly one correct position and no alternative to it.
The screen travels upright on its bottom edge, leaning against a flat surface, secured so it can neither slide nor tilt. In that position the frame carries the load exactly as it was designed to.
- Leaned against the vehicle wall or a mattress, never against hard items with corners.
- Nothing stacked on top of it, however light.
- Secured with a flexible strap around the wrapping, never around the bare frame.
- Not carried at the rear of an open bed, where vibration is at its worst.
- In summer, not left on the vehicle in direct sun while loading continues.
For the load as a whole, see the packing service page.
The mistakes we hear about most
Each one has cost somebody the price of a new screen.
It rarely takes real carelessness. Most of the damage we hear about happened on a short move that the family did themselves in good faith.
- Laying the screen flat in a car boot or across a back seat.
- Stacking boxes or cushions on top of the screen to hold it still, which is precisely backwards.
- Carrying it by the top edge alone instead of from both sides with two people.
- Running tape that touches the face or the frame.
- Switching it on immediately on a very hot day before its temperature has evened out.
- Leaving the bracket screws behind at the old address. They are the single hardest part to replace.
That last rule bears repeating: after a move on a hot day, give the screen half an hour before switching it on.
The other screens in the house
It is not only the main set.
Most homes have more than one screen, and each type needs a slightly different approach to wrapping and transport.
- Small bedroom televisions: wrapped the same way, but safely carried by one person.
- Computer monitors: base removed and wrapped separately, with any adjustable arm locked in its closed position.
- Curved screens: the most sensitive of all. Upright only, and strongly preferably in the original box.
- Soundbars and audio units: moved with the screen, ideally in the same box, so the cables stay together.
We count screens as a separate line in the survey inventory, because they are the first thing anyone asks about when the load arrives.
Cables and connected devices
Half the reassembly time disappears here, not at the screen.
The screen itself goes back up in ten minutes. Reconnecting the receiver, soundbar, games console and power strip can take twice that if the cables were not organised first. A little order before dismantling turns this stage into minutes.
Label the cables
A small sticker at each end naming the device. The fastest and cheapest thing you can do.
Coil each cable separately
Tangled cables in one bag cost a long time to sort out at the other end.
Keep devices with the screen
Receiver, soundbar and console travel in the same box or beside it so the set stays together.
Remotes and batteries
Into one bag taped to the back of the screen. They are the most commonly lost and hardest to match.
This step is yours rather than the mover one, and it is among the biggest savers of a moving-day evening.
What the warranty covers and what it does not
Worth knowing before you decide who carries the screen.
Television warranties in Saudi Arabia cover manufacturing defects. They do not cover transport damage or physical damage to the panel. A screen damaged in a move is therefore a total loss at its full value, not a repair bill.
- The display panel is the most expensive component, and replacing it usually approaches the price of a new set.
- Internal damage does not always show on arrival and can appear hours into the first use.
- For that reason we switch the set on and confirm it works before leaving, when the customer asks us to.
- Photos before dismantling and after refitting are the best record of the device condition.
We record screen condition in the written inventory alongside the other large items, and that helps you whether you use us or anyone else.
Short move or long move: how the wrapping changes
Distance sets the level of protection actually required.
Not every move needs the same depth of wrapping. Distance and time on the road decide how many layers a screen genuinely needs.
| Type of move | Wrapping required |
|---|---|
| Within the same building or between floors | Soft cover and a two-person upright carry |
| Between neighbouring districts | Full foam plus a stiff card over the face |
| Across the city or on a fast road | Full wrap, strapped, with nothing placed on top |
| Intercity or into storage | Original box if available, otherwise a full wrap inside a reinforced carton |
In every case the upright position remains a fixed condition that distance never changes.
For local moves see short-distance moving.
Screens going into storage
A stored screen needs two conditions, not one.
If the screen is going into storage rather than straight into a home, standing it upright is not enough on its own, because time adds humidity and pressure from whatever sits beside it.
| Storage volume | Monthly rate (SAR) |
|---|---|
| One to two rooms | 150 – 300 |
| Full apartment | 250 – 450 |
| Villa | 400 – 800 |
Storage is billed monthly and includes inventory and wrapping before intake.
We store screens upright on shelving rather than on the floor, with dividers between them and no heavy items stacked in front. See furniture storage.
Booking a move that includes large screens
Four steps.
- Tell us how many screens there are and the size of each, and whether they are on wall brackets.
- Send a photo of the back of the set and of the bracket if you can, on WhatsApp.
- Keep the original box if you still have it and say so, because it changes the wrapping plan.
- You get a free survey and a written quote that includes bracket removal and refitting if requested.
The moving checklist covers general preparation and appliance packing covers the rest of the electronics.
Frequently asked questions
No. A screen always travels upright, because flat transport spreads the panel weight across its area and causes patches or lines that show once it is switched on.
Wrap a soft layer against the face, then foam, then a stiff card over the face, then an outer wrap, and mark the upright direction clearly.
Yes. It falls under dismantling and assembly, and includes refitting at the new address with fixings suited to the wall type.
By two people from the sides, never by the top edge alone, and without touching the face at all.
On a hot day, leave it half an hour to even out. Switching on straight after a large temperature change risks internal condensation.
Yes, they are the most sensitive. Upright transport only, and the original box is strongly preferred if you have it.
Upright against a flat surface or a mattress, strapped around the wrapping, with nothing placed on top of it.
Yes, upright on shelving rather than on the floor, with dividers between them and nothing heavy stacked in front.
No separate charge. Transport sits within the overall price by home size, with bracket removal and refitting added under dismantling and assembly.
Laying it flat and then weighing it down with boxes or cushions. That is what we hear about most after short self-moves.
Book a free survey today
Send photos of your furniture on WhatsApp and get a written quote before you commit.