Your sheet, your exit plan
A plywood sheet under a heavy appliance spreads the load and keeps a foot from gouging the rental floor. Bring a sheet you own, cut to a size you can slide back out the door with a helper. Do not screw it, nail it, or glue it to the truck. Fasteners you add are damage. Strap the appliance to the truck's tie-downs, not to the sheet alone. The sheet can skate on the wood if you brake hard, so keep it against the cab and keep the piece strapped. Call the site about appliances and rental trucks before you build this setup. A protected floor does not make a banned unit legal. Refrigerators still need refrigerant recovered by a certified technician. Do not cut or vent the lines.
The sheet is debris if you abandon it
When the appliance is off, the sheet comes out. If you are done with it and the site accepts clean wood, ask whether this sheet belongs in that pile or in trash because of stains and screws. Do not leave it in the box. Do not slide it out in the rental lot. Sweep the dust it trapped into a bag at the disposal site. Ordinary dry sawdust and grit go in the bay, not into a storm drain. Look under the sheet before you congratulate yourself. Nails and glass hide there. Magnet-sweep after the sheet is up. If the sheet is stuck because something leaked under it, stop and identify the liquid. Do not hose paint, oil, or an unknown slick out from under the board.
Gouges the sheet did not prevent
A gouge is damage, not dirt. Sweeping will not lift it. If the foot still cut the floor, tell the counter and show photos of the empty box. Do not paint or putty the cut as a cover. Next time, pads on the feet and a slower walk down the ramp do more than a thicker sheet you then cannot unload. The sheet also steals a little door height. Measure the appliance on the sheet against the opening before you rent a truck that is too short. A sheet that will not come out without prying is the wrong sheet. Take it home if the site will not take it, rather than breaking it up on the tipping floor.
Before you go
- Use a sheet you can slide back out, and do not screw it to the truck.
- Strap the heavy piece to the truck, not only to the plywood.
- Remove the sheet at the disposal site and ask where that wood goes.
- Magnet-sweep underneath and report a gouge instead of hiding it.
Screwing a plywood liner to the rental floor so it will not shift.
Questions people ask
Can I leave the sheet if I tell them it is a gift?
No. A sheet left in the box is a dirty return and may be damage if it is fastened. Take it out at the disposal site or take it back home. The rental company did not ask for a floor.
Is cardboard enough under a stove?
Cardboard catches grit. It does not stop a heavy foot from denting the plywood. Use a board you remove, or blankets, and walk the piece. Do not drag a stove across bare floor because you forgot the sheet at home.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.