Moving A Piano Carefully

How does one move a piano? Very scrupulously.

Ok, I’m being a little sarcastic, but moving a piano is a serious undertaking.

I am a gigantic disciple of hiring a professional mover to move a piano. Pianos are heavy and it is simple to damage a piano while moving it. I’m speaking from experience. I own a Kimball piano my folks purchased new for me when I was a kid. That piano was a big deal to me after having played on an old “clunker” of a piano for many years. I played that new piano every day.

When I got married it was time to move the piano to my personal home. My husband and his brothers moved it themselves. It wasn’t an easy job even with the moving dolly they used (pianos weigh many hundred pounds – grand pianos can weigh 1,500 pounds). The newbie move of my piano ended in each of the piano legs being damaged ( a standard occurrence when folk move a piano themselves) and some unplanned internal work (some pins required correct and a string broke ). I should have hired a piano mover. Then I wouldn’t have had those issues, but my man and I thought we would save money by doing it ourselves. It had been a lesson I should have recalled, but I was foolish a 2nd time.

A few years ago my hubby and I built a new house. When it came time to move the piano again, my husband was disinclined to hire somebody to move it professionally because our pocketbook was already feeling empty from the cost of building the house ( he called our new house a “money-sucking black hole.”) In his mind, moving it wasn’t a massive deal. Our new house was less than 2 miles from our old one ; and he had a dolly, a trailer, and a brother who was prepared to help him.

Everything went OK till my man turned into the driveway of our new home. The sharpness of the turn strained the ropes holding the piano on the trailer and they broke. The piano tipped over and sustained a lot of damage (the entire “guts” of the piano are ruined and the case is chipped and scratched). I haven’t had it fixed yet, but I have gotten an estimate. It’s going to take a lot of time and money to fix the piano. It needs to be totally rebuilt. Due to the labor involved, it might be cheaper to buy a new piano than have it fixed, but the piano has plenty of mawkish price to me so I’m going to have it fixed. This is why I say, “Hire a professional!”

What does a professional piano mover do to guarantee a safe and successful move? With upright pianos, they nearly always strap the piano on a skid called a piano board. They also cover the piano with blankets to help protect it. The entire bundle is then often put on a dolly and brought to its destination. If steps are concerned, the piano is taken off the dolly and slipped up or down the steps on the piano board.

Moving a grand piano is a little more concerned. The lid, lid hinges, pedal lyre, and leg on the straight side of the piano are typically all removed. The piano is then put on the piano board, on its side, with the straight side down. The other legs of the piano are then removed. The piano is then covered with blankets, strapped to the board, and put on a dolly.

Some movers don’t love to move a piano up or down stairs. If it’s feasible, they like to hoist it to the suitable floor via a window that is large enough to accommodate the piano.

So what do you do if you simply wish to move your piano from one part of a room to another? First, decide if it is truly crucial to move it because there’s always the chance of damaging a piano even with a short move. Piano legs are the most probable thing to get broken or broken.

Be very careful to elude putting too much weight on the legs. Get some robust folk to help if the piano is an upright ; and get at least 5 people if it is a grand piano. With an upright or spinet, tilt the piano back a little to take the pressure off the front legs, but be cautious not to tip it back too far and tip it over. With a grand piano, lift the piano up enough to get the pressure off the legs before you attempt to move it. It’s not necessary (and not commended ) to lift the piano off the floor completely.

If you’re going to move a piano usually consider having it fitted with special casters that will allow you to move the piano without trouble. Or, have the piano placed on a piano truck.

How you do you find a good piano mover if you’ve decided to not try and move it yourself? My recommendation is that you call your local piano store and ask them for suggestions. They’ll be able to give you the name or names of reputable movers in your area.

Ok, so you’ve decided you are definitely going to move your piano and you have selected a method. Now you have to figure out where you are going to put the piano. Where should it go?

Try to put your piano in an area of a room where there are little or no drafts, where it’s out of direct sunlight, and where the temperature and humidity are stable. This is because pianos are delicate to humidity and temperature. Plenty of temperature and humidity swings bring about a piano to go out of tune quicker than normal, can damage the wood case, and if they are serious they can even eventually

Don’t place your piano over or next to a heat vent and elude placing it close to a fireplace. Don’t put in front of a window because that’s typically a drafty place as well as one with direct daylight. Try to get a room in your house or flat which has doggedly stable temperature and humidity. That is the best room for your piano.

If you can’t find a place in your flat or home that is out of direct daylight, freed from drafts, and doesn’t have gigantic temperature swings, you may wish to consider having a climate control system installed in your piano.

Moving and placing your piano properly will help guarantee you have a beautiful instrument to play for ages rather than having what I now own – an oversized paperweight that must be dusted.