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Strike any key on a piano and you’ll get an inimitable, resonant
sound. Try to move the piano though and you’ll probably get an inimitable
headache. They may make beautiful music, but pianos are heavy (even light
pianos weight around 300 lbs.), they’re large and awkwardly shaped.
If you happen to drop one while you’re moving it, a replacement
will cost you thousands. Packing up a piano correctly and making the effort
to move it safely can add a lot of time (and a few torn ligaments) to a residential
move.
If at all possible, you should hire a professional piano mover to handle
the job. Piano movers are moving
companies that specialize in getting these unwieldy instruments from
point A to point B. Some garden variety residential
movers have the experience and tools necessary to safely move your piano.
However, if you’re serious about moving your piano right, it’s
best to go with a professional piano mover; these are the companies that
move pianos between factories and showrooms.
Regardless of who you pick to handle the job, the most important part of
moving a piano is packing it. In a nutshell, this means wrapping the piano
in a series of blankets and pads so that the surface of the piano isn’t
scuffed or gouged (refinishing a piano can be almost as expensive as replacing
it). In many cases, a piano’s delicate, internal moving parts will
need to be secured as well. Making sure the piano is moved in a way that
avoids damaging bumps and scrapes is a piano mover’s second most important
task. Any professional piano mover worth their salt will have special tools
for the job: like a piano dolly, a heavy duty handcart that can support a
piano’s weight and a piano board, a small, indoor bodyboard that can
ease big loads down stairs with minimum turbulence.
All this, though, is just the tip of iceberg. Unfortunately, even if you’re
feeling like trading in your baby grand for a Kawasaki keyboard, there’s
no backing out of it now: you’d still have to get it out of the house.
To move your piano as simply and easily as you play it, check out the following
tips:
Either Way:
- Make sure the place you’re moving too can even fit a piano. What would happen if you moved your piano to your new house and it didn’t fit in any corner of any room? So to reduce a possible migraine, check the measurements of your piano and cross reference them with the measurements of the room you plan to have your piano in.
- Make sure your piano is accessible from all sides. Have you ever tried to move a piano before? If you have, then you know it’s easiest if you can push, pull, or lift the piano from any angle.
If You’re Hiring a Piano Mover:
- To find a piano mover, try searching 123
Movers directory for a residential mover who can handle your job or
check your local yellow pages. If you want a piano moving specialist, try
calling your local piano dealer and asking them who they deal with.
- As with any moving company, be sure to ask prospective piano movers about
their insurance coverage. In the vast majority of cases, the amount of insurance
they carry will be more than enough to cover your instrument. If it doesn’t,
or if you’d like additional coverage, contact your homeowner’s
insurance agent and ask about arranging for a rider to your policy that
would insure the piano while it’s being shipped.
- Occasionally, piano movers may attempt to “keyboard” a piano
in order to move it: this entails removing the keyboard so that the piano
can fit through tight spots. Let your mover know at the outset that you
don’t want this done.
- Bear in mind that some long distance piano movers won’t come to
your home. Instead, you’ll be responsible for getting your instrument
to your local piano dealer, and then the mover will transport it from there
to a piano dealer near your destination.
- When your piano arrives at its destination, make sure that the movers
place it somewhere where it won’t be subject to major shifts in temperature
- somewhere away from heating ducts, windows and doors. Even minor warping,
caused by small temperature changes, can affect a piano’s sound.
If You’re Doing it Yourself:
- You’ll realize pretty soon you can’t do it alone: when you
get help, make sure your assistants (you’ll need at least four – two
in front of the piano and two in back) are wearing gloves and that none
have a history of back problems.
- Before you start moving the piano make sure the lid is down and locked.
Also make sure that there are no obstacles along your planned move route.
- Be sure to lift with your legs, not your back.
- If you can, place the piano on a heavy duty dolly before moving it. If
you don’t have a heavy duty dolly, don’t lift the piano more
than a few inches off the ground and don’t move it more than a few
inches forward at a time.
- Move the piano endways, not sideways.
- If you’re moving the piano outside, wrap it in plastic so as to
prevent any potential water damage.
- When rolling the piano, be extra careful when rolling over thresholds
or doorjambs. Even little bumps can put expensive dents in a piano.
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