How does one move a piano? Very scrupulously.
Ok, I'm being a tiny harsh, but moving a piano is a major undertaking.
I'm a big advocate of hiring a professional mover to move a piano. Pianos are heavy and it's easy to damage a piano while moving it. I'm talking from experience. I own a Kimball piano my parents bought brand new for me when I was a kid. That piano was a big thing 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 home. My husband and his bros moved it themselves. It wasn't a simple job even with the moving dolly they used (pianos weigh several hundred pounds - grand pianos can weigh 1,500 pounds ). The newbie move of my piano resulted in each of the piano legs being damaged (a common 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 husband and I thought we might save cash by doing it ourselves. It had been a lesson I should have remembered, but I was foolish a second time.
A few years back my husband and I made a new house. When it came time to move the piano again, my husband was disinclined to hire someone to move it professionally because our pocketbook was feeling empty from the expense 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 two miles from our old one; and he had a dolly, a trailer, and a brother who was ready to help him.
Everything went O.K till my partner 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 large amount 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 estimation. It's going to take a lot of time and money to fix the piano. It needs to be completely reconstructed. Due to the labor involved, it might be cheaper to buy a new piano than have it fixed, but the piano has plenty of soppy worth to me so I will 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 almost always strap the piano on a skid called a piano board. They also cover the piano with blankets to help protect it. The complete bundle is then often put on a dolly and brought to its destination. If steps are involved, the piano is taken off the dolly and declined up or down the steps on the piano board.
Moving a grand piano is a bit more concerned. The lid, lid hinges, pedal lyre, and leg on the straight side of the piano are usually 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 like to move a piano up or down stairs. If it is possible, they prefer to hoist it to the acceptable floor via a window that is large enough to accommodate the piano.
So what do you do if you simply need to move your piano from one part of a room to another? First, decide if it is truly necessary 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 damaged.
Be very careful to elude putting too much weight on the legs. Get a few strong 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 watch out 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 try and move it. It's not necessary (and not recommended) to lift the piano off the floor completely.
If you are going to move a piano often, consider having it fitted with special casters that will allow you to move the piano simply. 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 suggestion 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 credible movers in your area.
Okay, so you have 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, drafts, where it's out of direct daylight, and where the temperature and humidity are stable. The reason is because pianos are delicate to humidity and temperature. Plenty of temperature and humidity swings bring about a piano to go out of tune faster than normal, can damage the wood case, and if they are serious they even ultimately cause structural failure.
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 find a room in your house or flat which has constantly stable temperature and humidity. That is the best room for your piano.
If you can not find a place in your loft or home that is out of direct sunlight, free of drafts, and does not 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 instead of having what I now own - an oversized paperweight that should be dusted.
Ok, I'm being a tiny harsh, but moving a piano is a major undertaking.
I'm a big advocate of hiring a professional mover to move a piano. Pianos are heavy and it's easy to damage a piano while moving it. I'm talking from experience. I own a Kimball piano my parents bought brand new for me when I was a kid. That piano was a big thing 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 home. My husband and his bros moved it themselves. It wasn't a simple job even with the moving dolly they used (pianos weigh several hundred pounds - grand pianos can weigh 1,500 pounds ). The newbie move of my piano resulted in each of the piano legs being damaged (a common 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 husband and I thought we might save cash by doing it ourselves. It had been a lesson I should have remembered, but I was foolish a second time.
A few years back my husband and I made a new house. When it came time to move the piano again, my husband was disinclined to hire someone to move it professionally because our pocketbook was feeling empty from the expense 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 two miles from our old one; and he had a dolly, a trailer, and a brother who was ready to help him.
Everything went O.K till my partner 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 large amount 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 estimation. It's going to take a lot of time and money to fix the piano. It needs to be completely reconstructed. Due to the labor involved, it might be cheaper to buy a new piano than have it fixed, but the piano has plenty of soppy worth to me so I will 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 almost always strap the piano on a skid called a piano board. They also cover the piano with blankets to help protect it. The complete bundle is then often put on a dolly and brought to its destination. If steps are involved, the piano is taken off the dolly and declined up or down the steps on the piano board.
Moving a grand piano is a bit more concerned. The lid, lid hinges, pedal lyre, and leg on the straight side of the piano are usually 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 like to move a piano up or down stairs. If it is possible, they prefer to hoist it to the acceptable floor via a window that is large enough to accommodate the piano.
So what do you do if you simply need to move your piano from one part of a room to another? First, decide if it is truly necessary 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 damaged.
Be very careful to elude putting too much weight on the legs. Get a few strong 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 watch out 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 try and move it. It's not necessary (and not recommended) to lift the piano off the floor completely.
If you are going to move a piano often, consider having it fitted with special casters that will allow you to move the piano simply. 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 suggestion 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 credible movers in your area.
Okay, so you have 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, drafts, where it's out of direct daylight, and where the temperature and humidity are stable. The reason is because pianos are delicate to humidity and temperature. Plenty of temperature and humidity swings bring about a piano to go out of tune faster than normal, can damage the wood case, and if they are serious they even ultimately cause structural failure.
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 find a room in your house or flat which has constantly stable temperature and humidity. That is the best room for your piano.
If you can not find a place in your loft or home that is out of direct sunlight, free of drafts, and does not 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 instead of having what I now own - an oversized paperweight that should be dusted.
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