Whether you want to move your piano to a new room or to a new house, you'll want to hire a professional piano mover to help. Moving a piano is tricky and if you damage it, it may never sound the same again. Plus, if you have an expensive grand piano, ruining it could be a big financial loss. Professionals have the equipment and expertise to move any size piano without causing damage to it. Here are some of the steps involved.
Plan The Path And Remove Obstacles
The first step is to plan the route for getting the piano to its new location. Measure doorways, hallways, and stairs to find a path that will accommodate the piano. You may need to remove doors and push furniture out of the way so there is a wide, clear path available for the piano movers.
Prepare The Piano For Moving
The lid should be closed and secured so it doesn't open while being handled. One way to ensure that is to wrap the entire piano tightly in blankets and then tape the blankets in place or secure them with straps. The blankets also protect the piano from scratches and other damage. The mover may remove the casters from the piano so the legs will be more stable. Casters are only intended for slight position adjustments and are not intended for rolling a piano across a room, so they won't be used during the move anyway. Once the piano is wrapped, it is placed on a dolly so it can be pushed rather than carried. Pianos are very difficult to carry for a couple of reasons. They are heavy, but they also have their weight distributed unevenly. Even if several strong people lift the piano to carry it, it is still dangerous and difficult to do because of the uneven weight distribution.
Move The Piano To Its New Location
Several people are involved in the actual moving of your piano. While the dolly will be pushed over level flooring, the piano may need to be lifted over bumps and other obstructions. Stairs are a problem both going up and down since the piano will have to be lifted by the straps for each step taken. A mover will have specialty equipment to help lift the piano. If there is an alternate way, the piano may be lifted between floors rather than using the stairs. If you're moving to a new home, the piano should be placed into the moving truck first so it is protected against a wall. Then, other furniture should be safely packed next to it and the space filled with padding to prevent the piano from moving.
Once your piano is in it's new place, you'll want to have it tuned so it is restored to its original condition after being jostled around. Moving a piano is a big job, but experts know how to do it the right way. Plus, when you hire a professional to move your piano, it will be protected by insurance so you won't be out thousands of dollars if the piano is destroyed or damaged.
Have you ever thought about how much you needed to store on a regular basis? About six months ago, I became absolutely overwhelmed with the sight of how much we had in our basement. It was really discouraging to see, but before we knew it, we were concerned about animals and things starting on fire. I knew that we had to repack everything and get rid of some stuff, just to be able to make things right. I learned the art of moving and storage, and I wanted to teach other people too. Check out this blog to find out how you can store a little smarter.