There isn’t a fancier item that you can have in your property than a piano – the musical instrument can elevate the look of any room you place it in and make it feel a lot more expensive. That said, while looking very eye-pleasing, having a whole piano in the middle of your living room isn’t very practical, especially if you aren’t playing it that often or just use it as decoration. This is the main reason why so many people decide to get rid of their musical instrument or to move it. Now, if you are reading this article, you probably have a piano and such thoughts have crossed your mind, including the question of how to move a piano by yourself.
In this article, we are going to answer this question.
Ready to find out how to move a piano? Before we get into the actual guide, we’ll have to cover…
The instruments that you’ll need for the piano move
Every moving job requires certain tools and piano removal is not an exception. Here is what’ll you have to get:
- Measuring tape;
- A couple of cardboard pads;
- Some plastic wrap or pieces of cloth;
- A bunch of weightlifting straps;
- A van ramp;
- A dolly;
- A nice pair of sturdy shoes and gloves;
- Moving blankets;
- A big enough vehicle, preferably a van;
- A couple of good friends.
We know that the list is long, but there isn’t an item on it that you can skip. That said, we also recommend that you arm up with lots of time and forearm strength.
How to move an upright piano
- First you’ll need to measure the piano. This will help you plan the moving process more easily. After all – you don’t want to start moving the piece, only to find out that the musical instrument doesn’t fit through the door.
- Clear your path. Get rid of any furniture and decorations – anything that can get in the way or damaged once you start moving the upright piano must go.
- If you aren’t planning on disposing of the piano, we recommend that you wrap the musical instrument in plastic wrap in order to protect it. Make sure that you do enough layers.
- Put on your work gloves and put the piano on the dolly. You are going to need those friends we talked about earlier. Be very careful while lifting the thing – you don’t want anyone to get hurt in the process.
- Strap the piano and push the dolly to the removals vehicle.
- Make sure to use a ramp for the van. You are also going to need the lifting straps for this part – you are basically going to be lifting and pushing the piano at the same time. Again – you need to be very careful while doing this.
- Secure the musical instrument in the van. Push the piano into the back of the vehicle and secure it with other items, so it doesn’t move around during the drive to the next location.
- Relocate the piano and you are practically done.
See how “easy” that was? Now, let’s continue with…
How to move a grand piano
There is a difference between relocating an upright piano and a grand piano. For starters, there is much more prep work involved when it comes to moving a grand piano.
Close the keyboard cover or directly remove it
You need to make sure that the keyboard is completely closed. You can wedge two pieces of paper at each end to accomplish this.
It’s even better for the removal process if you can just remove the cover and cover it in plastic wrap.
Remove the piano’s legs
Locate piano leg number 1 and carefully remove it. Once you’ve removed it, with the help of a friend, take care of the other legs of the musical instrument. Be very careful, grand pianos are very heavy – you don’t want to risk one landing on your foot.
Wrap each leg in plastic wrap and place it to the side.
Prepare the piano for the van
Get a couple of moving blankets and wrap them around the musical instrument to protect it during the drive.
Load the piano into the van
Again, with the help of a couple of volunteers, carefully lift the body of the grand piano and carry it to the van. We suggest plasting a couple of moving blankets on the floor of the van for extra protection. Also, like with the upright piano, you need to make sure the instrument isn’t moving around in the vehicle.
That’s it – you have successfully moved a grand piano! Give yourself a proper pat on the back and buy your moving crew dinner.
Why you shouldn’t move a piano by yourself
Now that we’ve covered how to move a piano by yourself, we need to talk about why you shouldn’t do it.
For starters – it’s very dangerous. Pianos are very heavy, which means that you can injure yourself very badly, if you’re not careful enough. Secondly – if you aren’t planning to get rid of the piano and just to relocate it, you risk damaging the musical instrument. Needless to say, having it repaired afterwards can cost you a serious amount of money. Then you have the third point – you can damage the surrounding areas, which can also burn a hole in your wallet.
To put things simple – if you have the option to hire a professional to relocate your piano, we really do suggest going for it. You’ll save a lot of time, a lot of headaches and, potentially – a lot of money.
Want to dispose of your piano?
If you’ve decided that you want to dispose of your old piano, but don’t feel like going through the madness that is moving it and trying to find a big enough vehicle for it, we suggest hiring a professional removals company that will take care of the task for you. A moving company like Rainbow Rubbish Removals. You read this right – we offer professional piano removal services in London that will make your life definitely easier. The service is very easy to schedule – all you have to do is contact us and decide on a day for your piano disposal appointment. We’ll then send you a team of professionals, who will load the musical instrument into their van and relocate it to a recycling center. Definitely beats handling the job yourself, right? And it actually gets better! Besides being very easy to organise and overall time- and back pain- saving, our piano disposal services are affordable! So, what are you waiting for? Make your service appointment with Rainbow Rubbish Removals now!
Conclusion
If you’ve decided to move a piano by yourself, we congratulate you on the bravery – the task really does require certain skills and anyone who manages to complete it, deserves a round of applause. Now, if you are planning to not just move the item, but to dispose of it, you can always save a little bit of time and back pain by hiring a professional disposal company. A professional removals company like Rainbow Rubbish Removals.