Photo by puhimec on Envato Elements
If you have a grand piano, stop what you’re thinking of doing and call a moving company.
To move a piano you need:
- Headband;
- Work gloves;
- Adhesive wrap (fabric can also be used);
- Heavy duty cart.
- car straps
- Weight lifting straps.
- Ramp for vans.
- Cardboard pads.
- Upper body strength of at least 4 individuals.
- How to move an upright piano by yourself.
- Measurement of the dimensions of the upright piano.
Before you do anything else, start by measuring the size of the piano. You have to be 100% sure of the specific dimensions of your particular upright piano. Generally, an upright piano has a height of 110 to 135 cm, a width of about 150 cm, and a depth of about 60 cm.
Proper transportation of your piano will help minimize moving costs since you won’t have to pay experts to do it for you. Continue with the moving procedure.
Step and clear the course. Use masking tape or string to determine the door frames to make sure the piano can fit through them. Then clear the path of any obstructions, including throw rugs.
Remove decorations, if any. An advantage of upright pianos is that they have a shape that is not difficult to handle, unlike grand pianos.
Wrap the piano. First, wrap the cover over the keyboard with tape, just in case. This is done to ensure that the cover stays in place during travel. For the rest of the instrument, you can use cling wrap or a cloth that is large enough to completely cover it. Protect the wrapper with tape.
Raise the piano on a dolly. For this, you will need to put on your work gloves and get help from friends. If you never believed how heavy a piano is, the weight of an upright piano is around 130 kg. In contrast, a grand piano can reach 500 kg. You need at least three pairs of strong arms to lift an upright piano onto the dolly (and at least six for a grand piano). While the experts use electronic devices to make it simple, safe, and with very little pressure.
- Hold the piano firmly with wrist straps.
- Press with the dolly.
- Use a ramp for the van. The piano must be pushed and pushed in the van at the same time. Use the lifting straps for that and be very careful when backing up, the weight of the piano is big enough to crush you or at least give you a minor injury if you’re not careful enough.
- Protect the piano in the van. The piano should be placed against the back wall of the van with a lot of other things in front of it.
- You can protect it with furniture.
How to move a grand piano.
There are many ways to move a grand piano. This is just one of the methods to do it safely and with fantastic efficiency. It is also done step by step in the integrated video shown below.
- Wedge the keyboard cover closed by stuffing each end with tissue paper.
- Remove the keyboard cover if possible and cover it with a soft cloth for added protection.
- Get rid of the cover hinge pins with special care and then loosen the screws on the plate that hold the pins.
- After nothing else supports the top, lift it off the piano, without moving or rubbing it against the instrument. Set it aside and wrap it well to protect it from scratches during shipping.
- Learn which piano leg is identified as number 1 and delete it. Carefully position the piano so that its top cover rests on a thick, soft fabric, previously placed on the floor next to leg 1.
- Hold it in this position while someone else gets rid of the rest of the grand piano’s legs.
Fill in all 3 legs separately.
- Cover the entire piano with moving blankets.
- Proceed with packing the piano in the van. If the instrument is on an upper floor of the residential or commercial property and there is an elevator, which is large enough, you can use it. Otherwise, at least 3 people will be required to bring the piano down the stairs.
- Lay moving blankets on the floor of the trunk of the van before placing the piano on top.
