label Move
electric_bolt Fast Answer / Key Takeaways
- check_circleDON'T Use Piano Casters for Rolling: Decorative brass wheels break easily and scratch hardwood floors; always lift onto a heavy 4-wheel rubber dolly.
- check_circleDO Pad Keyboard with Moving Blankets: Lock or lower the fallboard over keys, placing a felt strip between keys and lid before blanket wrapping.
- check_circleDON'T Tape Directly to Lacquered Wood: Packaging tape leaves permanent adhesive chemical marks on polished polyester or shellac finishes.
- check_circleDO Transport Grand Pianos on Skid Shoes: Remove legs and pedals, tilting the body onto a padded wooden piano board for narrow doorway maneuvers.
- check_circleStore in Climate-Controlled Rooms: Protect soundboards from seasonal warping in private storage rooms.
A piano is not a minor investment – not only from a financial point of view but also emotionally. Those in love with their music and passion to play the piano also make another significant investment into it – space. This is one of the few musical instruments that takes up a significant amount of space. This article covers everything you need to know about piano packing, including 5 essential dos and don’ts to ensure your piano arrives safely at its new home.
A piano is not made for tight spaces. Now if it is faced with a situation of moving or being stored temporarily in a different location, it calls for extra care and precaution. Packing it incorrectly or storing it in a tight space can cause long-term damage to the instrument, and subsequently costly repair work. Hence, it is always a promising idea to take time before moving the piano and understand the good practices. One of these is to be prudent and invest in getting a proper piano storage. We recommend a self-storage unit for the same.
Read the below essential dos and don’ts before you start packing and moving your piano to understand the other important practices:
| Piano Moving Phase | Crucial DO (Good practice) | Fatal DON'T (Common Mistake) | Risk Avoided |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Disassembly & Prep | Lock fallboard; remove music stand, pedals & grand piano legs | Attempting to move a grand piano with legs attached | Snapping delicate leg mounts & door frame damage |
| 2. Protective Layering | Layer thick cotton moving quilts; tape blankets to blankets | Applying brown packing tape directly onto polished wood finish | Stripping French polish or polyester lacquer |
| 3. Rolling & Transport | Use heavy-duty pneumatic dolly and piano skid board | Rolling piano on its decorative internal brass casters | Gouging hardwood floors and snapping wheel axles |
| 4. Vehicle Loading | Ramp load; strap flush against interior truck bulkheads | Leaving piano freestanding in cargo bed without tie-downs | Internal cast-iron harp fracture from sudden road braking |
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Do’s:
- Clean the piano keys with a damp cloth only. The polish should only be used to clean the wooden parts.
- Cover the piano with a soft cotton cloth or tarp to safeguard it from any possible environmental damages and dust.
- Delegate the responsibility of moving your piano to a professional, if possible. A piano can weigh anywhere from 136 kg to 453 kg. Without proper equipment, you will just end up hurting yourself and the piano.
- Always store the piano upright and never on its side.
- Ensure the facility is temperature and humidity controlled.
Don’ts:
- Do not use polish to clean the keys of the piano. That is meant only for the wood.
- Do not use rough packing material under the cover.
- Do not take your piano apart. Unlike other large pieces of furniture, where taking it apart is recommended, removing the lid or the soundboard from the piano can leave the strings, the hammers, and the other parts too exposed. One fault in the grand build of the piano can lead to permanent damage in the complex instrument.
- Do not store your piano against an exterior wall. Even if the walls are thick, the outdoor weather changes can trickle through the wall and damage the piano.
- Do not store the piano on the ground but on a pallet so it is above the ground level and is protected from vents, dampness, and accidental leakages.
Pro-tip: You should remember that once back from storage the piano may take time for it to adjust to its unfamiliar environment. Give it ten days before you tune it again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Piano casters are primarily decorative and designed only for slight positioning adjustments. Rolling a 250+ kg piano across room floors can easily snap the wooden leg mounts, jam the casters, and deeply gouge hardwood, marble, or tile flooring.
Never tune a piano immediately after transit. Allow the instrument to rest and acclimatize to the new room's temperature and humidity for at least 2 to 3 weeks so the solid spruce soundboard and steel string tensions stabilize.
Yes, provided you choose a dedicated climate-controlled private storage unit maintaining 20–22°C and 45–50% relative humidity. This prevents swelling of key actions, rust on piano strings, and soundboard warping.
