How to Move a Piano: 10 Steps for Moving a Piano Safely

Some statements are so obvious that saying them out loud can often cause people to roll their eyes or maybe even answer back sarcastically.

Pianos are difficult to move! will make people look in disbelief at the person who has just uttered these enlightening words and shoot back, No kidding!

However, rash and inconsiderate sarcasm aside, some home movers end up wishing somebody had told them the above statement before they attempted to move a piano by themselves.

That’s exactly what the task of moving a piano feels like – a relocation challenge of mammoth proportions that only a person with

• previous relocation experience,
• a bunch of reliable friends,
• proper moving equipment,
• a suitable moving vehicle, and
• anti-risk taking behavior

can pull it off safely.

After all, when moving a piano by yourself, you run the risk of saying your farewells to any of these:

• your health – possible minor or major injuries,
• your money – paying for repair works to restore your damaged property or broken musical instrument,
• your time – any failure to reach your goal will be counted as lost time, and
• your piano – any untimely damage inflicted on your precious instrument will directly influence the rest of the above-mentioned fundamental factors when moving a piano to another home.

To save you from big troubles and help you handle the extremely difficult task ahead of you, we have prepared the following practical DIY Piano Moving Guide.

So, how to move a piano by yourself?

Follow this complete step-by-step guide to learn how to move a piano without hiring piano movers.

Step 1. Understand why pianos are so difficult to move

Together with pool tables, hot tubs, metal safes, grandfather clocks, and antique furniture, pianos are the top contenders for the Most Difficult Things to Move prize due to their extreme weight, bulkiness, and fragility.

Weight: How much do pianos weigh?

Even toddlers know that pianos are heavy, but few people actually are interested in knowing why pianos are so heavy and exactly how much they weigh.

Regardless of the piano type, the substantial weight comes from the fundamental internal component that holds the strings together – a solid harp made of cast iron.

Additionally, both the soundboard and the entire piano casing (usually made of solid wood), not to mention the numerous mechanical parts inside, add up to the staggering weight of a piano.

• Spinet pianos: even the smallest upright pianos available on the market can weigh between 300 lbs. and 400 lbs.;
• Large upright pianos: their initial weight is about 500 lbs., but due to their variations, they can easily reach up to 800 lbs. or even more;
• Grand pianos: weighing up to 1,000 lbs., or sometimes even more for some specialized models, grand pianos are the hardest ones to move from one house to another due to their one-of-a-kind bulkiness too.

Size: Just how bulky and awkward are pianos for moving?

Moving a piano to another house, or even moving a piano to another room is never that simple.

In fact, it’s a rather complicated and delicate process because, besides the weight, the other factor that troubles the whole process is the awkward bulkiness of these lovely musical instruments.

Upright pianos tend to be rather tall, while grand pianos are notorious for their odd shapes. One troublesome problem in particular, even when moving a piano across the room, is the impossibility of distributing evenly the extreme weight of the instrument.

As a result, slight shifts in any direction can lead to much larger and unpredictable shifts in the overall balance and weight of the piano, thus making it extremely difficult to turn and maneuver the instrument around tight corners and steep stairs without personal injuries, property damage, or costly structural damage to the piano itself.

Fragility: Are pianos really so delicate?

Yes.

Pianos are not only incredibly sophisticated mechanical musical instruments (some models are said to contain more than 7,000 finely tuned moving parts), but they are also very delicate.

Damage to a piano being moved from point A to point B can come from practically anywhere and the extent of that physical harm may vary greatly:

• minor damage – superficial scratches and casing cracks,
• medium damage – broken legs, broken keys;
• serious damage – ruined sound or playing mechanisms.

5 Specialty Items That Are Almost Impossible to Move Without Movers

Step 2. Assess the piano moving risk properly

The most important thing you have to do before you even begin to prepare your piano for moving is to figure out whether you’re up to the piano moving challenge.

Having in mind the above-mentioned information, if you’re not well prepared for the challenge of moving your piano without professional piano movers, you run the risk of damaging your precious instrument forever – it might never be the same again even after it’s been repaired.

You really need to think about whether you are up to the task before seriously considering moving your piano on your own.

Your safest bet to protect your valuable instrument, your (more) valuable property, and your most valuable possession of them all (your health!) is to leave the Herculean task to specialty piano movers who have the extensive experience, proper training, and required equipment to move a piano in a perfectly safe way.

Step 3. Gather your piano-moving enthusiasts

Despite the serious challenge ahead of you, it is actually possible to move a piano by yourself as long as a number of must-have conditions are met. The proper execution of the piano relocation is vital, but the preparation stage is just as important for the success of the operation, if not even more so.

One thing is as clear as day – you won’t possibly be able to manage your strenuous piano-relocation project without the support of trusted helpers.

Get in touch with reliable friends of yours who you think will be suitable for the job. See if they will be available on the scheduled day of the move and, of course, whether they will be willing to help you out at all.

Be straightforward with them from the beginning and explain to them why exactly you need their invaluable assistance.

Yes, your buddies should know beforehand what they are against simply because transporting a super heavy musical instrument from one house to another is very different from, let’s say, moving a sofa and a couple of armchairs.

Your helpers don’t need to be blessed with inhuman physical strength (although it would definitely help) – strength comes in numbers. Gather up at least 4 non-professional movers to help you out and you have a real chance of success.

How to Get Friends to Help You Move

Step 4. Get hold of the right moving equipment

Once you have the right assistance committed to your piano moving job, the next logical step for you is to obtain the required equipment for transporting your prized musical instrument to its new location.

Don’t start the piano moving operations without:

• A moving dolly/hand truck: this is an absolute must-have piece of moving equipment that you are advised to rent temporarily instead of purchase permanently. Depending on the dimensions of your piano, you may need an extra wheeled companion to get the job done problem-free. Make sure the dolly/hand truck has four heavy-duty wheels and that it can handle the specific load.
• Furniture straps: the straps will give you a much better hold on the instrument and will ease its enormous weight on you and your assistants. Also, they can be used for securing the instrument while the latter is already in motion.
• Furniture blankets: these thick protective blankets are always a good investment because they will minimize the chance of untimely damage both to the piano itself and your property at the same time.
• A moving vehicle: you have various options here – from using your own pickup truck or a suitable trailer, through borrowing the right vehicle from a friend all the way to renting a moving truck from a local truck rental agency. Whichever way you decide to go, the truck should be equipped with an operational loading/unloading ramp.

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Step 5. Dress properly for the job

As you can probably suspect, safety is your primary concern when moving a piano without professional movers.

One of the most common moving mistakes that home movers make is to underestimate the importance of how they dress for the job. Don’t make that rookie mistake and make sure you, as well as your friends, wear the right kind of clothes and shoes.

Select the most comfortable flexible clothes that fit you well and give you the freedom to do all kinds of unusual movements (avoid baggy clothes at all costs!).

Similarly, your pair of shoes must be the most comfortable one you own. Bet on fully enclosed footwear with good ankle support and anti-slip soles – sports shoes are highly recommended.

Protect your fingers and hands by having high-quality work gloves which will also guarantee the best grip possible.

Also, avoid wearing any long jewelry pieces that could accidentally hook onto something and compromise the safety of the whole piano moving project.

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Step 6. Prepare your piano for safe transportation

The final step before attempting to move a piano by yourself is to get the giant instrument ready for safe transportation.

1. CLOSE the lid to protect the fragile keys and lock it if possible to keep it from opening during transport. If there isn’t a lock on the lid, then use stretch tape to ensure it stays closed at all times.
2. COVER the entire piano in furniture blankets as the protective covers will protect its exterior and interior against accidental damage. Fix the blankets in place with painter’s tape, straps, or rope.
3. CONSIDER removing the metal casters at the bottom of the piano to facilitate the job of balancing the enormous load on the moving dolly. Don’t be fooled by the presence of those metal wheels as they have mostly decorative purposes and can only be used to move the musical instrument a few inches, if at all. Never ever attempt to roll your piano on its casters!

Step 7. Make safety your top priority

For obvious reasons, moving a piano across the room or to another room in the same residence is the preferred moving scenario for you because you surely won’t have to worry about loading and unloading the piano and you definitely won’t have to fret over having your expensive musical instrument damaged during the haul inside the transportation vehicle.

Regrettably, when you’re moving to another home, you can’t leave your precious wrapped-up bundle behind – after all, the last thing you’d want is to part with your prized musical instrument.

As a result, you get to “enjoy” the highest level of difficulty when moving a piano by yourself.

• PLAN your route well all the way to the waiting moving truck.
• CLEAR any obstacles along the pre-determined route and make sure there are no wet or slippery spots on the path.
• DISTRIBUTE properly the individual tasks and let every helper know exactly what they will be responsible for. Remember that moving a piano correctly is all about good teamwork.
• DEVISE emergency signals and establish an unambiguous way of communication during the course of the complicated operation.
• PICK a spotter. If somebody is not currently handling the piano, nominate that person as the spotter. A spotter is somebody whose main job is to monitor the piano relocation process from a distance and to warn the team of any fast-approaching dangers.

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Step 8. Take the piano out of your home

The following practical tips on how to move a piano long distance to another house will give you a much better idea of what you are expected to do and what you are not advised to do during the actual relocation of the huge musical instrument.

All the pointers are organized into a convenient step-by-step piano moving guide.

• FIX the heavy-duty straps under the bottom of the instrument. Then, having two helpers on each end of the piano (or three if it is a grand piano), lift the piano off the ground while doing your best to keep it in an upright position. Remember that a piano should never be tilted or laid on its sides because that can easily damage the intricate workings of the instrument.
• SLIDE one or two dollies underneath the piano while it’s still in the air until the massive wooden structure is well-balanced.
• SECURE your piano tightly once it’s on the dolly using additional moving straps or rope so that the bulky instrument remains perfectly immobilized during transportation.
• START wheeling the well-protected piano towards the exit of your home. Ideally, you won’t have to deal with any steps at all, or if you do, they will be just one or two easily manageable ones.
• HAVE two helpers guide the dolly (or dollies) while the rest of the team members support the piano and keep it as upright and steady as possible.
• THINK your actions through before you act.
• GO very slowly without making any sudden or jerky movements.
• HAVE breaks whenever possible to catch your breath and plan your next few moves.

IMPORTANT: If the escape route out of your home involves more than one or two manageable steps, let’s say an entire flight (or flights!) of stairs regardless of whether the staircase goes up or down, then be smart and hire experienced piano movers who know what they are doing.

Why? The presence of stairs changes the ballgame altogether – the large dimensions, the extreme weight and the tricky center of gravity of your piano make the already tough task of moving a piano upstairs or downstairs yourself too risky to be attempted by non-professionals.

Step 9. Load the piano into the moving vehicle

• LOAD your piano into the back of the truck once you reach the moving vehicle outside. The treble clef side of your piano is the lighter side, so it should be guided first onto the loading ramp.
• HAVE at least two (preferably three) assistants on the heavier side (the bass clef side) to support and push the bundled package while the strongest of your friends guide and pull the piano up the ramp.
• SECURE the instrument well during the relocation journey – use straps and ropes to immobilize it, as well as plenty of packed boxes and furniture pieces around it to keep it in one place. Use wooden planks to stabilize the piano if the floor is not perfectly level.
• KEEP in mind that your valuable piano should be one of the very first household items to be loaded into the back of the truck.

How to Load a Moving Truck the Right Way

Step 10. Set up the piano in the new home

• FIGURE OUT the exact location of your piano before you unload it and start wheeling it inside the new home.
• LOOK for a spot will be against an inside wall and away from direct sunlight, in a room with stable temperature and humidity.
• DO NOT PANIC if you find out that your piano is out of tune when you wheel it inside the designated room and place it in its exact spot. In most cases, that problem is just a side effect of all the unusual movements, uncharacteristic shifts, and the changed environment.
• GIVE your stressed musical instrument some time (some experts recommend at least a month!) before you tune it or have it tuned permanently.
• CONGRATULATE yourself for a job well done!

Must-read: How Much Does It Cost to Move a Piano?