Did you know that pianos can weigh from 300 to 1000 pounds? Relocating something heavy as this on your own sounds like a challenging task.If you’re planning to move soon and wonder how to move a piano, this article can be very beneficial. You’ll have an opportunity to learn how to move a piano yourself and some interesting lifting techniques and hacks that will make this process much easier and more enjoyable.
Depending on the size of your instrument and its weight, it might be wise to consider hiring professional movers in Bay Area for assistance. Some Bay Area moving companies can offer you excellent services and affordable rates. Moving a piano with their timely assistance can make me much more comfortable.
Can You Move a Piano by Yourself?
What is the best way to move a piano? As we already mentioned, depending on the size and the weight, you should definitely consider looking for some assistance because going through this process completely alone is more than challenging, and it might increase your relocation stress significantly. If, for any reason, you don’t want to hire professionals for assistance, making arrangements with your friends to help you out could be the best alternative option.
Keep in mind that you can’t simply ask anyone who showed up at your going-away party for this kind of assistance – the person helping you should be strong and healthy enough to be capable of lifting heavy objects and helping you maneuvering them around your home and loading it into a truck or another vehicle you use for relocation purposes. If you decide to hire professionals, ensure to check what items movers won’t move and if they can assist you with your specific type of instrument.
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Free QuoteDoes Moving a Piano Damage It? You Don’t Need to Worry if You Have the Right Equipment
This process doesn’t necessarily have to damage it, but some scratches are possible if you don’t know how to do this properly. If you go through this text carefully and repeat all of the mentioned steps that include protecting your instrument, lifting it correctly, and following other safety procedures, you shouldn’t have any problems. On the other hand, if you skip the preparations and don’t follow all the instructions, there is a chance something will get broken, or someone will get injured.
Is It Expensive to Move a Piano? Professional Movers Can Offer You Help at a Reasonable Price
No matter how much you pay for other facilities, this additional cost isn’t that high, but it can save you from unnecessary stress and potentially expensive repairs. Imagine the cost of damaging your valuable instrument that can’t be repaired. Some people highly value their instruments and consider them priceless. Moving a piano yourself might seem more economical at first glance, but when you think through this carefully, you’ll quickly understand that it’s not worth the risk. Professional Bay Area movers can show you interesting relocation hacks and help you move efficiently.
How Much Does It Cost to Move an Upright Piano?
If you are making a relocation expenses checklist and want to include potential costs of these facilities in that list, you should know that prices can vary depending on many factors. Some of the most important things are the size of your instrument, its type, the distance of your move, how many helpers you have to hire, do you want additional insurance, and so on. Price can also vary depending on the moving company in Bay Area you decide to hire. Regular prices for moving an upright piano go from $250 to $1,000 for local moves. Grand sized instrument is usually more expensive, but you can get decent service for that type of move for about $500.
You Should Get Adequate Packing Materials and Supplies
One of the most important steps of every successful move is preparing everything on time, so adding a search for suitable packing materials on your to-do list should be one of the first things. Quality packing materials are important if you want to keep your precious instrument in good condition. You should protect all the fragile parts of the instrument with adequate materials. Some of the basic things you are going to use include:
- Blankets,
- Towels,
- Tape,
- Straps,
- Moving dolly or a skid board.
Specialized dollies are something you might want to rent or buy for relocation purposes. It can add some higher costs to your expenses checklist, but the whole process can be much easier if you decide to use it.
Don’t Forget to Measure Doorways and Hallways
Another important part of the preparations is the measuring process. You need to ensure that your instrument can fit into your new home and that it can get through all the doors and hallways. Go through your old and new apartment and measure everything from point A to point B. If some doors are too tight for an instrument to get through, consider placing it into some other room.
Remove Road Obstacles
Another significant thing to think about is road obstacles. Whether you’re relocating on your own or with professional assistance, you need to go over your route and remove all the obstacles. This is also very important if you’re relocating during winter. Any ice or water in your front yard and on the designated path or stairs can be more than dangerous – for you, your helpers, and your instrument. Not only could someone slip and damage your instrument, but someone could get severely injured if this happens. With that said, you’re now aware of the potentially dangerous scenarios – avoid them by removing anything you find risky or unsafe.
Keep Your Pets Out of the Way
In case you’re relocating with pets, you should also get them out of the way. They can run around the house during the relocation process and potentially disturb your helpers while carrying the heavy instrument. Keep them in the backyard or closed in one of the rooms until this step of the move is over.
How to Move an Upright Piano?
Relocating this type of instrument is easier than the grand one, but it also requires you to follow some steps. For example, first, you have to protect the keys and pedals. After doing that, you should cover all the surfaces with a blanket and secure the blanket with tape. After finishing with this part, you can hoist it on the dolly and continue with the relocation process. Ensure you have assistants on all the sides of the instrument when lifting it. Also, make sure that you follow the right lifting techniques to avoid potential injuries. You should slightly bend forward and also bend your knees while lifting. This short video might help you get an idea of this process.
How to Move a Grand Piano?
Moving a grand piano is much more challenging than relocating the upright one because of its size and heaviness that can go over 1,000 pounds. There is a chance to relocate the upright instrument without professional assistance successfully, but this type of instrument should be moved with the proper help.
Make Sure Everything Is Covered and Protected
First of all, you are going to need a screwdriver to remove the legs from the instrument if possible. While doing this, your assistants should be by your side to hold it – you don’t want to do this alone because it can fall down and get damaged. Once the legs are removed, you can wrap the keys, lid, and all the surfaces of your instrument with blankets or other coverage. Also, keep in mind that screws are among the most commonly forgotten things to pack, so make sure you take them with you. Once you wrap everything tightly, secure these blankets with a piece of tape. All legs and pedals should be packed separately and also wrapped with blankets and other covering materials. If you don’t know how to pack fragile items, professionals can offer you additional packing services.
Once all the pieces are secured, you can hoist your instrument onto the specialized board. This board usually comes with securing straps which you should use to secure your instrument and prevent any unwanted movements. Pushing this board can also be challenging, and it requires the proper assistance. Ensure your team of helpers is around you when you start pushing it to prevent any incidents. When you place the instrument inside the relocating vehicle, you should also secure the board using the right equipment to avoid any movements inside the truck. The same goes if you’ll be leaving it in storage for a while. Get our in and out of storage service, and don’t worry about any bumps on the road.
Don’t Forget to Retune Your Instrument Once You Get to Your New Home
Once you finally get to your new home in some of the best places to live in the Bay Area and finish all of the other important tasks such as filing your rental application or getting familiar with tenants’ rights, you can retune your instrument and start playing it in your new home. If you don’t know how to retune your instrument by yourself, you can get professional assistance for that process.
Hiring Professional Bay Area Moving Company Might Be Your Best Option If You Don’t Know How to Move a Piano
If you want to move to one of the best Bay Area towns and think that relocating your instrument or any other household belongings on your own is too challenging for you, hiring local movers in the Bay Area is your best alternative. Our Bay Area moving company can offer you excellent residential relocation services at affordable rates. There is no need to worry if you don’t know how to pack dishes or anything else from your home. Contact us if you want to know the price for our local relocation services, and we can even offer you a free quote – everything is much better if you chose to move with us.