Pianos are heirlooms that your family may have had for generations. Quality movers know this and are prepared to handle these items with the care and attention they deserve. But transporting a piano properly and safely requires some serious know-how. If you want to know how to move a piano, here’s what the process may require.
Measuring and Packing a Piano
The first step when moving heavy and cumbersome items is to develop exit and arrival strategies. It’s vital to know how the piano will be maneuvered from the starting point out to the truck or other vehicle. In addition, you must also know how to negotiate it past various obstacles to get back indoors at the final destination. On occasion, you may need to disassemble a particularly large piano to navigate doorframes – especially if the moving process is rushed. Taking time in advance to plan this task is well worth it.
In the next step, you should close the keyboard lid and wrap the fragile piano’s surface in protective padding. It’s important to pay special attention to corners and any other region at higher risk of colliding with walls or doorframes. Packing tape is great for securing cushioning materials in place, but avoid sticking it directly onto the wooden surfaces of the piano itself.
Lifting and Transporting
Physical transportation of a piano is a multi-person job and usually requires some basic equipment as well. Pianos are rather top-heavy. Therefore, don’t lift them by their legs, or you’ll risk snapping one or dropping the entire body onto its side. Instead, you’ll want to set 1-2 people on each end of the instrument and lift it by the corners. A properly placed moving strap underneath it will be of great assistance while placing it onto a furniture dolly. You should keep the entire piano upright through this process to protect the delicate inner workings. If the piano has casters, you should locked them if possible.
Movers usually perform the actual move with a moving truck. Flatbeds are acceptable in a pinch, but an enclosed space will provide better protection from the elements. Ideally, you should set the piano against the back wall of the truck. Also, it’s important to take care to ensure a level floor space to assist in leg stability. (You can use wooden boards to even this out if necessary.) And, you must secure the instrument itself in place.
Once you’ve arrived, unloading and delivery is much like the packing process in reverse. Don’t forget to tune the piano when all is said and done since the hammers and strings inside are quite sensitive to bumps and movements. The sound will almost certainly have shifted during transit.
Planning a move? Contact the professionals at Atlanta Peach Movers today. We can show you how to move a piano.
