Piano owners often wonder how to fit a piano into a house, especially during a move. Can you take the piano apart and reassemble it safely? What about removing molding along doorways or walls?
How to fit a piano into a house:
- Ensure you have adequate help
- Measure doorways and hallways
- Remove obstacles such as entryway or interior doors
- Disassemble removable piano parts such as the lid and legs
- Cover the piano with moving blankets
- Use a heavy-duty dolly
To find out more about how to fit a piano into a house, keep reading! Also, you can call a specialty piano mover or piano service company when needed. They can offer expert advice and services, ensuring a safe, damage-free move.
How to Fit a Piano Into a House Safely and Securely
Moving a piano can be a challenging. In turn, it’s best that you plan ahead and ensure you have help and quality equipment. To safely move a piano, follow these steps:
Use the Right Equipment
- Heavy-duty furniture straps
- Moving dolly with large, soft, non-marking wheels
- Protective blankets or pads
- Packing tape or straps to secure blankets
- Screwdriver (for disassembling any removable parts)
Prepare the Piano
- Remove all objects from on top of and inside the piano, including sheet music, decorations, or any loose items.
- If the piano has removable parts like the legs or pedals, disassemble them carefully according to the manufacturer's instructions. Ensure you keep these secure so you can reassemble the piano easily after its move.
Protect the Piano
Cover the piano with protective blankets or pads to prevent scratches or damage during the move. Secure the blankets in place with packing tape or straps. Make sure there are no loose edges or “flaps” that might get in your way.
Plan the Route
Measure doorways, hallways, and staircases to ensure the piano can fit through them without difficulty. Clear the path of any obstacles, rugs, or furniture to create a clear and safe route for moving the piano. You can also remove screen doors, entryway doors, and interior doors. However, avoid removing trim or other pieces that you cannot reattach easily.
Lift and Load
- Position the moving dolly next to the piano, making sure it's stable and secure.
- Carefully tilt the piano onto its side and gently slide the dolly underneath it. Don’t try to lift the piano onto the dolly as this can allow it to slip out from under you.
- Secure the piano to the dolly using heavy-duty furniture straps.
- When moving the piano, push it carefully, keeping it upright. Do not tilt it forward or backward excessively.
- Use extra care when going around corners.
If you are not comfortable with moving a piano, hire professional piano movers! Attempting to move a piano without proper knowledge and equipment can risk damage. You can also suffer injury during the process.
Should You Remove Molding to Fit a Piano Into a House?
If you’re moving a piano into a house, you might remove doors and other obstructions, as said. However, bear in mind that reattaching molding and trim is more involved than homeowners often realize. To remove them, you’ll need to cut along the top, as trim is often attached with glue or caulk.
Also, contractors use specialty nails to reattach trim. In turn, don’t expect to just nail the trim back into place! Additionally, homeowners should never cut doorframes or other areas around walls. Removing load-bearing pieces can mean expensive structural damage to your house.
How to Fit a Piano Into a Living Room
Once you’ve figured how to fit a piano into a house, you might wonder how to fit it into your living room! Consider some tips for setting up a piano in any space of your home:
- Measure the piano and then use painter’s tape on the floor to create an outline. This can help you plan the best spot for the piano and bench.
- Consider reorganizing all your living room furniture to match the piano’s location. You can then add more space for foot traffic.
- This can also be a good opportunity to reconsider all your living room furniture. Removing unused side tables or chairs makes more room for the piano. It also avoids a crowded look and feel.
- You might also downsize some pieces in the room, to create space. For instance, today’s flat-screen TVs don’t necessarily need an entertainment center or console. Instead, mounting it on the wall makes added room for the piano.
A Word From Our Crew
McLean Piano Tuning by PianoCraft is happy to explain how to fit a piano into a house. Hopefully we’ve answered some of your questions! Also, you can call our McLean piano services technicians when you’re in the market for expert services. We offer tuning, voicing, and many major repairs, all at affordable prices. We look forward to your call!
