Piano Movers, Removals, Transport, Storage Companies

Piano Movers, Removals, Transport, Storage Companies – Find about professional moving companies to help you move your piano.

Why You May Need to Transport Your Piano

Pianos are beautiful instruments and they are always in demand, be it for homes, studios or for other venues.

But then it is not a portable instrument and for the more expensive ones, you need to hire the services of professional piano movers and removal companies.

Are you a musician who has found a good used piano, but want it delivered safely at your doorstep?

Are you into the piano business and are looking for piano moving companies that will take care of all piano transport related hassle?

This page provides all the information related to Piano Movers, Removals, Transport, and Storage Companies, including their cost.

Piano Moving Tips: How to Transport Upright and Acoustic Pianos

The process of moving a piano involves a lot of planning and experience. If you are planning to do it yourself, it will require a lot of manpower and care should be taken that it doesn’t cause injuries during the process or any kind of damage to the piano itself.

• First and foremost make sure that you have closed and locked the keyboard lid so that it doesn’t open while moving the piano. If there is no provision to lock it, make sure you strap it up instead.
• After locking the keyboard , wrap up the piano with a plastic sheet or blanket and make sure you use enough padding to protect the piano from any damage while moving it. Make sure you don’t tape use the tape directly on the piano wooden surface as it may spoil the wood.
• Next step is to lift the piano to move it either to some other room or to the truck on a dolly. However, remember that you should never lift the piano by its legs because the legs are extremely vulnerable and fragile. Always keep the piano in a upright position to avoid the damage to the inner mechanics. Also, whenever you move the piano, move it endways and not sideways to avoid damage to the internal mechanics. Once you mount the piano on the dolly, strap it up securely and pad it up to avoid any scratches while moving. However, after mounting the piano on the truck, do not leave it strapped up to the dolly, as it may cause lot of damage to the piano due to movement.
• Once the piano is mounted on to the truck, place it against the wall separating the driving area and the rest of the space behind it. Also make sure that the flooring of the truck is even. Secure the piano to the wall and make sure that it doesn’t move when the truck is moving.
• Once you are ready to move the piano in, repeat all the safety precautions as above and make sure you decide the place where the piano will go. It is preferred if you keep it against a wall, protected from humidity and cold. You may have to tune the piano after it is in place.

Good tips here but you need to understand the risks as well, to the piano and to yourself. Even if you do it yourself, you will need to buy piano moving equipment and will need to pay for piano transport rentals. So if it is a small piano, may be you can give it a try…

Piano Moving Equipment for Transporting Upright & Grand Pianos

Piano moving equipment that is used for transporting heavy upright and grand pianos…

Moving a piano is an arduous task and requires a lot of planning and manpower. Hence it is preferred if it is handled by professionals with proper experience in moving and transporting pianos. With the help of proper equipment and proper care, you can move the piano without fear of any damage to it.

Equipment Used for Piano Moving, Transport,Removal
Piano moving requires special equipment which will ensure that there is no damage done during the entire process.

• Gloves : Hand gloves are essential to protect the hands of those involved in moving a piano and also prevents the hands from being slippery.
• Plastic covers/blankets: It is very important to cover and pack the piano before moving it. Covering it with plastic covers and padding it up with blankets will prevent it from being damaged during moving it from one place to another.
• Dolly: Piano dollies are equipment that help you move all kinds of piano efficiently without damaging your house or the piano. It also helps protect the piano tuning.
• Piano Board: A piano board is an indoor board with which you can slide the piano safely down the staircase without damage, scratches and much turbulence.

There are a couple of things that are absolutely necessary for transporting upright & grand pianos, the piano dolly and the hump-strap. If you try to move without these, you are not only risking damage to the piano you will even run the risk of injuring yourself. Even with these piano moving equipment, grand pianos are obviously more difficult to move and I would leave it to the professionals. But considering the times we live in, if you find an easier way to move it please let me know as well.

Do You Need to Hire a Piano Mover for Moving Upright or Acoustic Pianos?

Moving a piano from one place to another is a huge task. Being so huge and heavy, it is not easy to move it around be it a short distance or a long one. Hence this should be handled preferably by professionals and with care.

Why Consider Piano Transport/Mover/Removal Services?
Moving or transporting a piano is something that needs to be well planned and in advance. Moving a piano is not an easy task and involves a lot of constraints. Hence it is preferable if it is handled by professionals rather than doing it yourself for the following reasons:

• A piano is heavy to move and weights approximately between 400 to 1500 pounds hence special equipments are required to move it without causing any damage to it.
• Also because of the sheer size of the piano, it may be difficult to move it through a door frame, staircase etc hence the move should be well planned in advance and all the possible blocks should be evaluated and considered before moving the piano.
• Piano also holds sentimental value to many people who owns it and hence special care should be taken that there is absolutely no damage while moving or transporting the piano.
• Apart from everything else, a piano is also very expensive and any damage to it can cause huge financial damage.

It’s very easy to be put-off looking at the prices that most professional piano movers charge. Their charges, which varies depending on the distance moved and if there are any stairs to be climbed plus the truck rental costs, can easily range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. This much just for moving the piano!

So whether you should need to hire a piano mover for moving your upright or grand piano will depend on the value of your piano. Does it really make sense to spend that much to move your piano, or are you better off selling it and buying another one (especially if you are moving location). This is something that you need to decide.

How Much Does it Cost to Move a Piano?

So how much does it cost to move a piano? There are many factors involved here, and the cost would depend on those factors. Although there are a few ways in which long distance piano movers quote their transport prices & cost, it comes to more or less the same amount, which you end up paying.

The piano movers rates would depend upon distance to be traveled, type and make of piano, number of steps to be moved up or down, which floor it has to be moved to. In most cases, it would be something around $150 to $250.

For transportation under 25 miles, most companies charge around $250 for a small upright piano, and for a larger upright it can be around $400.

One of my friends tried moving their piano from one room to another and they spent almost their entire weekend doing it. So not a good idea moving a piano yourself. For a distance of around 20 miles or so, it would have cost them around $175 for a couple of men and truck/lift/dollies. Maybe another 25% for a grand piano.

If yours is a fairly new piano, you shouldn’t ideally think about moving it on your own. You should look for a reliable company who have experience in modern piano moving and not just any moving company. You should also try to get quotes from different piano moving companies. Try to bargain and see if you can get lower rates.

Long Distance Piano Movers Transport Prices & Cost
There is usually a base fee of about $50, which basically means they will charge for the truck to be used for a day.

And then on top of the base rate, the various charges apply.

First is the mileage. This depends on whether it is short distance or long distance. For shorter distance it is around $1.2 to $1.5 a mile but for long distance piano transport this goes up.

For long distance piano transport, rate of the movers vary from 3-10 per mile.

Next comes steps and stairs!

Some companies will charge by the step, ranging anywhere from $2-$10 per step. Others will charge for each flight of stairs, say may be around $40-$100 for each flight of stairs.

Most piano movers cost includes these two aspects but then depending on other difficulties faced, they might charge more. Make sure you do all the measurement beforehand so that you don’t run into any trouble later on.

For example, if your doors are too small, then your piano will have to be moved from the window, which could add further complexities and the cost will go higher.

Depending on whether it is an upright or grand, the distance that will need to be moved and the number of stairs, the basic piano moving charges will be around $250 – $1000 (assuming a local move). If it is going to be a long distance haul, then you will have to add another $200 – $1500 (the mileage comes into picture).

So we are taking about a size-able number here. But the advantage of a professional piano moving company is that you don’t have to worry about anything, they are accountable for any damages to your piano.

User Comments…

Question:
Is It Easier To Move A Digital Piano?
Need suggestions on moving a digital piano…

I own a Roland DP-990RF digital piano and for some personal reasons I need to move out of the city. I need to relocate and I was planning to take my Roland piano as well.

But then the quote I received from a couple of piano moving companies makes me have a rethink on whether to take my piano along, though I would love to do that.

The piano moving cost estimates from those two companies are in the range $800 to $900 (US dollars), for a distance of around 230-240 miles.

I personally feel it is too much to pay, so wanted to have some suggestions on some acceptable alternatives.

I would ideally like to take my Roland DP-990RF digital piano along, but if the piano moving cost is going to be so much, I may even have to think of selling it off as the last resort.

Can I have some ideas please as I really want to take my Roland DP-990 digital piano along. – Andrea

Answers:
Hi Andrea, You need to realize that a digital piano is much lighter and the sound produced is through samples so the sound is not sensitive or dependent on moving. Besides, if you try to sell your piano in haste, you may not get a good price for your piano. The quote you have got seems to be on the higher side so I would definitely look at alternatives to move it on my own. You can even look at hiring any company that moves expensive furniture, they should be able to do this job. Just ask them to be careful in case your Roland digital piano has a glossy black finish, it needs more care. – Supersonic

The only reason its a bit easier is because the parts can be disassembled. When you buy a new one, all the parts are boxed nicely and delivered to you; even you can do the same…for most digital piano models. Have you checked if your Roland digital piano can be disassembled? It will be much easier to move it if it can be disassembled. Even if it doesn’t look that easy to be disassembled, usually be removing a few screws you can remove the main body from its stand. Once you do that, you can just add some padding on all sides, put it in a truck or van and you are all set to take it along. I know people who have moved their Yamaha CVP pianos on their own. Digital pianos, are just like any other expensive consumer electronic items, and as such do no require special handling while moving, unlike acoustic pianos. – Suresh