Pianos Are Heavy, Fragile, and Expensive to Damage
A standard upright piano weighs between 400 and 800 pounds. A baby grand can exceed 1,000 pounds, with most of that weight concentrated in the cast-iron plate and hardwood case. The strings, action, and soundboard are precision components that are sensitive to stress, vibration, and humidity changes during transport. A piano that arrives with shifted action or cracked soundboard can require expensive regulation or repair — sometimes more than the instrument's market value.
Around Town Movers offers piano moving as a specialty service throughout Northern Virginia, with equipment and crew training appropriate for the work.
What Piano Moving Requires
Moving a piano safely is not a matter of adding extra people to a standard crew. It requires specific equipment and technique:
- Piano boards and skidboards: Flat, padded boards that the piano is tipped onto and secured with straps, allowing it to be moved without concentrating stress on the legs.
- Piano dollies: Designed to support the weight of a piano across a flat surface without the instability of standard moving dollies.
- Stair equipment: Moving a piano down steps — particularly a grand piano being disassembled and moved through narrow staircases — requires stair-climbing equipment and careful sequencing.
- Blankets and padding: The exterior finish of a piano is delicate. Full blanket wrap prevents surface scratches from contact with door frames and elevator walls.
Grand Pianos Require Disassembly
A grand piano cannot be moved intact through most doorways. The lid, music desk, legs, and lyre (the pedal unit) must be removed before the body can be moved on its side on a piano skidboard. Reassembly at the destination requires knowledge of how the components fit and how to secure them without overtightening or leaving hardware loose.
Climate and Regulation After the Move
Piano movers handle the physical transport. After any move, a piano should be allowed to acclimate to its new environment before being tuned. Humidity changes during transport affect string tension and overall pitch. Plan to have the instrument regulated or tuned by a piano technician after it has settled in its new location for at least a few weeks.
Northern Virginia residents needing piano moving services can contact Around Town Movers to discuss the specific instrument, origin, and destination before booking.