Every mover has a piano story. Usually it involves a few mates, a borrowed trailer, an upright that weighed far more than anyone guessed, and a gouge in the hallway floor that is still there years later. Pianos are not just heavy. They are heavy in a lopsided way, built around a cast-iron frame holding tonnes of combined string tension, and wrapped in a wooden case that marks easily.
If you are planning to shift one, here is what you need to know before anyone picks it up.
Know what you’re dealing with
Uprights and grands are completely different jobs.
- Uprights are tall and top-heavy, with most of the weight towards the back where the frame sits. Older models, the kind that turn up in Remuera estates and old Ponsonby villas, are often heavier than modern ones.
- Grand and baby grand pianos have to be partly taken apart. The legs and lyre (the pedal assembly) come off, the lid is removed or secured, and the body is turned on its straight side and strapped to a piano board.
- Digital pianos are a far simpler move, though the stand and electronics still need care.
Check the manufacturer and model if you can. A quick search on the serial number will often tell you roughly how old it is and what it weighs, which helps anyone quoting the job.
Walk the route before moving day
Most piano damage, to the instrument or the house, happens in the in-between spaces: doorways, tight corners, the step down onto the deck. Walk the full path from where the piano sits now to where the truck will park, then do the same at the new address.
- Measure doorways and hallway corners. Take door handles off if every centimetre counts.
- Count the stairs and note whether they turn. A straight flight is manageable with the right equipment. A narrow, winding staircase in a Devonport cottage is another story.
- Look at the surfaces. Polished floorboards, loose rugs and wet decking are all hazards.
- Check the parking. Carrying a piano 30 metres down a sloping Titirangi driveway is a very different job from wheeling it straight onto a tail-lift.
The equipment matters more than the muscle
The reason DIY piano moves go wrong is rarely a lack of strength. It is a lack of gear. Proper moving uses:
- A heavy-duty piano dolly or skid board, sized for the instrument
- Padded blankets and stretch wrap to protect the case
- Ratchet or webbing straps to hold everything firm
- Stair-climbing equipment or a stair board for steps
- A truck with a tail-lift, or at least a proper ramp and tie-down points
A furniture trolley from the hardware store is not built for this. Neither is a box trailer without tie-downs.
If you do it yourself
Some people will move a modest upright a short distance on a single level, and with care that can be fine. If you go that way:
- Close and lock the keyboard lid, or tape it shut with painter’s tape that won’t strip the finish.
- Wrap the whole piano in moving blankets before it moves at all.
- Never lift by the keyboard lid, the top lid or the legs. Lift from the base of the case.
- Keep it upright and tip it as little as possible. Uprights should never be laid on their back.
- Use at least four people and have one person call every move.
- Protect your back: knees bent, load close to your body, no twisting.
Be honest about where the limit is. Stairs, grand pianos, long carries and wet weather are the point where most people should stop.
When to call in the professionals
For anything beyond a short, flat, dry move, it is worth booking professional piano movers. A trained crew knows how to take down and rebuild a grand, how to work a stair climber safely, and how to secure the instrument so it doesn’t shift during the drive across the Harbour Bridge or along the Southern Motorway. They should also be insured for the job, which is the real safety net if something goes wrong.
When you ask for a quote, give the make, type and approximate size of the piano, the number of stairs at each end, any tight corners and the parking situation. Photos of the route help a lot.
Weather and timing
Pianos do not like moisture or sudden temperature swings. On a drizzly Auckland day the piano should be fully wrapped before it leaves the room, and it should go straight from the house to the truck without waiting on the footpath. If you can be flexible, avoid moving on a day of heavy rain.
After the move: let it settle, then tune
Even a careful move can knock a piano slightly out of tune, because the change in environment affects the wood and strings. Give it a couple of weeks to adjust to the new room before you book a tuner. Place it away from direct sun, heat pumps, fireplaces and draughty exterior doors, and keep it off a damp exterior wall if you have the choice.
Moving a piano is one of those jobs where planning and the right gear count for almost everything. Get those sorted, and the piano arrives in one piece, the hallway stays unscratched, and everyone’s back is still working the next morning.
Written by the CityMove team, Auckland movers who handle everything from flatmate shifts to grand pianos. CityMove Ltd, 16 Harrison Rd, Auckland. Phone 0800 126 128.
