Can You Move a Baby Grand Down a Standard Staircase?

WhyNot to Move a Piano Yourself

Movers similar to tell stories like this one:

A young woman asked her father to assist her motion a piano from i identify to some other in her house. Her male parent got a couple of his friends to come along and they brought a dolly. While they were lifting the piano — a total-size vertical — it tipped dorsum too far and got abroad from them. While information technology was falling, its upper corner dug down through the wall. The trench information technology made was deep enough to sever an electric conduit, which shorted and began to burn down. The "movers" were unable to terminate the fire, which also spread to the floor beneath, another person'southward apartment. Afterward the fire department was done, there was little left of the two apartments and the piano.

Obviously, this is an extreme case of the damage that can be inflicted when moving a piano in do-it-yourself style. But even if y'all don't fire down your house, there is a substantial adventure of personal injury, not to mention damage to the piano.

Pianos are very heavy. The average spinet or console weighs in at from 300 to 500 pounds, full-size uprights at about 700, but sometimes every bit much every bit 1,000. Grands vary from about 500 to 1,000, though a concert thou may weigh shut to a ton. If information technology were simply a thing of weight, though, all it would take would be enough strong people to exercise the job. Unfortunately, forth with the weight come up problems of residuum and inertia, knowledge of which tin make all the departure in doing a moving job safely and efficiently. Pianoforte moving may conjure up images of men with monstrous arms and huge torsos, but actually two or three people of average build tin can exercise most piano moving jobs — even grands — if they have some brains, experience, the right equipment, and a knowledge of but when and where to apply a trivial strength.

How Pianos Are Moved

Anyone with fifty-fifty a lilliputian bit of curiosity inevitably wonders how pianos become moved. How exercise you fit a 1000 piano through a door? How do you get a piano up to the fifth flooring?

As shown in Figure 1, a thou pianoforte is moved on its side, straight side downwards, and most always placed on a special skid called a piano board. Get-go the hat and the pedal lyre are removed. So the leg at the straight side of the pianoforte is removed and the pianoforte is carefully lowered down to the piano lath. (Some movers unscrew and remove the lid hinges because they overhang the instance side and would otherwise crusade damage to the case when the piano is put on its side. Others adopt to position the piano so the hinges overhang the edge of the piano board.) After the remaining two legs are removed, the pianoforte is covered with blankets and strapped to the board. Stripped down in this manner, a chiliad pianoforte is quite sparse and will really fit through a door or other opening very easily.

If a k piano is to be moved over a level surface for any altitude, the piano board is put on a dolly — a pocket-sized platform on wheels — and rolled to its destination, such every bit a truck or a stairway. At the stairway, the dolly is removed and the piano board is slid in a very dull and controlled manner up or downwardly the stairs. Vertical pianos are also moved over a level surface on a dolly, but without a piano board. At a stairway, a vertical piano is removed from the dolly and carried by hand up or downwards the stairway.

When a piano must be moved to or from a floor other than the first, many movers prefer to hoist or rig it (Figure two), or utilise a forklift, rather than motility it up or down stairs. Believe it or non, moving a piano by stairs is actually more than dangerous, both to the piano and to the movers, than hoisting information technology through an upper-story window with a crane or forklift. Well-nigh movers will consent to moving by stairs when but one flight is involved, or when no other alternative is possible. Of course, if the building has a freight elevator that can back up the pianoforte, that method is preferred over all others.

Basically, it is the customer'due south responsibility to make sure the piano volition fit in its new location. This ways not expecting a piano to exist hoisted in a window that's as well small or carried downward a stairway with also low an overhang or moved effectually a corner that's too tight. Figure three shows how the dimensions of the piano relate to some mutual moving situations. Corners are the hardest to judge because they can't exist easily measured. An experienced mover can usually judge these situations pretty accurately by middle and may prefer to visit the moving sites prior to moving twenty-four hours if at that place is any question about the difficulty of the job. This probably won't exist possible if the motility is a long-distance one. If the pianoforte won't fit in its intended location, the customer will accept to pay for its delivery back to its bespeak of divergence, to an alternating destination, or to storage.

Notation that some movers may want to "keyboard" a vertical piano — that is, remove the front role (keybed, keys, action) — and set the piano on its stop to get the piano around a tight corner when there is no other alternative. You should know that this is recommended merely as a last resort, equally it can sometimes result in damage to the pianoforte.

Moving a Piano Around a Room

It'due south understandable that y'all might not desire to hire a mover merely to move a pianoforte around a room, only these small moves can be surprisingly dangerous. With both grands and verticals, it's primarily the legs yous want to lookout man out for. Breaking a leg — particularly on a grand — tin exist disastrous. I was once called twice in a unmarried month to repair a grand pianoforte that had been dragged across a flooring. Both times a leg had gotten caught in the grate of a heating duct, causing the piano to crash to the floor. Of course, the pedal lyre broke too. Dragging a grand piano beyond carpeting can also exist too much for the legs to handle. If you insist on moving the grand yourself, iii to five strong people should gather around its circumference and lift while moving. Don't actually endeavor to lift it off the flooring; just relieve the strain on the legs.

At least 2 people should always move a vertical pianoforte. Spinets and consoles with free-standing legs should have their legs protected by lifting or tilting the piano back ever so slightly while moving, keeping the legs from touching the floor. Yes, the legs may accept casters, but don't utilise them. Also, remember that most of the weight of the piano is in its back, so be sure you take a house grip on information technology and don't tilt so far that the piano is in danger of falling over. Larger verticals and smaller ones without legs can simply be rolled, although this may be difficult to do on rug. Piano casters oftentimes go stuck unexpectedly, so move slowly with one person on each end of the piano. When making turns, proceed the back of the piano on the inside of the plow. And be careful not to push a stubborn vertical piano over your helper's pes!

Casters and trucks.  If you're going to be moving a pianoforte around a room or stage, or from room to room, oftentimes, be sure the pianoforte is properly equipped. Grand pianos should be mounted on a piano truck — a special carrier designed for pianos that demand to exist moved often — or fitted with special casters. Pocket-size verticals are best not moved around much, but at that place are special pianoforte trucks for them, as well (come across Figure 4). Larger verticals often come with heavy-duty casters, simply casters that are besides small or erstwhile cast-iron casters tin can be replaced by your pianoforte technician with double rubber-wheel ones that move easily and don't mar the floor. (Note: These replacement casters may sometimes lift your piano an inch further off the floor, making the pedals hard to reach. A slice of thick carpeting or wood placed in front of the pedals for the heel of your foot to rest on volition remedy this trouble.)

Hiring a Piano Mover for a Local Move

Finding a piano mover. As with virtually other services, the best way to find a piano mover is past word-of-rima oris referral from another piano owner or from your piano technician. A pianoforte dealer tin besides recommend an experienced mover. Some movers move pianos only; some move all kinds of household goods only specialize in pianoforte moving, and some otherwise competent full general movers don't know the first affair near piano moving. Since pianoforte moving requires some specialized cognition and equipment to do properly, e'er have the piano moved by a specialist.

Licensing and insurance.  Most states require that anyone offer to move household goods for hire be licensed by the state section of public utilities or similar state regulatory agency. To become a license in those states that crave one, a moving company must bear witness that in that location is a need for its services, that it has the proper equipment, and that it has at least the minimum amount of cargo insurance required by land law. In improver, the mover's rates must be approved by the regulatory bureau. We've all seen ads of the "2 men and a truck — $40/hr." variety, just in nearly regulated states these ads are illegal unless the firm is licensed, and newspapers are non supposed to bear ads for unlicensed firms. Ads for licensed firms will commonly exist accompanied by their license number. Since the deregulation of the interstate trucking industry in 1980, at that place has been an increasing tendency on the part of the states to deregulate, too. You should therefore bank check with your state regulatory agency about the current status of moving regulation in your state.

Nearly regulated states require that movers carry around five or x thousand dollars' worth of cargo insurance, the amount varying from state to land. But this is simply an upper limit or amass amount. Information technology does non mean that each detail moved is insured for that much. A careful reading of the moving contract will reveal that your piano (for instance) is insured for only so much per pound, the amount again varying from state to state, only usually somewhere betwixt 50 cents and ane dollar. This may be fine for your funky old upright, which is very heavy just not worth much, but won't help much if your expensive Baldwin thousand is dropped from a third-story window.

To protect yourself against the latter kind of loss, you tin can buy actress insurance either from your insurance company or from the mover. The cost varies depending on whether the pianoforte is insured for replacement value minus depreciation or full replacement value with no deduction for depreciation, and on what deductible is chosen, if any. An Internet search suggests that a typical price for replacement-value insurance is $1 to $2 per $100 of value, depending on deductible. In many cases, your homeowner's insurance may provide the coverage you lot need; check with your insurance agent. Even if your musical instrument is insured for less than its total value, you still may be able to sue the mover for the unreimbursed part of the harm.

Some states may not require it, just yous should besides be sure that your mover carries personal liability and worker's bounty insurance. The former will protect you in example, for instance, your walls are damaged — a common occurrence. Without the latter, you may be responsible for hospital bills if a mover is injure on your property. Don't only accept the mover'south word that he's "fully insured;" inquire to come across his insurance certificates.

Prices.  Some movers accuse by the job. Others charge by time and mileage and are willing to give only a rough estimate of the total charge, if that. At to the lowest degree you should assume it's an guess unless otherwise told. It's definitely worth getting several estimates for a piano moving job considering prices often vary enormously, even amongst equally reputable movers in the same locality. Even so, be sure you are dealing with a skilled piano mover; the lowest estimate is not necessarily the best choice. Too, when comparing estimates, be sure you cistron in insurance charges, as some movers include generous insurance coverage in their base toll, whereas others include only the state-mandated coverage and charge extra for boosted coverage.

The price of a moving chore will depend on the blazon and size of piano and the complexity of the job, considering the larger pianos and more complex jobs require more workers. Rates in large cities are oft much higher than those in rural areas. A kickoff-flooring-to-first-floor motility of a small vertical or minor grand usually requires only two people. Moving a total-size vertical or a smaller grand piano up or downwardly stairs requires three, and moving a large thousand may crave more than 3.

Typical prices for beginning-floor-to-outset-flooring local moves are equally follows: small vertical, $200–350; upright or small grand, $300–$400; medium k, $350–500. Each staircase could add from $100 to $200 to the cost. Hoisting and rigging might cost twice as much plus, in some jurisdictions, the toll of permits and police particular. These are intended merely as approximate figures and obviously don't include unusual situations and complications. (I've heard of hoisting charges over $i,000 in some cities.) Be aware that what to you may seem simply "a few steps up" to the front end door may be significant to a mover and could upshot in an extra charge. Also, some movers may have minimum charges.

Damage.  Before the pianoforte is moved, you and the mover should together inspect information technology carefully and notation any pre-existing harm, such as scratches, dents, and loose veneer, on the bill of lading. Then, later the piano is moved to its destination, inspect it once more and note whatsoever new damage on the bill of lading. Most harm to pianos in local moves is quite small and is repaired or touched up by the mover or by a piano technician or refinisher hired by the mover. Only in rare cases, or with some big interstate movers, will you demand to file an insurance claim, but if y'all do, the mover is required to furnish you with the claim forms and process them for you (unless you obtained your insurance coverage independently).

Although damage to pianos from moving certainly does occur, pianoforte owners likewise tend to imagine or doubtable a lot of damage that doesn't exist. One reason is they probably examine their piano far more advisedly after a move than at whatsoever other fourth dimension in its life, and then discover scratches and marks that have been there for years unnoticed. This is why it's so important to agree on preexisting damage before the motility. Another reason for the suspicion is simply a lack of knowledge about the technical and maintenance needs of pianos. When I tune a piano after a move, and in the process notice the need for some additional maintenance, I'chiliad invariably asked if the need for the extra work wasn't, after all, caused past the movers and therefore discipline to reimbursement by them. In near cases the maintenance was needed earlier the motility, likewise, but was never mentioned or not noticed by previous technicians. Commonly, a piano has to be handled quite roughly for internal impairment to occur.

Interstate, Long-Distance, and Household Moves

Interstate movers must be licensed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Assistants (FMCSA) and registered with the Department of Transportation (DOT), regulatory agencies of the U.S. authorities. Every bit with the regulated states, applicants for an FMCSA license must accept the proper equipment for the job, a minimum of $10,000 worth of cargo insurance, and $750,000 worth of liability insurance.

When you dial the phone number listed for a major van line, you lot're actually calling its local agent. The agents book the moves and own a fleet of trailers. They hire drivers, called owner-operators, who own tractors to pull those trailers. It's an owner-operator who actually hauls your appurtenances. (Sometimes the agents ain the tractors, too, and only hire drivers.) Since the partial deregulation of the trucking industry in 1980, thousands of additional owner-operators take received FMCSA licenses.

Moving a pianoforte alone a long distance is expensive. For instance, several movers quoted prices of $i,000 to $2,000 for moving a 1,000-pound piano (such as a large, crated 1000) from New York to California. The price is computed from both the weight and the altitude, but the higher the weight, the lower the price per pound. This means that a piano moved with a typical eight,000-pound load of household furniture might cost from less than ane-third to one-half as much equally when moved alone. Likewise, nearly long-altitude movers take a minimum charge, usually based on a weight of i,000 pounds, just the minimums could range from 500 to two,500 pounds. If a piano being moved alone weighs less than the minimum, information technology will be charged at the rate for the minimum weight. If you live in New York and are considering sending your upright piano to your child in California, you might be better off selling it locally instead and sending your child the money to buy one in his or her expanse.

In addition to the rate quoted you for moving your piano long distance — with or without other household goods — there may be other hidden costs that you should inquire almost. Because a piano often requires special packing, a handling charge is usually added on to the bill. In some cases the moving price includes only the trucking of the piano to a local dealer or freight depot and not the cost of moving it in and out of the house. This may be and so when the long-distance mover is equipped to haul pianos but not to handle them and must hire local pianoforte movers on both ends of the trip. You may be required to pay the pianoforte movers directly, which could add several hundred dollars to the moving cost if you thought all this was included in the nib.

Many people contemplating a major motion automatically phone call a major van line whose name is a household give-and-take. But in well-nigh localities there are too smaller moving companies, sometimes with many years of experience, that specialize in moves to certain regions of the country. For instance, in Boston there are companies that specialize in moves within the New York-New England area and others that specialize in moves to Florida, where many New Englanders spend the winter. These smaller firms sometimes offering more personal service, more than flexible scheduling, and lower prices.

There are now several movers that specialize in cantankerous-country pianoforte moving. They are listed here for your convenience, but the listing should not exist considered an endorsement or guarantee of satisfaction. Remember, when using their services, that y'all demand to be flexible near pickup and inflow times. Call as far in advance as possible so the company can coordinate your motion with that of others. Look that the fourth dimension from pickup to delivery can range from a couple of weeks to a couple of months.

Keyboard Wagon (Elizabethtown, KY, keyboardcarriage.com) and Walter Pianoforte Transport (Elkhart, IN, walterpianotransport.com) warehouse and deliver pianos to dealers for almost of the piano manufacturers who practise business in the U.S. Both companies take large fleets of trucks constantly on the move around the country. Although both companies will also motility pianos for consumers, Keyboard Carriage will move them only betwixt dealers, moving companies, or other commercial entities whose facilities are capable of accommodating a full-size tractor trailer. They will not move a piano into or out of a habitation — yous would accept to make your own arrangements for that. Walter Piano Ship volition motility a piano into or out of a home, or will make arrangements to have that washed by local piano movers on both ends of the move Modern Piano Moving (Sullivan, MO, modernpiano.com) has been moving pianos since 1935, cross-country moving since 1985. It has offices in Missouri, California, and Virginia. Their services include not merely the cross-land hauling, but as well the move into and out of the home or other location. They motility only pianos.

If you are moving your household appurtenances long distance yourself in a rented truck, the safest and most economical way to movement the piano is to hire local pianoforte movers at both ends to load and unload the piano and move it betwixt the house and the truck

International Moving

Who does information technology? International moving is one of the services that many regular movers provide. The actual overseas shipping is washed by a "freight forwarder," who consolidates the goods from a number of different customers or movers into containers (large metal boxes that are hauled by trucks, planes and ships) and deals with the carrier. Your mover may or may not be a freight forwarder, but if not, it will likely have a human relationship with i. The mover will pick up your piano and deliver information technology to them; you don't accept to deal directly with the freight forwarder unless you prefer to. The mover or freight forwarder will tell you (or you should ask) what carrier options yous have, and what route your goods will accept; the container number, flight number, or ship proper noun; and dates of divergence and arrival. Your mover does not need to take an FMCSA license to provide this service for you unless it volition be moving your goods interstate in the process.

Some foreign manufacturers wrap their pianos in airtight plastic when shipping overseas to avoid having the pianos exposed to excess humidity. You lot should ask of the mover whether airtight shipment would exist possible for your instrument. In whatever case, you should request that they identify a few packets of silica (a drying amanuensis) inside a vertical pianoforte or on the underside of a grand.

Shipping costs.  International moving is priced either past weight or by volume. Pianos are heavy and so, where possible, should exist priced by volume. My sources quoted from $800 to $1,500 to move about pianos overseas via ship, and twice that for air send, depending on the size of the shipment and the destination port. Nevertheless, crating, pickup, delivery, and brokerage charges could double the toll.

Import duties.  While the shipping costs described above are considerable, higher still can be the import duties and taxes assessed by the strange governments one time the shipment has arrived. These duties vary from as petty as a few percent to as much as 200% of the instrument's value. With these duties, governments seek to prevent the import of pianos for resale, presumably to protect their ain local piano industry. Some countries take exclusions from duties for professionals in the music field, and some crave proof of ownership of half dozen months to two years to avert duties. An Net search or a telephone call to any international mover will provide country-specific information on duties and taxes.

Insurance. Movers are not required to provide insurance coverage, simply generally brand information technology bachelor. Insurance is always on the replacement value at the destination. 1 cost quoted was $ane per $100 of value, with a minimum value of $1,000. A special indicate mentioned past my sources was that, when aircraft by ocean, the insurance should exist an "all-risk marine policy," which includes what is known as a "general average clause." This volition insure against any extra costs the shipper might otherwise have to pay if harm is sustained to the ship en route and the cargo is impounded in a port other than 1 that is scheduled. These extra costs tin can exist huge.

Shipping times. Shipments to Europe and the Middle East are fabricated from the Eastward Coast, and to Australia and the Far East from the West Coast. Shipping charges from your locality will include "land bridge service" to one declension or the other as advisable. "All-h2o" service may also be available, which allows goods to exist shipped past bounding main anywhere in the world from either coast via the Panama Canal. Air shipments take only ii to iii days. Door-to-door aircraft of a piano past sea, from the E Declension to Europe or from the West Coast to Cathay, will usually accept about 15 to xxx days. Shipping to Canada and United mexican states is usually by land, although reaching certain littoral cities may sometimes be cheaper by sea. Overland shipping for pianos should be by air-suspended vans; rail flat-machine shipping tin be difficult on pianos.

Arrival.  The customer or the customer's designee will be notified by the shipper'due south amanuensis when the piano has arrived at the destination port. The freight forwarder should accept taken care of the paperwork and payment of duty, if any. If the customer is not at the destination when the piano arrives, information technology may accept to exist stored, which tin can exist expensive. Information technology'southward better to delay shipping the piano than to have information technology look at the destination port.

Damage claims.  If there is harm, the client should file a merits form, available from the mover'due south claims personnel at either end of the motility. The client should also take pictures and carefully document the damage. The customer must as well adapt to have the insurance agent audit the damage, usually after delivery to the new residence, obtain an approximate for repairs from any qualified technician, and submit information technology to the claims personnel of either the mover or the insurer, depending on the usual process used past the mover. If the client doesn't have any thought of whom to call for repair estimates, which could be the case in a foreign country, the names of local businesses are ordinarily available from the insurance company or the mover.

Ivory Ban.  Due to the international ban on the trafficking of ivory, if the piano beingness moved internationally has real ivory keytops, as many older pianos do, yous may need a special let, known every bit a CITES certificate, from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (www.fws.gov), and from the corresponding regime agency in the other country, to avoid problem when the pianoforte goes through customs. A let is by and large given when the ivory is a pocket-sized role of a musical musical instrument, or is function of a household move or inheritance. Allow at least 90 days to become these papers.

Storage

The all-time advice most storing a pianoforte is not to do it if you can assistance it, or to lend the pianoforte to a friend or relative who will employ it and accept proficient intendance of information technology. Storing a piano involves extra moving and an uncertain environs and certainly doesn't ameliorate the instrument, to say the least. Nevertheless, there are times when storing a piano is unavoidable, such as when you have to move out of your house earlier the movers are scheduled for the long-distance haul (in which case they will pick up and store your goods for you lot) or when you arrive in a new urban center before yous've found a permanent place to live.

Most cities and towns at present take self-storage places that offer cubicles of various sizes for rent by the month. When choosing ane, it's preferable that it be at to the lowest degree minimally heated, though an unheated space is by far improve than ane that is overheated. The smallest-size cubicle in which you can shop the piano will probably exist determined by the size of the door, rather than by the size of the cubicle. Typical cubicle sizes might exist 5×5, 5×10, and ten×10 feet. An Internet search showed monthly rates for these sizes from $fifty to $150. Smaller sizes may not have a big enough door.

Storage in an unheated space.  Many people go on pianos in summer homes and wonder how to protect the piano in the winter when the place is unheated. The conventional wisdom is that pianos should never exist immune to freeze, only any technician will tell you that pianos left unheated twelvemonth after year are oft in amend condition than those in well-heated houses, the latter ordinarily suffering from the furnishings of overdryness. Some experts suggest stuffing the piano with rolled-upwardly newspaper to absorb the dampness that often accompanies low temperatures. But my sources in the Maine woods tell me that, generally, those newspapers only end up equally nests for mice, and the torn upward, soggy newsprint is difficult to extricate from the piano come spring. Their advice? Place some mothballs in the piano (but don't permit them bear upon the finish), close upwards the piano, and leave it as is.

The Effects of Moving and Storage

Tuning. The piano is hoisted out of a third-story window, trucked across the state, and later that day hoisted into a fifth-floor apartment. After the movers leave, the pianist sits downwardly to play, and is surprised to find the piano in very good tune. Two weeks later, the piano sounds terrible. This common scenario occurs because it is not generally the physical moving of the pianoforte that puts it out of tune — information technology is the modify in humidity from one location to some other, and this change takes anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to show its event. For this reason, you should wait at least two weeks after moving before having the piano tuned. Merely with some of the cheaper spinets and consoles will the actual physical moving affect the tuning directly.

Pedals.  Grand piano pedals are ofttimes out of kilter subsequently a move. Shims of leather or cardboard used to take up slack in the trapwork oftentimes fall out when the lyre is removed. As well, less conscientious movers sometimes mix up the order of the pedal rods that rise from the back of the pedals. These rods are not always equal in length and and then may not be interchangeable. Pedal dowels in verticals also sometimes fall out of place. It is a fairly simple matter for your pianoforte technician to correct these problems when he or she comes to tune the piano. Special note: If your grand piano has lyre braces (which it should), be sure the movers remember to put them back on. Movers oft forget and leave them in the truck, never to be seen again

Other furnishings.  The effects of moving, except those mentioned higher up, are very unpredictable, especially if there is a large departure in humidity betwixt the old and new locations. Warning: A piano that has been in a damp or unheated place for many years should never be moved to a dry or well-heated location. Such pianos are known to cocky-destruct in a brusk time. Also, do non allow pianos with high-polish finishes to freeze; it may cause the finish to crevice.

Ane boosted item to check on a g piano earlier moving: Because a k is placed on its side to exist moved, a narrow wooden rail called a key finish track is mounted on acme of the keys, behind the fallboard, to prevent the keys from falling off the fundamental frame during moving. If the fundamental cease rail is missing or not securely installed, as sometimes happens, the keys volition be in terrible disarray and completely unplayable after moving. A technician can set this, but it may take a while fifty-fifty to extricate the action from the pianoforte. If you lot know you're going to be moving, have your technician check for the key stop track before the movement. Otherwise, see our article in the pianobuyer.com archives on inspecting a used piano before buy for instructions on removing the yard fallboard to expect inside. Although less common, a similar problem tin can occur in a vertical if it has to be upended to become it around a tight corner.

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Source: https://www.pianobuyer.com/article/piano-moving-storage/

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