All about piano moving and transport

Do you have a piano that you need to transport or move? Moving is an important step in anyone’s life, but it’s also a major source of stress and an undertaking that requires a lot of time and preparation. For your peace of mind, it’s best to entrust a professional, specialized company with moving your piano.

A piano (whether an upright or a grand) is a heavy but fragile object that’s sensitive to the slightest scratch, which is why it requires expert handling. Therefore, in the interests of safety, you should never consider transporting your piano by yourself. Here’s some useful information to help you find a qualified piano mover.

How to choose the right piano mover

Moving a piano—a valuable, heavy object—is a complicated process that you can’t freestyle. You need to look for a professional, specialized company that avails of the following:

• All of the necessary equipment, including straps, tie-downs, protective coverings, hand trucks, etc.
• A mobile crane that can lift or lower your piano so the movers can bring it in through your balcony, if necessary (for example, if there are narrow stairs, stairs with a 90-degree turn or a spiral staircase)
• A specialized team of experts made up of two to four professionals with a solid understanding of the techniques involved in disassembling, handling, transporting and reassembling an upright or grand piano
• At least two million dollars in civil liability insurance coverage, as accidents do happen, unfortunately
• If necessary, storage service specifically intended for pianos, which must be stored in suitable spaces that are temperature- and humidity-controlled and highly secure (with 24/7 monitoring by surveillance cameras)

Furthermore, before giving you an estimate, a qualified piano mover will precisely ascertain a number of details, including the type of piano, the number of floors to ascend or descend and the configuration of the stairs, among other things.

You should also pay careful attention to the price of the estimate. For example, it should cost between $250 and $600 to move an upright piano a short distance and up to $1,300 if the operation requires the use of a mobile crane. If you need to transport your piano over a long distance, you should expect to pay between $650 and $2,000. Since a grand piano requires more work, you’ll have to spend between $350 and $900 and as much as $1,500 if the movers have to use a mobile crane.

What’s the procedure for moving a piano?

• Expert piano movers will begin by analyzing the piano, the transport environment, the best way to go about performing the move, the position of each professional, etc.
• They’ll promote safety by making sure that any onlookers keep their distance.
• They’ll dismantle any detachable parts, such as the pedals, the feet and the music rack of a grand piano, in order to reduce the weight of the instrument.
• They’ll protect your piano with firmly attached protective covers for transport.
• They’ll tilt the instrument and secure it to a special sled so they can place it on a hand truck.
• They’ll carefully balance the piano as they haul it up or down the stairs—the most difficult, delicate part of the operation.
• They’ll then place the piano comfortably and securely in the truck in order to transport it.
• Finally, they’ll move your instrument into its new home, unpack it and reassemble it.

For safe, secure piano moving and transport performed by a specialized team at a competitive price, call on the services of Groupe STC inc.