Specialist equipment like pianos is one of the reasons packing up the house for relocation can be challenging. They are large and heavy and have sharp corners and delicate parts that can break easily. Plus, moving them with lifting equipment is close to impossible.
Local piano movers could pull a move without the need for so much equipment, but for many people considering a DIY approach, the risk of injuries and damage to the large home equipment without lifting gears will be on the high side. On the other hand, it’s important to learn how to safely move a piano to protect them when moving so that its surface and expensive parts retain their sheen after the move.
This step-by-step guide on how to transport an upright piano will take away the dangers and challenges involved with moving this specialist item.
- Essential Equipment to Move Pianos
Ask mentioned earlier, musical gears like this are delicate, heavy, and overweight. So, moving them from their sitting position into the van or the new house without proper protection and lifting gears will be impossible. Still, there’s a catch! Packing and lifting equipment is surplus, but finding the basic ones will make the lifting and packing process easy. Some of them include:
- Moving blankets: These are protective linens that keep the piano surface from spotting dents, scratch marks, or scuffs that may occur when they collide with some other hard object.
- Cardboard sheets: the cutoff cardboard sheets help to cover sharp edges.
- Piano dolly: these are 4-wheeled instruments that help one move large musical gears along the floor.
- Piano board: It is also called a skid board and does the job of a dolly. However, it works better for transporting grand pianos.
- Tape: It helps to secure protective gear like the blanket and cardboard sheets.
- Tie and lifting straps: They help lift and secure the large musical instrument on the dolly or skid board. This way, it doesn’t jolt or shift when moving.
- Work gloves: they provide precision grip and protect the hands from injuries.
- Moving truck: It is the most important shipping equipment required for a move because it helps ship the piano to the new apartment. Make sure to choose a size with enough capacity to hold small and large stuff.
- How to Prepare, Pack and Move the Piano
Pianos are pretty heavy stuff and can cause injuries with the slightest push. To prepare and ship them, consider the following:
- Take Its Measurement
Don’t start the relocation process without measuring the piano dimensions and door paths. This step is essential because it acquaints movers with the difficulty or ease of carrying the pianoforte out of the house.
But, before taking its measurement, remember that every piano differs. There’s the grand and upright piano, and each differs in weight and dimension. The baby grand piano is usually smaller than the vertical ones.
Back to the measurements, don’t forget to measure the doorway, stairs (if any), hallway, and all paths leading to the truck. Also, measure the truck to know whether it has enough room for the pianoforte.
- Clear Pathways
A messy house would mean bumping on objects from a rocking horse to a Lego house or small play toys scattered around mobility areas and hindering movement. It might endanger the musical gear, and the building (the floors and walls). Be sure to clear pathways before engaging lifting skills.
- Disassemble Jewelry
Like how ladies and men are described as beautiful or handsome when they wear Jewelry, the pianoforte also has some pieces of Jewelry on its body that makes it stand out. But, it’s not like the typical jewelry we wear. Piano Jewelry is the pedals and casters.
These accessories play functional and beautifying roles, but they can also be damaging to the floors. So, make sure to remove them.
- Cover It
After dismantling the jewelry, it’s time to wrap it up. Don’t place this expensive instrument into the truck without protection because of the risk attached with damaging its surface. So, get the moving blanket and cover it entirely. Then, use tape to secure the edges so the blanket won’t fall off on the road.
- Lift, fix it in the Dolly and Move
This is where the dolly plays vital roles
Once wrapped, it means it’s time to transport the piano to the truck. Get the four-wheel dolly and place it under the piano. Make sure to use a strap to secure it to avoid shifting during transit. Then, haul them to the van with people holding the piano in place from four sides.
- Use a ramp
If the house has a staircase, the task will get more technical. But a ramp can solve the problem. Ramps are specially designed to haul large musical gears over the stairs. Just make sure to secure the pianoforte with sturdy straps so it won’t shift or fall after placing it on the ramp.
- Secure It in the Van
Don’t ignore the need to secure the piano in the van. While the process of hauling them without damage to their parts has proved successful, movers also risk more damage to this equipment if they fail to secure them inside the van. Look for ropes attached to the wall of moving trucks and tie them down.
- Piano Moving Advice
The step-by-step guide above teaches one how to easily move a piano. But, here’s something to put in mind during the entire process.
- Don’t Lift Specialist Items Without Appropriate Equipment
Doing so would mean the expensive musical instrument isn’t so valuable after all, or don’t care about misaligning body parts.
- Don’t Use Piano Casters
They’re also called rollers and help the Piano stand. But, they can break and get stuck easily. They also leave scratch marks on hardware floors. Instead, use the dolly.
- Don’t Move Too Fast
The piano will likely fall off. Why? It’s because the musical instrument weighs twice than a human and can easily throw one off balance.
Conclusion
Shipping a pianoforte is time-tasking and quite dangerous. Thanks to their weight, pianos task so much effort to move. Hopefully, this guide will first-time and experienced movers just how to do it well.
