Moving a piano - tips and hints

Moving a piano is hard and complicated work. It can be done properly by amateurs, but you will need some guidelines and willing people to help you. Because of its shape, size and weight pianos are one of the hardest items to transport and more often than not it is much better to hire professional movers in Minnesota to do it for you. If, on the other hand,  you are keen on moving it yourself, here is how you should approach it.

How to approach moving a piano

You need to do this step by step. If you try to skip some steps you will very easily find yourself in a world of trouble.

Organize people that are going to help you

Moving a piano is always a group project. If you are having friends helping you, you need to have the right ones. You don’t need a big group of people, but the group you have has to be well organized. Moving equipment like work gloves and boots, dollies, and belts is necessary if you want to do this properly. Pianos are the worst when it comes to moving because they are big, heavy and fragile. You need to take every precaution if you want to keep you and your friends safe and if you don’t want to risk damaging the piano. Make sure that everyone is well rested and are familiar with how the whole ordeal is going to go down.

Prepare the piano

Pianos are very fragile and are easily scratched and damaged. Any part of the piano that can be taken off should be taken off. Once that is done, you should make sure that the whole piano is wrapped in protective packaging. This is to make sure that no accidental scratches leave permanent marks. Put padding on edges of the piano in order to minimize the risk of damaging it.

Plan your route

Next thing to do is to carefully plan your route. You need to carefully figure out where the piano is going to go through. Pianos can weigh between 300lbs to 1300lbs and you need to make sure that the route you are taking can support your piano. Getting stuck or finding out that the stairs you are taking cannot support the weight of the piano are situations you don’t want to find yourself in. Measure every part of your route so you will be sure that there will no issues once you start moving it. Make sure that you leave enough room for the people handling the piano. For every 100lbs you should have one person helping.

Move it gradually

Once you have your men and your gear, your piano is wrapped and ready, and you have you have your route figured out, you are ready to move. Once you start you need to do it slowly and safely. You need to stay fresh if you want to avoid unnecessary mistakes, therefore you should rest every couple of minutes. Moving a piano is a marathon, not a spirt. Take your time and make sure that no one is rushing. Pianos are heavy and people will have the urge to move them the quickest way possible. Make sure that everyone is on the same page and that proper safeguards are taken.

Use proper technique

Having proper technique when dealing with heavy objects is essential if you want to avoid injury. When lifting the piano make sure that you are lifting with your legs and that you are keeping your back straight. Your arms can easily get tired if you are not used to using them, so be sure to give yourself enough time to reset. Use dollies and belts when moving a piano. When pushing them up the stairs make sure that there are enough people on the bottom side. No one should stand right behind the piano, as one slip can result in horrible injury. Never let gravity do the work. It may seem like you are saving your strength, but you losing control. The piano needs to be constantly managed if you want to properly move it.

Should you hire professional movers?

In most cases, yes. The odds that you will have all the necessary equipment and that you have friends that are capable and willing to help you move the piano are very slim. Moving such a difficult object safely takes experience and equipment. By simply hiring local movers in Minneapolis and St. Paul you can make sure that your piano is safely transported. Even if you manage to have everything prepared regarding help and equipment, the number of rookie mistakes that you can make is simply staggering.

It is understandable that you want to save money. Moving is never cheap. When looking for reliable City Moving and Storage MN you want to save every penny you can. But sometimes the trouble of doing it alone heavily outweighs the cost of hiring professionals. This is one of those times. Many things have to be done properly and you doing them on your first try is an unlikely occurrence. It has nothing to do with intelligence, but with skill. There is a reason why professionals are professionals.

Know your piano before you move it

Knowing what type of piano you have will drastically help your movers once they have to move it. Generally, pianos usually owed by people in the U.S. are:

• Spinet Piano – This is the smallest type of piano. It usually tops around 3 feet (0.9m) in height and is 58 inches long (147.3cm). The weigh is around 300lbs.
• Studio or Large Upright Piano – These pianos are normally 58 inches (147.3cm) wide. Smaller ones weigh between 400 and 600 pounds, while big ones can weigh up to half a ton.
• Grand Piano – This piano is long and low. They are rarely seen in private residences. Petite ones weigh around 500 pounds, while “concert” grand pianos can weigh at 1300 pounds and measure more than 9 feet (2,7m) across.