Pianos are notoriously difficult to move. Even moving a piano to a new room in your home can be tough, and it is even more complicated when you’ve got to move it to a completely new house. Here are some tips for making sure your piano is moved to your new home safely.
Take measurements!
Before you even start thinking about how you will get your piano out of your old home, you’ve got to figure out whether you can get it into your new home. Take measurements and make sure that the new place has room for the piano. Also, take measurements of doorways, windows, entranceways, and ceiling heights in the new place. You will need to have these measurements handy when talking to the professional piano movers.
Most moving companies won’t move pianos
Understand that most moving companies aren’t going to move pianos. They require too much special equipment. Even if the moving company says they can move the piano, it is probably best to go with a specialist. This way, you don’t risk the piano getting damaged. Also, the insurance from the professional piano movers will probably be better than what you’d get from a general moving company.
Finding a specialist
Don’t hire weekend warriors to move your piano! Damages are too costly to fix to make it worth the risk. Instead, take the time to find professional piano movers with experience. Find out what equipment they use, what trucks they use, and how many people are on their teams. Generally, you can expect 2-3 piano movers to come with piano skids, slings, ramps, and pads. For some jobs, special measures may need to be taken – like removing a window frame to get the piano out.
Understanding insurance
There are three types of insurance you’ve got to worry about when hiring piano movers. The first is commercial insurance (i.e. damage insurance) in case something happens to the vehicle or property while moving the piano. Next is content insurance, which protects against damages to the piano. Finally, you will want to make sure the piano movers have Workman’s Safety insurance or you might be held liable for any injuries which happen to workers during the job.
When to tune your piano after a move
When moving a piano, it isn’t the move which will knock the piano out of tune. In most cases, it is the climate which affects the tune. Pianos need to be tuned periodically anyway, so moving is a good excuse to get it done anyway. Wait for about a week after the move (by which time the weather will have taken its toll) to have it tuned.