At first glance, a piano may seem like any other large piece of furniture you have to move out of your home. You might figure that you and a few friends can just carry it out and load it in the moving truck, perhaps alongside your dressers and clothes. Some people do move their pianos this way, but it is not ideal. In fact, it's generally best to hire a specialty piano moving company to move your piano. Here's why.
Pianos should not be tipped.
Does your preliminary plan to move the piano involve laying it on its side or flipping it over? If so, it's unfortunately not a great plan. Pianos should be left upright when they are moved. Turning or flipping them could cause damage to the intricate string and hammer system that allows the piano to make noise. Piano movers know this, and they are experts at finding ways to move pianos in and out of homes while keeping them upright. They have good collections of dollies, straps, and other supplies to help them with moving pianos in this position.
Pianos need to be carefully navigated around corners.
Moving a cumbersome piano around a corner or down stairs is a lot harder than it might look. Especially if you have a baby grand piano or a grand piano, it will be long enough that you have to slowly bend and re-adjust as you move around corners. Piano moving companies have experience doing this and can get pianos through remarkably tight spaces.
Pianos need to be carefully strapped down.
When the piano is actually taken from point A to point B in a moving truck, it needs to be strapped down to prevent damage. However, this has to be done in a way that does not put excessive strain on any part of the piano. Piano movers not only know how to strap a piano down safely, but they often have special, padded straps that they can run across parts of the piano that you would not typically place straps along. This makes it possible for them to secure any piano more fully and with less worry of damage.
If you're preparing to move and you own a piano, it's a good idea to call and make plans with a piano moving company. These are big, incredible instruments, but they are delicate and need to be moved by someone with specialized skills and equipment.
For more information, contact a local company like Pro Piano Movers.