I need to move an upright piano from one room to another and then back again after the ceramic tile is finished. I am not going to tackle the task. How much should I expect to pay for both moves? I was thinking of contacting the music store where I bought the piano thirty some years ago. Thoughts?

No stairs involved. Adjoining bedroom.

Make sure that whoever you choose is a)referred by a reputable piano dealer, and b)insured.

I have a 1911 Baldwin upright that my grandfather gave my grandmother as a wedding present. I still play from time to time, and it has both real and sentimental value. It gets moved by a professional service.

Two fit people can lift and carry an upright piano. Three or four high school football players. Call the coach. You can always buy some ¼" underlayment, ripped into 2' x 8' pieces, and lay it upon the floor for added protection. Also, the piano should be on rollers; just ease it towards the back a little, keeping the weight off the two legs in front (if it has them).

Hmm. First time on this forum I have heard of a 1911 referred to that was NOT a pistol.

Music store - your first thought - is the best idea by far. They'll know who to use. Otherwise, you might have Stan and Ollie show up, and we saw how that ended.

A piano dolly from HD should be involved.

Last time I moved a piano, we put 3 of us on one end and an offensive guard from the Buffalo Bills on the other side. Smooth sailing.
Mike

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mcrimm,

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
A piano dolly from HD should be involved.

Factoring in the coupons, wouldn't a piano dolly from Harbor Freight be cheaper?

Call and get some estimates. Most U-Haul type storage units have a list of people they use.
Sometimes a piano company will throw in a piano tuning free or reduced price if you use their crew.

Do ask the piano company what to put under the casters. Sometimes they do not play nice with tile.
Travel time to your house may be the most expensive part.

about 15+ years ago when I worked for a mover, I could be remembering wrong, I think it was $600 to take it from house to house. Indoors I suspect it may be cheaper but its been a long time and rates most likely have gone up.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
A piano dolly from HD should be involved.

Factoring in the coupons, wouldn't a piano dolly from Harbor Freight be cheaper?

HF is good for lots of things, but a decent 1000# - 1200# dolly will only cost $50-$60 and you'll have it forever. Very handy item (I've two but you only use one moving a piano). They're in the basement at the moment, heavy crap stacked on them, heavy crap which is very easy to move about if need be.

Four good casters, a solid wood frame, and the higher ends carpeted. That's all you need.

I've another, a low profile dolly, part of a church organ speaker assembly. It's from the 1950s and built to withstand a Soviet rocket attack.

The music store would be wise to send out two beefy guys and a tuner/salesman to examine the piano and move it, then discuss options to maintain it's tone and performance when they return it to its position.

In my younger days I worked for a Mayflower Mover putting myself through college and moved many pianos.
Most, if not all, upright pianos have a handle on the back side making it very easy to pick up. If you are just moving it from one room to another on the same floor you can get one (or two) four wheel dollies from HF and place it under the piano and carefully push/pull it into the other room.

The hardest piano move we ever did was to deliver a baby grand piano to the fourth floor in a Cambridge, MA townhouse. I thought at one time that the damn thing was going to slide down the stairs with me and another guy behind it and completely squash us.

Two carpet installers we used, neither heavier than 160 pounds, just picked our piano up and carried it into the kitchen and back. They seemed like pretty solid guys but were not weightlifters.

My 5' wife and I moved one of these, albeit on hardwood so that made it easy. Two decent dollies, lift one end, slide under, repeat, then she just helped push/pull/steer and pull dollies back out.

It's really not a big deal. If you're worried about affecting the tune, you are probably like most of us and overdue anyway so just plan that for after the moving about.

$300

I moved a piano ONCE....those thugs are ridiculously heavy! Ill do it for ya but not for a penny less than a gagillion dollars

Plenty of Youtube videos on how to move a piano. Room to room I'd do it myself with one or two other people to help. House to house I'd call the local piano store. One piano dolly centered under the harp is all you really need. And make sure you get it tuned after it's back in place.

We have one very similar to this one:


My wife's parents brought it from CA to TX a few years ago. Took 6 of us to unload from the back of his Tundra.

When we moved last year, my brother-in-law & I moved it, just the two of us.

As mentioned above, there should be a 'handle' on the back. It's heavy, but from one room to another, shouldn't be too much hassle for 2 fit people to handle.

Please pass me the piano.

Piano dollys rent for $15.00 per day , here

if you are just going from one room to the next, ( no stairs, steps or ditches )

that would be they way that I would go.

even if you have to rent it twice,