Craig Van Lines has been a trusted mover in all of the Washington DC Metro area for 4 generations now. With the charm and history of the area comes quite a few pianos! Piano moving has many similarities with moving other items, but brings some unique characteristics too.

Challenges of Moving A Piano

We have taken more phone calls than we can count from clients who need help moving a piano and have tried themselves, but quickly realized they needed a professional. For instance, several years ago a client was moving a baby grand from a town home and actually snapped off one of the front legs. The casters on many pianos just can’t take the stress of moving across carpet or over thresholds. As soon as pressure is applied, they can break off very easily.

Since pianos come in all shapes and sizes, you’ll need a moving crew who knows how to deal with moving such a large piece and who has experience dealing with the delicate nature of the instrument.

Common Sizes Include:

Whether you are in a 700 square foot apartment or a large single family home, we have seen pianos of all sizes! Moving the piano doesn’t matter what type of home it comes from or goes into. This process is all about the size and type.

Console – these pianos are often the easiest to move because of their relatively small footprint. But they are still heavy!

Studio – these are upright pianos, usually around 4 feet tall. These have bigger soundboards than consoles and a larger overall dimension.

Upright – think about the big old piano your grandparents had! These pianos can be very heavy and many stand as tall as 60 inches or more.

Baby Grand – Here is where we start getting into pianos that are pretty challenging to move. Because pot the horizontal orientation, baby grands can be tricky to move.

Concert Grand – These are the largest of them all. Most homes in the area do not have concert grand pianos, but it is not unheard of. Could you imagine getting a 9 foot long piano out of an Old Town row house?! Typically, we see these in commercial moves and even then they are a rare item.

The Process of Moving the Piano

If we can remove a piece, we will. That typically means removing the music rack and securing the lid and lid prop. We keep all the hardware securely wrapped and either tape it to the piece itself or present it to the owner for safe transport.

The bench often has an opening lid, which also requires securing before the move.

One all the pieces are secured, the piano is strapped and moved from the stationary location to the truck. Special straps are used to lift the piano and sometimes low heavy duty casters are used to help move a piano over an expanse.

Once the piano is in the truck it is securely wrapped with special attention to the pedals and more delicate features.

Once your piano is moved into it’s new location it should be given a week or so to acclimate to the new temperature and humidity, then call a professional piano tuner to come get the instrument back in tune. Even proximity to an air conditioning duct can dramatically change the humidity levels local to the piano. This can cause the sound board to resonate differently and also cause the strings to loosen or tighten as the wood expands or contracts. Wait two weeks, then call a pro.

Craig Van Lines has moved hundreds of pianos and can certainly move yours. Contact us today at (703)-273-5533.

Piano Movers in Northern VA