Help on moving a piano?

1sttimer_2

Hi there hope this is the right place, and that someone can help/give ideas on what's the best way to do this.

We are having a new carpet laid in the next couple of weeks in our front room and I have an old fashioned, heavy, upright piano which needs to be moved out of the room and then back in again after the carpet has been laid.

Now moving it will be hard work (ie pushing it!) but I'm not bothered if I move/damaging the old carpet. The problem will come when I want to move it back in again. Do you know if it will move the newly laid carpet when pushing it back in, or is there a likelyhood of it making marks (the new carpet is cream). BTW the piano is at the far end of the room and the room is 13' long.

Has anyone ever done this, and if so, how?

Thanks in advance

culpepper

doesn't it have wheels?
We have an upright and just wheeled it out to recarpet and wheeled it back in afterwards.The carpet is fine. OH laid the carpet with a carpet glue over the underlay .We used to have the gripper strip carpet fixing on the old one and that was fine when moving the carpet too.
Just thought..
You could have a strip of hardboard to wheel it onto when getting it back in if the wheels are a bit stiff and you are afraid of maybe tearing the new carpet.

Fruitcake

We had the same problem with a slate bed half size Victorian snooker table. I bought some discs called easy-glides from Homebase, then lifted a corner at a time and put a disc under each leg. It takes a bit of effort to get the thing started, but once it's moving it is relatively easy to keep it going. My wife can now push the table around on her own at a pinch.

I'm not sure if your piano will be heavier, but once the glides are under the feet, castors or whatever, the principle is the same. Several people pushing will get it going then keep up the momentum and steer.

We went from one room to another like this and crossed a carpet strip in the process. No damage to the new carpet, although the weight will obviously leave marks in the carpet in the piano's final position. Fine if you keep it in the same place, even if you move it occassionally for cleaning.

The glides come in different sizes, with brown or black flat or recessed top sides for feet to sit on or castors to sit in. The underside is grey PTFE (non-stick technology) coated so it slides easily.

I'm not sure how you can lift the piano, I could actually get under our table and lift a corner the half inch needed for my wife to slip the glide under. Maybe you can use a crowbar or sack truck or several big strong boys to do the lifting. Obviously the wood will need protecting with something, and you will need to do this on the old carpet since it is not being kept. Once on the glides you won't need to take the piano off again so there is no worry about damaging the new carpet once it's where you want it.

I expect other DIY shops other than Homebase will have the glides as well.

Good Luck

Fruitcake

You Only Listen To Me When I'm Wrong

Nile

There are some good suggestions to help you move your piano 1sttimer. :T

I must admit that my first thought was to post 'Don't ask Laurel & Hardy':D ..........which is probably lost on a lot of youngsters anyway.:o

wobbley

You'll need a packet of PG Tips tea and a couple of chimpanzees!

OK_Sauce

...You hum it....I'll play it!

Lord_Gardener

The secret is not to move the piano out of the room. Lift and pivot on the other end of piano to remove old carpet and underlay then use same technique to fit new underlay and carpet. This keeps the piano as near as possible to its desired position and no need to drag/roll reducing the possibility of marks/damage to carpet - a piece of scrap carpet will help when moving piano on to new carpet. If the carpet is fitted properly it should be stretched onto the gripper frame and should not ruck unless it is of poor quality!

1sttimer_2

wobbley wrote:

You'll need a packet of PG Tips tea and a couple of chimpanzees!

Got these already!

1sttimer_2

Lord_Gardener wrote:

The secret is not to move the piano out of the room. Lift and pivot on the other end of piano to remove old carpet and underlay then use same technique to fit new underlay and carpet. This keeps the piano as near as possible to its desired position and no need to drag/roll reducing the possibility of marks/damage to carpet - a piece of scrap carpet will help when moving piano on to new carpet. If the carpet is fitted properly it should be stretched onto the gripper frame and should not ruck unless it is of poor quality!

Don't think this would be possible as the fitters have requested a clear room for them to come in and get rid of the old and in with the new carpet.

One thing a friend says that as we are having hall carpet done later, that if there was a problem, they maybe able to solve it.

Lord_Gardener

1sttimer wrote:

Don't think this would be possible as the fitters have requested a clear room for them to come in and get rid of the old and in with the new carpet.

I'm sure they did! Makes life much more easy for them! What would they do if you couldn't move it, carpet over the top/around the piano? Our family has been selling/fitting carpets for some 90+ years and everyone use to have a piano prior to TV!! Yes, ideally a clear room is best, but often it is just not practical to clear all furniture/heavy/large items from a room - infirm clients, ladies on own, disabled, etc. Offer them £10 for a couple of drinks and I'm sure they will oblige - bet they've moved loads in the past! Biggest problem are all those bits and pieces lying around and full china display cabinets! Lot's of tea/coffee and biscuits will go down a treat - get dry throat from all that dust!