How to Move a Piano Safely in the UK

The short answer: do not try to move a full-size piano yourself. An upright weighs 200 to 350 kilos, a grand more, and the weight sits high and shifts as you tilt it. Most piano damage and most serious back and hand injuries happen during amateur moves. For anything beyond sliding a piano a few feet on its own castors, on a flat hard floor, use people who move pianos for a living.

Why a piano is not a normal heavy item

A piano is heavy, top-heavy and fragile all at once. The cast-iron frame inside holds around 18 tonnes of string tension, the case is solid timber that dents and scratches easily, and the action is full of felt and fine moving parts that knock out of adjustment if the piano is dropped, banged or laid on its back. Castors fitted to a domestic piano are made for nudging it across a room, not for rolling it any distance, and they will gouge floors and can snap under load. This is why a general removals crew, however strong, is the wrong call.

What a proper piano move looks like

Done properly, a piano is wrapped before it moves. Good movers use fitted, padded transit covers over the whole case, padding on the legs and pedals of a grand, and a piano skate or trolley to take the weight off the castors. An upright is moved upright. A grand is taken off its legs, stood on its straight side on a padded board, strapped and wrapped, and only laid down in that controlled way, never tipped onto its back on a whim. In the van it is strapped upright against a padded rail so it cannot rock in transit. None of that is improvised on the day. It is the standard way the job is done.

Stairs, doorways and access

Most of the difficulty in a piano move is the route, not the road. Measure the narrowest doorway and the tightest turn on the path the piano has to travel, and count the steps. Flats, basements, split levels and tight Victorian staircases all add time and people, and stairs in particular are a real piece of work, not a free extra. Tell whoever you book the full picture before the day: which floor, how many steps, any awkward turn, parking and how far the piano has to be carried to the van. A mover who knows the access in advance brings the right crew and the right kit, and a firm price holds.

After the move

A piano that has just been moved needs a few weeks to settle in its new home before it is tuned, and almost any piano will need a tune after a move because the change in position and temperature shifts the pitch slightly. Let it acclimatise, then book a tuner. You can find one near you in our piano tuners directory.

Booking a move

PianoSpeed moves pianos across mainland Britain and Northern Ireland on a set weekly schedule, one collection day per postcode area. Fitted transit covers and padded legs are standard, the crew handles uprights and grands, and stairs and access are priced into the quote rather than sprung on you. Put your postcode into the booking tool to see which day we are near you and get a firm price before you pay.