Piano Removals
16 Feb 2023
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Moving Pianos Is No Easy Task
Pianos are large, heavy and fragile: Three things that make moving anything difficult. When you add that pianos are often both financially and sentimentally valuable, it’s no wonder that they’re often one of the more challenging items that we have to handle during a home move, sometimes even across entire continents.
Luckily at Abels Moving Services, we pride ourselves on our expertise and considerable experience in moving pianos in London, the UK, across Europe and the rest of the world. No matter the size or value of your piano, our team can safely and efficiently move pianos safely to any destination national or international. As an experienced piano moving company, our piano moving experts have undergone rigorous training in preparing your instrument, packing or protecting the vulnerable parts, moving, unpacking and setting up, ready to be returned in the new home.
Transporting Pianos Safely
Abels’ fleet of removal vehicles comes complete with features designed to help when moving pianos, including soft air-ride suspension and a double inner skin for improved protection. Our vehicles run Euro-5 compliant engines. To increase security on long-distance trips, drivers sleep in the vehicle, which is alarmed and fitted with security seals on each door. Vans of various sizes are available depending on the job in hand, and we can deliver your baby grand, upright or concert grand piano anywhere across Europe, from the south of Italy to Scandinavia, and from Gibraltar to Russia.
Every Piano Job, Handled Safely
As a professional piano removal company, we have a proven process for handling such fragile and heavy instruments. There are several steps involved in our piano removals to make sure your piano moves without damage or stress:
Assessment
Before a piano move, we check for ease of access at the point of collection and delivery: stairs, narrow doorways, tight corners and upper-floor flats all change how a piano job is planned. Where a piano can’t be carried through in the normal way, a piano lift or hoist may be used to bring it in or out through a window or balcony instead, rather than risking a tight staircase. This is part of our thorough approach to planning a client’s move and keeps fuss to a minimum. The aim isn’t only to protect the piano itself, but also to minimise any risk of damage to flooring, walls and fittings, and of injury to our moving teams.
Before every piano removal, a senior member of our moving team jointly inspects the instrument with the customer. Any existing damage is pointed out and noted on a piano condition report, signed by both parties, and photographed for the customer’s peace of mind.
Packing Your Piano
Our crew carefully removes or ties down everything appropriate for the model being handled. Parts vulnerable to damage, such as the music stand, pedal action and grand piano legs, are removed and packaged separately, with keyboard lids also removed or locked down.
We use a protective “shoe”, a platform placed under the piano that makes it easier to carry and shields the case, with piano wheels fitted under the shoe to move it safely. Where there’s any risk of the wheels marking flooring, we lay protective floor coverings first.
The packaging used depends on the piano, the customer’s specific requirements and the destination. Materials range from soft, thick woollen transit blankets wrapped and tied in place, through to a full export wrap using either a five-ply wax-lined robust paper blanket or a soft cloth inner lined with bubble wrap and a card outer layer for extra protection. The piano is then secured using a high breaking strain furniture web for transport in the Abels air-ride vehicle.
Piano Casing
Many of the high-value pianos we move have a custom wooden case made for them, offering added protection. The cases are lined inside with foam to cushion the instrument, and are held in Abels’ store until the next time the piano needs to be relocated. When shipping pianos internationally, crating is standard procedure for all our grand piano removals.
Organising Your Piano Removal
Once export packing is complete, our team organises the necessary international documentation, booking and coordination of the shipping container or airfreight transport, should there be an urgent requirement for moving your piano. Our network of overseas agents handles import customs clearance before arranging delivery to your new home and setting the piano up as required.
Expert Personnel
Given the high value of many of our piano removals, all Abels operatives carry a high level of security clearance and hold identification cards at all times. Our staff refresh their packing techniques every year at the Abels training school, practising on our own pianos rather than a client’s, so they stay skilled at even the most difficult piano removals.
Security
Piano moves are handled discreetly, and it is the duty of every Abels employee to keep client information private. Our warehousing is purpose-built, modern, clean and dry, with security provided by state-of-the-art Redcare alarm and CCTV systems.
Piano MoveProtect Liability Cover
The value of a piano can vary hugely, and rare or specially commissioned pianos can be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, according to piano specialists such as Living Pianos. Abels can talk you through, and arrange, MoveProtect Liability Cover for the door-to-door movement of your piano, so you can rest assured you’re covered should the worst happen.
What Types of Piano and Musical Instruments We Move
A grand piano is measured from the front of the keyboard to the back of the lid, and an upright piano by its height. Whatever the type of piano, upright or grand, our piano movers are trained and equipped to handle every size, including:
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Concert grand – 8’11” and larger
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Half concert grand – 7’4″
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Parlour grand – 6’8″
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Drawing room grand – 6’4″
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Professional grand – 6′
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Living room grand – 5’10”
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Baby grand – 5’8″
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Upright piano – 51″ and up
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Vertical – 36″ to 51″
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Studio – 44″ or taller
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Console – up to 42″
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Spinet – 36″ to 38″
The largest piano on record is a Challen Concert Grand: eleven feet long, with a total string tension of over 30 tons and a weight of more than a ton. An upright piano typically needs at least two to three trained movers to handle safely, while a full-size grand piano is heavier again and usually needs partial or full disassembly, so it’s carried and reassembled correctly at the other end. Moving a piano is a precise job, and given the weight, fragility and value involved, it should only ever be handled by professionals.
Piano Storage
If your new home isn’t quite ready, or your piano needs a temporary home during a move, Abels also offers secure storage solutions for pianos and other high-value items. Our facilities are climate-controlled and monitored around the clock, whether you need short-term storage between properties or long-term storage while you decide on your piano’s next home.
How Much Does Piano Removal Cost?
Piano removal cost depends on the size and type of piano, the access at both properties (stairs, narrow doorways or a second-floor flat all affect the job), the distance being travelled, and whether specialist casing or international shipping is needed. There’s no single fixed price that fits every piano move, which is why we start with an assessment rather than a number pulled from a price list. Once that’s done, you’ll get a fixed price quote in writing before moving day, so there are no surprises later.
Why Choose Abels for Your Piano Removal
Abels is a member of the British Association of Removers (BAR member A001), holds FIDI FAIM Plus certification, and is certified to ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 and 27001. We also hold a Royal Warrant as Removals and Storage Contractor, first granted in 1988 and re-granted by His Majesty The King in January 2025.
Credentials aside, what matters on the day is a crew who treat your piano like it’s the only one they’re moving, whatever its size or value. Every Abels team member trains at our own training school before they’re let near a customer’s piano, and that’s the standard we hold every piano removal to, from a local move across London to a piano shipped abroad. Wherever your location, our piano movers aim to make the whole job as quick and efficient as possible without cutting corners on quality, so you know what the cost to move your piano will be before the day itself, not after.
For pianos that are also fine art or antique pieces in their own right, our fine art and antiques removals team can advise on handling and climate-controlled storage alongside the rest of your collection. If your move is heading overseas, our international removals service coordinates the shipping, customs and delivery for you.
Please call 0800 626 769 for more details on this specialised service.
FAQs
Is it safe to move a piano myself?
How far in advance should I book a piano removal?
Is my piano fully insured during the move?
Piano Tuning After a Move
How Many Parts Does a Piano Have?
Ivory Keys on a Piano
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+44 1842 816600
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