If you need to move a grand piano, chances are good that you have invested a good deal of money in it and therefore will want to hire professionals. If you are moving an upright piano that you found online, however, you might feel that you can do a reasonably good job yourself. If you choose the move a piano on your own, you are going to need to make sure that you avoid hurting yourself, the piano, or anyone around you. Here are some tips for moving your piano yourself.

1. Rent the Right Equipment

It's going to be impossible for you to get the piano down stairs and into a truck without the help of some equipment. First, you are going to need to weigh the piano in order to make sure that any dolly you choose is able to support the piano's weight. Call a moving company and give them the weight that you need to move. They will provide you with a dolly to rent.

You are also going to need to purchase padding material to protect the corners of the piano. You can do this at the moving company's office or at a home supply store.

2. Wrap the Piano

Wrap the piano in the padding that you purchased. If you only purchased padding to protect the corners of the piano from getting chipped, you are going to need to secure these with tape and then grab an old blanket or two to throw over the entire piano to avoid scratches throughout the entire process. Secure the blanket with tape as well.

3. Get the Piano On the Dolly

Finally, you are going to need to figure out a way to get the piano on the dolly. The piano should never have the bulk of its weight on anything less than its four legs. If you are shifting a grand piano, you are going to need four people to lift up the piano and move it over to the dolly. If you are shifting an upright piano, you really just need two people to support the piano when you lean it back to put the dolly underneath it and shift the rest of the piano onto the dolly. 

Once it's on the dolly, move it towards the stairs. Have one person be at the front of the dolly and the other at the back. If you are moving down the stairs, tilt the piano so that the dolly is hanging over the edge. Then, shift the piano forwards so that the dolly goes down to the next step. Continue doing this by slowly shifting the dolly one step at a time. Make sure that you have two people to do this.

If you are moving a piano up the stairs, you are going to need to have three people: two to lift the piano and one person to shift the dolly up each stair. Do this slowly and make sure that the piano hits the dolly on every stair to decrease the amount of time that you spend actually moving the piano yourself.

For more information and assistance, contact a company that specializes in professional piano moving. To learn more, contact a business like Extreme Piano Moving.