Grand pianos are intricate and magnificently designed musical instruments. They are often show-stealers and focal points wherever they are placed. For grand piano owners, the safety of these pieces is highly valued, so when shipping them is necessary, doing so with great care and thought is essential.
Properly preparing a grand piano for shipment nurtures secure transport and a damage-free arrival. It’s important to understand the nature of the shipping stream, so you can proactively take safety precautions.
How to Ship a Grand Piano Safely
The best way to ship a grand piano is to have it custom-crated and packaged using high-quality materials.
The following steps will help you ship your piano like the pros:
Step 1: In order to properly crate a grand piano, the first step is to remove the legs.
Step 2: Once the legs are removed, the piano should be placed on its side on a piano board.
A piano board is a padded piece of wood that has connected handles to make lifting and gripping easier; it also allows for the piano to be carefully slid across the floor or over staircases without damaging its exterior.
Step 3: Strap the piano to the piano board snuggly.
Step 4: Once secured on the piano board, three to four people can move the piece to a crate.
Step 5: The piano can then be placed on its side inside the crate.
Step 6: Install a sheet of 2″ polyethylene foam to the deck of the crate.
Step 7: The piano should be wrapped in a non-acidic foam and again in a high-grade stretch wrap.
Step 8: Once wrapped, the crate sides and ends will be fastened together.
Step 9: Then, 2×4 braces are wrapped in polyethylene foam and applied to the piano to secure the piano inside the crate.
Step 10: The piano bench should also be wrapped in a non-acidic foam and stretch wrap, then packed inside a corrugated box on a pallet.
Pro tip: It usually takes three strong people to set and move a grand piano, so be sure you have at least that many helpers on hand to support you.
Work with a Piano Shipping Company
If you aren’t confident in your crating and packaging skills, hiring a professional shipping company is a great option. Not only will they have the correct equipment and materials to get the job done right, but they’ll also have experience and accountability that provide invaluable peace of mind.
Craters & Freighters in Seattle offers several comprehensive packaging and shipping services to keep your piano in safe hands at all times.
Some of our standard solutions when shipping grand pianos include:
On-site Crating
If you can’t get your grand piano to our location safely, we’ll come to yours and build and design a crate and the proper packaging there. Our on-site crating team has everything necessary to engineer the perfect crate for your piano, no matter where we do it.
White-Glove Services
Handling your piano once it’s been delivered may be difficult, but with our white-glove services, we can pick up, crate, package, transport, deliver, and set up your piano at the location you desire.
Other services that often go hand-in-hand with piano moves include:
- Custom crating
- Custom packaging
- Domestic shipping
- International shipping
- Stateside moving
- International moving
- Home furnishings moving services
- Music industry shipping
- Auction items
- Pickup and delivery
Crating & Shipping Experts
Whether you’re shipping a grand piano overseas, moving your home, relocating your music school, or anything in between, our craters and movers are ready to help with your project.
Contact our team today to learn how we can get your piano where you need it, safely, within budget, and on time.