How-To Guide · Specialty Moving
How to Move a Piano (Safely)
A piano is heavy, valuable, and awkwardly balanced — the classic example of a move where doing it wrong means injury or expensive damage. Here's what moving a piano actually involves, and when it's worth calling in specialists.
Quick answer
Moving a piano safely takes the right crew and equipment: an upright typically weighs 300–500 lbs and a grand 500–1,200 lbs, with the weight distributed unevenly. Pros use a piano board (skid), heavy-duty straps, padding, and dollies, and often disassemble a grand's legs and pedals. For any piano — especially up or down stairs, through tight doorways, or a grand — hiring experienced movers is far safer and cheaper than risking injury or damage. LIOO's own limits: upright pianos only, nothing heavier than 400 pounds, and a piano heavier than 300 pounds is limited to five steps. Each piano carries a $100 specialty-item fee, stated before you book; a grand or baby grand needs a specialist piano mover.
Why moving a piano is different
Pianos combine serious weight with a high, uneven center of gravity and a delicate internal action. A dropped or tipped piano can be badly damaged — and can seriously hurt whoever's under it. Add stairs, tight turns, or a long carry and the risk climbs quickly. This is why piano moving is treated as a specialty even by full-service movers.
Upright vs. grand
- Upright pianos (spinet, console, studio, full upright) usually run 300–500 lbs; LIOO moves uprights within its 400-lb lift limit, keeps anything over 300 lb within five steps of stairs, and discloses the $100 specialty fee before booking. They're moved on a heavy dolly with the piano strapped and padded, kept upright and balanced by the crew.
- Grand and baby-grand pianos run 500–1,200 lbs and are typically partially disassembled — the legs, lyre (pedals), and lid come off — then the body is padded and secured on its side on a piano board for transport.
The risks of doing it yourself
Beyond the obvious injury risk, DIY piano moves commonly cause scratched or cracked cases, broken legs, damaged pedals, and knocked-out tuning. Wheeling a piano on its built-in casters (which are decorative, not moving-grade) across floors is a frequent cause of both floor damage and tipping. If the piano has any sentimental or resale value, the math usually favors professionals.
What professional piano movers do
- Assess the piano type, the path, doorways, stairs, and turns in advance.
- Pad and wrap the instrument, and disassemble a grand's legs and pedals as needed.
- Use a piano board, straps, and dollies — and enough crew — to keep it controlled.
- Navigate stairs and tight spaces with proper technique, then secure it in the truck so it can't shift.
LIOO's piano movers move upright pianos (no grands or baby grands) with the right equipment and experienced crews across metro Atlanta.
Can LIOO move your piano? Four checks
These are the rules LIOO's crews work to. Run through them before you ask for a price, because each one is a yes-or-no answer, not a surcharge.
- Is it an upright? Spinets, consoles, studio and full uprights are in scope. Grands and baby grands aren't moved at all. They go to a specialist piano mover, because the legs and lyre come off and the body travels on its side on a piano board.
- What does it weigh? LIOO lifts nothing over 400 pounds, at any price; that ceiling is an insurance restriction. Spinets and consoles sit at the light end of the range above, while a tall studio or full upright can pass 400 pounds. The maker and model, found on a plate inside the lid or on the back, let you look up the published weight.
- How many steps are on the route? Past 300 pounds, the carry is capped at five steps up or down; a full flight is off the table. Count the steps at both ends, porch and stoop included. A second-floor walk-up with a full staircase is specialist work for any piano that heavy.
- Is it on the estimate? List the piano and the step count when you request a price. Stairs, long carries and tight turns carry no fee of their own, but they lengthen an hourly job, and an undeclared piano or staircase can stretch the day.
If all four answers work, the piano rides with the rest of the move on the same crew and truck, and the only piano-specific charge is the $100 fee.
What affects the cost
Piano-move pricing depends on the type and size (upright vs. grand), the difficulty of access (stairs, tight doorways, long carries), the distance, and whether the piano needs disassembly. On a LIOO local move the piano doesn't change the hourly rate: the crew bills its card rate (two movers with the truck at $160 per hour, or three at $200) for the hours worked, from arrival to finish, with a 2.5-hour minimum on weekdays and 3 hours on weekends. The one addition is the $100 specialty-item fee per piano, which also applies to gun safes and anything else over 300 pounds and is shown before you book. Long-distance moves are priced on shipment weight and distance instead.
Moving a piano FAQ
How much does a piano weigh?+
Can I move a piano myself?+
Do you have to take a grand piano apart to move it?+
Will moving a piano knock it out of tune?+
How much does it cost to move a piano?+
Will movers carry a piano up a flight of stairs?+
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Need to move a piano?
LIOO moves upright pianos up to 400 pounds; grands and baby grands go to a specialist. Send the make and model and the step count at each end, and the price shows the $100 piano fee before you book.
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