Piano moving service in Sarasota, FL
A piano is not a heavy piece of furniture, it is a strung cast iron plate inside a wooden case, and that is why it needs specific equipment instead of more people. Uprights ride upright on a four wheel dolly. Grands come apart, go on their side on a piano board, and get strapped down before they move an inch.
Upright pianos typically weigh 300 to 800 pounds and grand pianos 500 to 1,200 pounds, which is why they are moved on a piano board with straps rather than carried.
What your piano weighs, and why it matters
More than it looks. A spinet starts around 300 pounds, a console runs 350 to 450, a full upright can reach 800, a baby grand sits around 500 to 600, and a concert grand can pass 1,200.
That weight is not spread evenly. It concentrates in the cast iron plate at the back of an upright and along the bass side of a grand. It is why a piano tips in a way a dresser does not, and why the number of people carrying it matters less than whether it is strapped to a board.
How a grand piano actually gets moved
It gets disassembled. The lid closes and locks, the pedal lyre comes off, the legs come off one at a time while the case is supported, and the body goes onto a padded piano board on its bass side.
Then it is strapped to the board, blanket wrapped, and rolled. Reassembly happens in reverse at the far end. Anyone who tells you a grand rolls out on its own three legs is about to snap a leg off, and a broken grand leg is a repair, not a touch up.
Stairs, and when the answer is no
Stairs are the real question, not weight. A piano on stairs is controlled descent by people who have done it before, and it is where nearly every piano injury and nearly every piano casualty happens.
Tell us about the stairs on the first call: how many, whether there is a turn or a landing, and how wide the narrowest point is. A tight turn at a landing can rule out a route entirely, and it is much better to know that a week ahead than with 700 pounds already off the floor.
After the move: tuning and settling
Expect your piano to need tuning after any move. It is not damage. Moving changes the tension environment, and the new room has its own humidity and temperature.
Give it two to four weeks in the new room before you call a tuner, so it settles first. Tuning it the next day usually means paying for it twice. In Sarasota humidity, keeping the piano off an exterior wall and out of direct sun does more for its tuning stability than anything else you can control.
How it works
Describe the piano and the route
Type, approximate age, and every stair, turn, and doorway between it and the truck.
We bring piano equipment
Board, straps, skids, and enough blankets. A piano job is not a furniture job with extra people.
Move, place, reassemble
Grands are reassembled in the new room and set where you want them, off the exterior wall.
Piano Moving: common questions
How much does it cost to move a piano in Sarasota?
It depends on the type and the route, not just the weight. An upright on one level is a straightforward job. A grand coming down a turned staircase is a different one. Tell us the piano type and every stair between it and the truck, and we will quote the actual job.
Can you move a piano up or down stairs?
Usually yes, with the right crew size and equipment. What we need first is the geometry: number of steps, whether there is a turn or landing, and the narrowest width on the route. Some tight turns rule out a route, and it is far better to find that out during the quote.
Will my piano need tuning after the move?
Almost certainly. Any move plus a new room's humidity and temperature will pull it out. Wait two to four weeks for it to settle in the new space before you book a tuner, otherwise you will likely pay for tuning twice.
Do you move organs and digital pianos too?
Yes. Digital pianos and most organs are lighter but more fragile in a different way, since the damage risk is the electronics and the case rather than the frame. They still get wrapped and strapped rather than carried bare.
Where we do it
Piano moving across Sarasota and Manatee counties, including both barrier islands. These are the areas we are booked in most often.