A spinet weighs around 300-400 lbs, a console 350-450 lbs, and a full-size or antique upright 500-900 lbs. None of those numbers are friendly to hardwood floors, tile grout, or the piano's casters — which are designed for occasional position adjustment, NOT for moving the instrument across a house. Here's how professional Atlanta piano movers do it without leaving a trail of damage.
Why DIY piano moves destroy floors
Pianos have small brass casters that concentrate 400-800 lbs on four points the size of a quarter. Rolling that across hardwood flooring gouges the boards instantly; rolling it across tile cracks the grout and chips the corners; rolling it across LVP (luxury vinyl plank) tears the wear layer.
Pianos also tip — and a piano that tips on the way down gouges the wall, the door frame, and the floor in one motion.
The professional method, step by step
Step 1 — Floor protection on every traffic path. Masonite or 1/4" plywood from the piano's current location to the truck, with cardboard or runners over carpet. The piano never touches the bare floor. · Step 2 — Pad and shrink-wrap the piano. Heavy-duty furniture pads cover the entire instrument, secured with rubber bands and shrink wrap. This prevents corner damage and protects the finish.
· Step 3 — Lift onto a piano dolly. A piano dolly (also called a piano board) is a long flat platform with industrial casters rated for 1,500+ lbs. The piano is lifted (NOT rolled) onto the dolly, then the dolly is wheeled across the protected floor. · Step 4 — Stair navigation.
For uprights up or down stairs, a 4-person crew uses shoulder straps; the piano stays upright and strapped to the dolly when the staircase allows, with a spotter calling each tread. · Step 5 — Truck loading and tie-down. The piano is loaded LAST onto the truck (so it comes off first), padded against the bulkhead, and ratchet-strapped to the truck wall in two places to prevent any shift.
The equipment that matters
Piano dolly / piano board — NOT a regular 4-wheel furniture dolly. Piano dollies are longer, lower, and rated for the weight. · Corner protectors and shoulder straps — 2-inch nylon webbing for stair carries, plus hard corner guards on the case. · Floor protection — Masonite or plywood for the entire traffic path, not just the spot under the piano.
· Heavy-duty straps — 2-inch nylon webbing rated for 1,500+ lbs. Ratchet straps for truck tie-down, shoulder straps for stair carries. · Padding — moving blankets PLUS shrink wrap to secure the blankets in place during transport.
What we move — and what we don't
Bears Moving Co. moves standard upright and spinet pianos: spinets, consoles, studio uprights, full-size and antique uprights, player pianos, and digital pianos. We do not move baby grand, parlor grand, or concert grand pianos.
Grands require leg-and-lyre disassembly and skid-board handling from a dedicated grand-piano specialist, and we would rather tell you that up front than on move day — if you have a grand, we will point you to a specialty mover.
After the move: tuning
Any piano move — even across the same room — knocks the piano out of tune. Plan for a tuning visit 2-4 weeks after the move, after the instrument has settled into its new humidity environment. We can recommend Atlanta-area piano tuners.
When to call a professional vs. DIY
An upright piano on one ground-floor level with no narrow doorways CAN be moved by 4 strong friends with a proper piano dolly and floor protection — risky, but possible. Anything else (any stair carry, any tight turn, any tile or LVP floor, any tall antique upright) needs professional Atlanta piano movers.
The cost of a professional move ($400-$900 for a local Atlanta job) is dramatically less than the cost of refinishing a hardwood floor or repairing a damaged piano.
Call us: (404) 514-4814 · Mon–Sat, 8am–6pm · Licensed GA HHG #9320 · BBB A+
Yes — carpet actually makes a piano move easier because it provides cushion under the floor protection. The professional method is still the same: Masonite or plywood goes down on top of the carpet on every traffic path, the piano is lifted onto a piano dolly, and the dolly rolls across the protected surface.
You should never push or pull a piano directly on carpet — the casters will catch and the piano can tip.
Most local Atlanta upright piano moves run $300-$700 depending on the instrument, stairs, and floor type at origin and destination. A spinet or console on one ground-floor level is at the lower end; a tall antique upright with basement-stair carries at both ends is at the higher end.
No. Bears Moving Co. moves standard upright and spinet pianos only — consoles, studio uprights, full-size and antique uprights, player pianos, and digital pianos. Baby grands, parlor grands, and concert grands need leg-and-lyre disassembly and skid-board handling we do not offer, so we refer those moves to a specialty grand-piano mover.
Yes — any piano move, even across the same room, will knock the instrument out of tune. Plan to have it professionally tuned 2-4 weeks after the move, after it has settled into the new humidity environment. Bears Moving Co. can recommend Atlanta-area piano tuners.
Reputable Atlanta piano movers carry full cargo and liability insurance under their state household-goods license. Bears Moving Co. (GA HHG #9320) covers every piano move under our standard cargo policy; tell us the piano's replacement value when you book so we can confirm coverage limits and recommend additional declared value if appropriate.