Piano during house extension work

zagmund

We're getting all rooms in the the house done up in the next few months and are wondering what to do with the piano.

We could cover it in something and hope the builders don't use it for their canteen, or to stand on while painting the ceiling.

The issue is that the builders will be generating a load of dust as the floors are removed, concrete poured, walls gouged out, walls plastered, etc . . . over the next few months so even if they don't damage it as above, I don't think the general atmopsphere will be good for it..

Or we could move it into storage. Which will not be fun - it's hard enough to move around the house let alone get it into a van.

I'm just wondering whether anyone has any advice ? Would we be mad to leave it in the house with the builders ? Should we hire piano movers ? Is it wise to even consider lifting/moving it ourselves ?

z

Monsieur Folie

You could clarify it with them beforehand. Let them know that's it's valuable and that you'd rather they kept clear of it, and then if it's going to be a problem you can move it..

martinedwards

shrink wrap it.

two ways to go about it.......

pallet wrap is what they use in warehouses to hold pallets of loose goods together. think heavy duty cling film........ bubble wrap first then a couple of rolls of this good stuff....

the other way is to sheet it in polythene and then shrink it on with a heat gun. My brother used to wrap boats for winter storage like this.... when I got married, we came out of the reception to find my car looking like 2 pounds of bacon......

Squidgy Black

I'd definitely shrink wrap it, or even cling film would do. Then a layer or two of bubble wrap for small knocks or whatever.

If you're getting EVERY room in your house renovated though, I'd move it out of the house. It'll be nothing but a nuisance for the builders, and they'll constantly have to be moving it out of the way etc.

PaulieBoy

There will be a serious amount of water floating about the place as the concrete dries out and ditto for the plaster. The shrink wrap idea is a good one provided you entirely seal the piano, otherwise that piano is going to take in a lot of moisture. It needs to go!!

kessler182

stetyrrell wrote: »

I'd definitely shrink wrap it, or even cling film would do. Then a layer or two of bubble wrap for small knocks or whatever.

If you're getting EVERY room in your house renovated though, I'd move it out of the house. It'll be nothing but a nuisance for the builders, and they'll constantly have to be moving it out of the way etc.

Have to agree with the above, it's your best option

Dr Gradus

I don't know much about the process, but using any kind of heat-gun around a piano would make me nervous!

studiorat

Proper piano movers are about €300 a trip! Maybe less for an upright.
I've had to put a big mixing desk into storage before, about €100 a month.

I'd get it out of the house either way. Can you put it in a mates house?

zagmund

Thanks for all the replies folks. In the end we are going to get movers to empty the house, so they can just pack up the piano at the same time. I forgot when I posted originally that we were going to have to empty everything out of the house, so the piano will be just one of a number of things.

z

studiorat

zagmund wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies folks. In the end we are going to get movers to empty the house, so they can just pack up the piano at the same time. I forgot when I posted originally that we were going to have to empty everything out of the house, so the piano will be just one of a number of things.

z

At least you got your priorities right!