Moving tips
Moving a piano
By TLC Moving & Storage · Published 9 November 2026
Moving a piano means moving hundreds of pounds of wood and cast iron that marks easily: Steinway lists its K-52 upright at 650 lb and its concert grand at 1,064 lb. A grand loses its legs and pedals and travels on its side. The Piano Technicians Guild says to use a professional piano mover.
What moving a piano involves: upright versus grand
The job depends on which kind of piano you have. Our page for piano movers in Ottawa covers how TLC handles one; this guide explains the move itself, so you know what to expect and what to get ready.
An upright: the size is the problem
Steinway's K-52 upright is 52 in (132 cm) tall, 60 in (152.5 cm) wide and 26 3/4 in (68 cm) deep, and it weighs 650 lb (295 kg). That depth is what has to clear every doorway on the way out.
A grand comes apart first
In a professional grand-piano move documented on The Martha Blog in 2016, the crew lowered and locked the lid, tilted the piano onto a padded skid board, then took off the legs, the pedals and the lyre that holds them.
A grand travels on its long side
With the legs off, the piano lies on its long straight side on the board. It is wrapped in several moving blankets, strapped to the board, and wheeled out on a dolly placed under the board.
Belted down for the drive
In that move, the piano went up on the truck's lift gate and stood with its top against the truck wall, with several belts around it and fastened to the wall for the drive.
Why moving a piano is a job for a trained crew
Weight comes first. Steinway lists its 5 ft 7 in Model M grand at 603 lb (274 kg), its 6 ft 11 in Model B at 802 lb (364 kg) and its 8 ft 11 3/4 in Model D concert grand at 1,064 lb (483 kg).
Most of that weight is there for a reason. Steinway says up to 20 tons of string tension pull on a piano at all times, and the cast iron plate inside is what holds it. Yamaha puts the tension on each string at an average of 90 kg.
None of it can be lightened by emptying drawers, the way a dresser can. The Home Depot's own guide to moving a piano asks for at least four to five people for the lift.
Damage is hard to undo. The Piano Technicians Guild lists moving damage, with fire and flood, among the things that can leave a piano not worth repairing. Its basic rules of piano care say to use only a professional piano mover, to avoid injury to yourself, your instrument and your home.
How a piano gets down stairs and through doorways
Most of the planning is about the route, not the lift. Before moving day, check these:
The narrowest doorway
Measure it against the piano's depth. A K-52 upright is 26 3/4 in (68 cm) deep, and that is before the moving blankets go on.
The height of a grand on its side
Lying on its long side, a grand stands about as tall as it is wide. Steinway's Model B is 58 in (148 cm) wide, so it stands at least that tall on the board, and its 6 ft 11 in body has to make every turn.
Every step and every landing
Count the steps at both homes and note where the stairs turn. Tell the movers about outside steps too, such as a front porch or a walkout to the driveway.
Floors and door frames
The Home Depot's guide says to protect the floors everywhere the piano will pass, and to pad doorways and stairwells so the case does not catch. Hardwood, tile and a freshly finished floor all count.
The finish itself
Pianos are wrapped in moving blankets so the case and every edge are covered. The same care goes on other fine furniture; see wrapping furniture for how movers protect wood finishes.
Moving a piano in an Ottawa winter
Cold is the Ottawa twist. Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1991 to 2020 normals put January's daily average at minus 10.0 °C at the Ottawa airport.
The Piano Technicians Guild says a piano should be kept away from extremes of temperature and humidity. In winter, that means the piano's time on the sidewalk and in the truck should be as short as the move allows, with the new room ready and the path to it cleared and salted before the truck arrives.
Then pick its spot with the furnace in mind. The Guild advises keeping a piano away from a heating register in winter, a fireplace, an often opened window or outside door, and direct sunlight. In a house that is not well insulated, it prefers an inside wall to an outside one.
Why a piano needs to settle before it is tuned
A piano's pitch moves with the air around it. The Piano Technicians Guild explains that the soundboard, a sheet of wood about 3/8 in thick, swells when humidity rises and stretches the strings sharp, then shrinks in dry air and lets them go flat.
A new house brings new air, and a piano carries roughly 220 strings that all react to it. That is why the Guild says a piano only stays in tune while the humidity around it stays steady.
So let the piano settle in its new room before booking a tuning with a piano technician, and ask the technician how long to wait for that piano and that room. After that first tuning, Yamaha recommends tuning at least once a year.
What a stored piano needs
If the piano has to wait somewhere between homes, ask whoever stores it about these four things:
A steady temperature
The Piano Technicians Guild names 68 °F (20 °C) as the optimum, and stresses keeping conditions consistent. An unheated space through an Ottawa January is the opposite of steady.
Steady humidity
The Guild puts the ideal relative humidity around a piano at 42%. Extreme swings can crack wood and loosen glue joints, and very damp air can rust strings and tuning pins.
Away from doors and heat
A spot near a loading door that opens to the cold, or beside a heater, gives the piano the swings it should avoid.
The right covering
The Guild says to avoid placing vinyl or rubber in contact with a piano's finish. Ask what it will be covered with.
How to book piano movers in Ottawa
Call piano movers when the piano is leaving the room it is in: down a flight of stairs, out of the house, or across the city as part of a home move.
TLC Moving & Storage gives antiques, artwork, large appliances and pianos special handling on its residential moves, and our movers are fully insured. A piano can also travel with a long-distance move out of Ottawa.
TLC's estimates are free and in-home, so the movers see your stairs and doorways before they quote. One customer, Ashley F., wrote in her Google review on 2025-05-05 about "the initial walk through by Emad to provide an accurate quote".
Call (613) 830-7402 or send the form, and name the piano, its type, and the stairs at both ends, so the plan and the crew allow for it.
Sources
Every figure above comes from these pages, read on 2026-11-09 unless marked.
Steinway & Sons
Upright pianos, Model M, Model B and Model D: sizes, weights and string tension.
Piano Technicians Guild
Caring for a Piano and Piano Care FAQs: professional movers, placement, temperature, humidity, the soundboard, finish care and moving damage.
Yamaha
Care and Maintenance of a Piano: Tuning Once a Year: string tension and how often to tune.
The Martha Blog
Moving My Steinway Grand Piano (2016-09-24): the steps of a documented professional grand-piano move.
The Home Depot
How to Move a Piano: crew size, protecting floors, padding doorways and stairwells.
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Canadian Climate Normals 1991 to 2020, Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier Int'l A: January daily average (read 2026-11-05).
Questions about moving with TLC
How heavy is an upright piano?
Steinway lists its 52 in K-52 upright at 650 lb (295 kg). Other makes and sizes differ, so give your movers the make and model.
How heavy is a 7 ft grand piano?
Steinway's Model B, at 6 ft 11 in long, weighs 802 lb (364 kg). Its 8 ft 11 3/4 in Model D concert grand weighs 1,064 lb (483 kg).
Can two people move a piano?
It is not a two-person lift. The Home Depot's guide to moving a piano asks for at least four to five people, and the Piano Technicians Guild says to use only a professional piano mover.
Can you lay a piano on its side to move it?
A grand piano, yes: with its legs, pedals and lyre removed, it travels on its long straight side, strapped to a padded skid board. That is how the professional move documented on The Martha Blog in 2016 was done.
Does moving a piano put it out of tune?
It can. The Piano Technicians Guild says changes in humidity swell and shrink the soundboard and move the pitch, and a new room brings new air. Let the piano settle and then book a tuning with a piano technician.
Where should you not put a piano in your house?
The Piano Technicians Guild says to keep it away from a heating register, an air conditioning vent, a fireplace, an often opened window or outside door, and direct sunlight.
Free estimate
Get your free estimate
Tell us about your move and we will come back with a free, obligation-free estimate. You can also call (613) 830-7402.