Taking a piano apart is not the same as taking a couch apart. It’s heavy, hard to move, and full of fragile parts. If you tilt it the wrong way, it could damage the cabinet, the action, your walls, or even worse, someone’s back. Most of the time, when people in Melbourne look for piano movers, it’s because the job involves stairs, tight turns, or a valuable instrument that can’t be easily replaced.
This is a useful, safety-first guide to help you plan your move correctly, whether you’re moving furniture around in the same house or deciding when to hire professional piano movers.
1) First, pay attention to the shape and weight.
Most upright pianos weigh between 175 and 350 kg, and even “smaller” uprights can be very heavy. That weight is also top-heavy, which is why a piano can tip or slide if you treat it like regular furniture.
If stairs are involved, treat it like a specialist move, not a “mates and muscles” job.
2) Before you lift anything, plan the route like a mover would.
This is where most DIY projects go wrong: they find the tight turn or pinch point halfway through.
Check off this list:
- Measure the width of the door, the hallway, and any narrow “choke points,” especially near the stairs.
- Find tight turns, like corners, U-turn landings, and angled entryways.
- If you need to, take the doors off their hinges (it often gives you more room).
- Protect the corners and floors: Use corner guards and protective boards or runners where the piano could swing.
If you have to turn the piano sideways on a landing or “thread the needle” around a banister, that’s a big sign that you need professionals.
3) Packing to protect the piano (the things you can’t change)
Packing a piano well means keeping it from getting scratched and keeping it from moving or bending.
The least amount of protection that works is:
- Make sure the keyboard lid is closed and secure so it doesn’t flip open while you’re moving.
- Cover the whole piano with thick moving blankets, especially the edges and corners.
- To keep the padding tight, put stretch wrap over the blankets (don’t put tape directly on the finish).
- Put corner protection on the edges that are most likely to get damaged (front corners and top edges).
Instead of “dragging and hoping,” professional movers will often plan the extraction route, pad the instrument, and then move it on special equipment like dollies, ramps, and straps.
4) How to safely move an upright piano on flat surfaces
If you’re just moving the piano to a different spot in the same room or down a flat hallway, the safest way to do it is still to move the equipment first:
- Use a heavy-duty dolly instead of a cheap trolley.
- Don’t make any sudden turns with the piano; keep it upright and stable.
- Take your time and have someone watch the corners and floor changes.
Don’t think that piano wheels are only for “rolling a move.” A lot of them are only for small adjustments, not moving the instrument from one room to another.
5) Carrying a piano up and down stairs: why stairs change everything
Stairs add gravity, momentum, and no room for mistakes. This is where things get broken and people get hurt quickly.
If you see stairs, these are warning signs:
- Stairs that are too narrow (common in older homes and townhouses in Melbourne)
- Landings with split levels that need to be turned
- Stairs that go in a spiral
- Slippery surfaces or steep stair pitches
- Any situation where you have to carry the piano (not roll it) for a long time
To keep things from tipping over and hitting the wall, experts use trained teams, lifting straps, and controlled descent techniques. If the stairs are narrow or the landing is strange, hiring professional piano movers is usually cheaper than fixing the plaster, railings, or the piano itself.
6) The “pivot traps” are tight turns and narrow halls.
The size of a piano isn’t just its width; it’s also its depth and height. When making tight turns, you may need to control the pivot, take the door off temporarily, and add extra protection to the “swing side” corner.
Useful advice:
- Put extra padding on the side that will be closest to the walls.
- If there isn’t enough space, take off the doors and protect the frame.
- Don’t “tilt hard” just to fit; that’s when pianos fall over.
That’s another call for a specialist if you can’t make the turn without lifting the piano and spinning it in the air.
7) What you really pay for when you move a piano
People want to know how much it costs to move a piano because prices can be very different. In Australia, local moves (easy access) usually cost between $180 and $450. Moving things over long distances, up stairs, or in complicated ways costs more.
Depending on size, access, and distance, other industry guides say that the average budget for moving a piano is between $300 and $1500.
When you have:
- Stairs, especially if there are more than one flight
- Long carry distance (like in apartment hallways or when parking far away)
- Turns and landings that are too tight and need more crew or equipment
- Grand pianos (which are often taken apart and moved on skid boards)
When you compare quotes, make sure that the quote covers stairs and landings, any disassembly that needs to be done, and enough packing to protect the items.
8) When you really need piano movers in Melbourne
When you need to move a piano in Melbourne, call a piano mover, not a general mover.
- It’s a grand piano or an upright piano worth a lot of money
- There are stairs and tight turns involved
- Getting in requires hoisting, crane work, or going through the balcony
- The house is old and fragile (narrow stair rails, tight hallways, and delicate plaster)
- You need to be sure of your insurance and have experience with pianos.
Big Stuff Movers in Melbourne offers dedicated piano moving, which is great if you want the right tools, trained movers, and a plan that keeps the piano and the property safe.
After the move, one smart thing that most people forget to do
After you put the piano in its new home, give it some time to get used to the new temperature and humidity. These changes can affect how well it plays. Depending on how big the change in the environment was, many technicians say to wait at least a few weeks before tuning the piano for the first time after moving.
Quick safety tip
If your move includes stairs, a tight turn, or any time you have to carry the piano, the safest option is usually to hire a professional piano moving company. This is because the real cost isn’t just money; it’s also the risk of damage.
I can also write a short “quote request checklist” that you can copy and paste into your inquiry form if you want. This will help movers give you an accurate price and keep you from being surprised.