Movers & Co provides piano moving services in Lancaster, PA for uprights, grands, and digital instruments, in homes, churches, schools, and studios across Lancaster County. A piano is booked as its own job with its own crew size and its own equipment, not added to the end of a furniture load.
A piano is a few hundred to well over a thousand pounds of iron and hardwood balanced on three or four points, and almost all of that weight sits high. That is why pianos tip. It is also why a piano that gets moved badly usually shows the damage in the case, the pedals, or the floor, long before anything is audible.
Why a Piano Needs Its Own Crew and Equipment
The weight is not where it looks
Most of an upright sits in the back, in the plate and the strings, not in the case you are holding. Lift it the way you would lift a dresser and it comes toward you. Crews that move pianos regularly know where the mass is before they take the strain.
The right board, dolly, and straps
A grand does not travel on a hand truck and an upright does not travel on its back. The equipment for each is specific, it comes on our truck, and the job is quoted knowing which pieces are needed.
Measured before it is lifted
Doorways, landing turns, ceiling height over a stair, and the width at the tightest point. We measure and plan the route first, because the moment to discover a piano will not turn a corner is not when four people are holding it.
Insured people carrying it
Pianos are where volunteer help gets hurt and where floors get destroyed. Our movers are employees covered by workers compensation, and the company is licensed and insured for the work.
Licensed, Insured, and Easy to Verify
Before anyone puts hands on an instrument worth more than the move, check who they are.
USDOT Number
3195256
MC Docket Number
1290652
Pennsylvania PUC License
8923115
Insurance
Liability and workers compensation carried on every job
Look up our federal record yourself at FMCSA.gov using the USDOT number above, and ask for a current certificate of insurance whenever you want one.
Piano Types, Typical Weights, and What Each One Needs
Weight varies by maker and age, so treat these as the planning ranges we use rather than a spec for your instrument. They are the reason two crews are not always enough.
| Instrument | Typical weight | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Spinet | 300 to 400 lb | Two movers, piano dolly, blanketed and strapped |
| Console | 350 to 450 lb | Two to three movers depending on the route |
| Studio upright | 400 to 600 lb | Three movers, more if stairs are involved |
| Full or player upright | 500 to 800 lb | Three to four movers, ramp for any staircase |
| Baby grand, 5 ft to 5 ft 7 | 500 to 650 lb | Legs and lyre off, body on a piano board |
| Medium grand, 5 ft 8 to 6 ft 4 | 600 to 800 lb | Four movers, board and straps, route measured |
| Semi-concert or concert grand, 7 ft plus | 900 to 1,300 lb | Four or more movers, planned as a project |
| Digital piano or stage keyboard | 50 to 200 lb | Two movers, keybed protected, never stacked |
Tell us the make, the model, and where it has to come out of.
How We Move an Upright, and How We Move a Grand
These are two different jobs. If a company describes them the same way, they do not move many pianos.
Upright and console
- Lid closed and secured, and the key cover fastened or padded shut
- Case blanketed on all faces, with the corners and the pedal area padded separately
- Lifted onto a piano dolly or four wheeler and strapped to it, not balanced on it
- Kept upright the entire time, never laid on its back or its side
- Casters never used to roll it any distance, because they mark and crack floors
- Strapped upright against the truck wall over the axle, with a tier of nothing else against it
Grand and baby grand
- Lid locked down, music desk removed, and the fallboard secured
- Pedal lyre detached before anything is lifted, and packed separately
- Legs removed one at a time while the body is supported by the crew
- Body lowered onto a padded piano board on its bass side, then strapped to the board
- Moved on the board rather than carried, so the weight stays controlled on turns
- Legs, lyre, and hardware bagged, labeled, and refitted at the other end before it is set down
The legs on a grand are not structural in the way people assume. They are the first thing that snaps if the body is tilted with them on, which is why taking them off is not optional and why a grand cannot be moved by two people with a hand truck.
What Arrives With the Crew
Piano board
The padded skid a grand body is strapped to. Nothing else does the job and no rental counter has one.
Piano dolly
Low, wide, and rated for the load, so an upright sits stable rather than balanced.
Four wheelers
For long flat runs where a dolly would fight every threshold and floor joint.
Ratchet straps
The instrument is strapped to the equipment, and the equipment is strapped to the truck.
Heavy blankets
Full coverage on the case, with extra padding on corners, pedals, and the fallboard.
Stair ramps and boards
Used where a staircase allows it, so the load is controlled rather than lifted step by step.
Floor protection
Runners and boards over hardwood, tile, and thresholds along the whole route.
Hand tools
For the pedal assembly, the legs, the music desk, and refitting all of it correctly at the other end.
How the Move Runs, Step by Step
- Tell us the instrument
Call (717) 690-1106 with the make, the model or the length, and both addresses. Photos of the room and the route help more than anything else.
- Assessment and measurements
We check the doorways, the tightest turn, the stairs, and the ceiling height over them, at both properties.
- Crew and equipment decided
Crew size, equipment, and time are set from the instrument and the route, and quoted to you in writing before the date.
- The route is protected
Floor runners, door and jamb padding, and railing protection go down on the whole path before the piano is touched.
- The instrument is prepared
Lid, fallboard, and music desk secured. On a grand, the pedal assembly and the legs come off and are packed.
- Lift, secure, transport
Onto the board or the dolly, strapped, out along the planned route, then strapped in the truck as its own load rather than wedged into one.
- Placement and reassembly
Refitted, leveled where the floor demands it, positioned where you want it, and walked through with you before we leave.
Where Pianos Actually Get Damaged
Almost nothing goes wrong in transit. It goes wrong in the first and last twenty feet.
The six failure points
- Rolling it on its own casters, which gouges hardwood and snaps caster cups
- Tilting a grand with the legs still fitted, which is how legs break
- Laying an upright on its back, which puts load on parts never built to take it
- Taking a turn on a landing by feel, and putting a corner through drywall or a banister
- Loading it against boxes, so the shift on the first turn comes from something else moving
- Setting it down against an exterior wall or a heat vent at the new address
What we do instead
- The instrument travels on our equipment from the moment it leaves its spot
- Grands come apart in the correct order, every time, even for a move across one room
- Uprights stay vertical from start to finish
- Every turn is measured and walked before the load reaches it
- The piano is strapped as its own load with nothing stacked against it
- We advise on placement in the new room before it is set down
On placement: keep a piano off an exterior wall where you can, and away from a radiator, a heat register, or direct sun. Swings in temperature and humidity are what pull an instrument out of tune and, over years, do real damage to the soundboard.
Stairs, Turns, and Access
Access decides the crew size, the price, and occasionally whether the move is possible at all.
Straight staircase
The most workable. Ramped or controlled step by step with a crew above and below, and the run measured for width at the narrowest point.
Quarter or half landing
The turn is the whole job. We measure the landing and the ceiling above it, because that is what decides whether the piano can pivot at all.
Winder or spiral stairs
Frequently a no for anything larger than a spinet. We will tell you at the assessment rather than on the day.
Exterior steps and porches
Weather, loose treads, and railings that will not take a load. Handled with boards and extra crew, and rescheduled if it is icy.
Elevators and apartments
Booked in advance with the building, with the car padded and the doors held. Depth and door width checked against the instrument first.
Basements and split levels
Often the tightest route in a Lancaster County home. Low headroom over the stair is the constraint more often than the width.
If a piano cannot come out the way it went in, sometimes the honest answer is a window or a door frame removal by a contractor, or that the instrument should be sold in place. We would rather tell you that at the assessment than force it.
Tuning and Aftercare
Expect your piano to be out of tune when it arrives. That is normal and it is not damage.
After the move
- Let the instrument sit in the new room for two to four weeks before it is tuned, so it settles to the temperature and humidity of the space
- Book a tuner for after that window rather than for the day of the move
- Keep the room reasonably stable rather than heating it hard in winter and closing it up in summer
- Play it during the settling period, that does no harm at all
- If something sounds mechanically wrong rather than just out of tune, tell us and tell the tuner
What we do not do
- Tuning, voicing, or regulation, which is a technician’s trade and not a mover’s
- Internal repairs, restringing, or action work
- Refinishing or touching up the case
- Appraisals or valuations of the instrument
Ask us and we will point you toward local piano technicians in the Lancaster area. We do not take a referral fee for it, which is precisely why the recommendation is worth having.
Coverage for a High-Value Instrument
This is the conversation to have before the move, not after. Read it even if you book someone else.
What you should do
- Tell us the make, model, and what the instrument is actually worth at the estimate
- Ask how basic valuation is calculated and where it stops, because standard coverage on any move is not designed around a single high-value item
- Photograph the case, the legs, the pedals, and the bench before we arrive
- Check whether your homeowners or renters policy schedules the instrument separately
- Ask about additional protection if the piano is worth more than the rest of the room combined
What we do
- Carry liability and workers compensation on every job
- Note existing marks, chips, and finish wear before anything moves, so nothing is disputed later
- Explain in plain language what our coverage does and does not extend to
- Handle any claim through one coordinator rather than a form nobody answers
If you own an instrument with real value, a heirloom grand or a restored antique, say so on the first call. It changes the crew, the equipment, and the paperwork, and it is far cheaper to plan for than to argue about.
Pianos for Churches, Schools, and Studios
Churches and chapels
Sanctuary moves, raised chancels, and instruments that have not moved in decades. Scheduled around services.
Schools and colleges
Music rooms, halls, and practice spaces, moved in breaks and between terms.
Studios and teachers
Regular relocations for teaching studios where the instrument is the business.
Retirement communities
A resident downsizing who is not leaving the piano behind. Handled alongside our senior moving service.
Dealers and technicians
Delivery and collection work for shops and rebuilders who need it done properly.
Venues and events
In for the event, out afterwards, on a fixed window.
Larger institutional projects with several instruments, rooms, or buildings run through commercial moving so the scheduling and the building paperwork are handled as one scope.
Where We Move Pianos
- Address
- 1698 Temple Ave, Unit 1
Lancaster, PA 17603 - Phone
- (717) 690-1106
- contact@moversandcompany.com
- Hours
- Mon to Fri: 8:00 AM to 12:00 AM
Sat: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Sun: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Moving the whole house and the piano together? That is residential moving with the instrument quoted inside it, and it usually works out cheaper than booking the two separately.
Piano Moving FAQ
Can you get a piano up or down a staircase?
Usually yes, and it comes down to the width at the tightest point, the turn on any landing, and the headroom above the run. We measure all three at the assessment and add crew accordingly. Winder and spiral stairs are the ones that sometimes get a straight no, and you will hear that before the day rather than on it.
Do you have to take the legs off a grand piano?
Yes, on any grand or baby grand, even for a move across a single room. The legs are the first thing to fail if the body is tilted with them fitted. The lyre comes off first, then the legs one at a time with the body supported, then the body goes onto a padded board.
How long should I wait to tune it after the move?
Two to four weeks. The instrument needs to settle to the temperature and humidity of the new room before a tuning will hold. Booking a tuner for the afternoon of the move wastes the visit, and playing it in the meantime does no harm.
Is my piano covered if something goes wrong?
We are licensed and insured, and we note any existing marks before we start so nothing is disputed later. Standard valuation on a move is calculated in a way that is rarely a good match for one high-value item, so tell us what the instrument is worth at the estimate and we will explain exactly what our coverage extends to and where you may want additional protection.
What does piano moving cost in Lancaster?
It depends on the instrument, the crew and equipment it needs, and the access at both ends. A console going out a ground floor door and a seven foot grand coming down a turned staircase are not close to the same job. The assessment is free and the price comes in writing before you commit.
Can you move a piano within the same house?
Yes, and it is a common booking. Moving a room, refinishing a floor, or putting the instrument somewhere better for the room acoustics. The same preparation applies, including taking the legs off a grand, because the distance is not what causes damage.
Can you store a piano between homes?
Yes. Tell us at the estimate so the instrument is prepared for the storage period rather than for a single truck ride, and so its conditions are confirmed before it is picked up. See storage services.
Do you move organs, pool tables, or other heavy specialty items?
Organs and pool tables, yes, quoted the same way as a piano because both need specific crew and equipment. Gun safes run through gun safe moving. Single high-value pieces that need more than careful lifting go through white glove delivery.
More questions? See our full FAQ or contact us directly.
