Piano Moving Checklist

What to confirm before scheduling a piano move in Toronto or the GTA

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Piano Care Article 2024-03-16 Updated 5 min read

Piano Moving Checklist: What You Need to Know | G&T Moving Blog

Pianos are heavy, sensitive, and awkward to move. A successful piano move depends on access, protection, and the right handling equipment.

Before booking, it helps to review the pickup and drop-off conditions so the moving plan matches the real site.

Key Takeaways

  • Measure stairs, hallways, and elevator interiors.
  • Share piano type and approximate dimensions early.
  • Parking distance and access restrictions affect labor and pricing.
  • A staircase with a turn in it is a three-mover job, not a two-mover job.

A Basement Piano Move, Start to Finish

The same upright piano at five points in the job. Note the staircase in the second photo — curved, carpeted, and too tight for a dolly, which is exactly why three movers were on it.

Upright piano standing in a finished basement before a Toronto piano move
Where the job starts: an upright piano in a finished basement.
Curved carpeted basement staircase with a turn, too narrow for a piano dolly
The staircase decides the crew. Curved, carpeted, and too tight for a dolly.
Three G&T movers carrying a shrink-wrapped upright piano up a curved basement staircase
Three movers, wrapped and strapped, controlling the piano through the turn.
Movers wheeling a wrapped upright piano on a skid board along a walkway to the truck
Out of the house on a piano skid board, not carried across the driveway.
Upright piano wrapped, blocked and ratchet-strapped to the wall inside a moving truck
Secured for the road: wrapped, blocked, and strapped to the wall.

Know the piano type

Upright pianos, baby grands, and larger grand pianos each require different handling plans and sometimes partial disassembly.

Check access at both locations

The most common delays come from tight corners, narrow stair landings, elevator limits, and parking distance from the entrance.

Count the movers by the staircase, not the piano

An upright piano in a two-storey townhouse with a turn part-way up the staircase needs three movers. With two, the instrument has to be pivoted at the corner, and that pivot is where railings, drywall, and the piano case all take damage. A third mover controls the piece through the turn instead of forcing it.

The same piano on a straight-run staircase, or moving between ground floors, is a different job with a different crew. Tell us which staircase you have when you request the quote — it is the detail that decides the plan.

Protect the route and the instrument

Floor protection, blankets, straps, and piano boards help prevent both property damage and instrument damage.

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