How To Restore Your Grand Piano

Itching to tinkle those ivories but need to know how to restore your grand piano first? Just because your piano may not function or play like it used to does not mean that it cannot be restored. As a matter of fact, you should try to restore it first before you try to get rid of it or sell it. Grand pianos are beautiful instruments that are extremely valuable that not everyone can afford, so if you have one you should try to hold on to it as long as possible.

To restore your Grand Piano you need:

  • shimming tool
  • spruce wood
  • tuning hammer
  • epoxy
  • paint (optional)
  • a helper
  1. Remove the harp and the strings. The harp is what holds the strings in place with the cast-iron apparatus. The harp is pretty big because it frames the inside of the piano, so you will want some help removing it. To loosen the strings on your grand piano use the tuning hammer to detach the harp. Once the harp is detached the harp should be vertically removed from the piano. Use your helper to help keep the harp in the vertical position while it is being removed. Removing the harp vertically will prevent the inside of  the piano from being damaged.
  2. Remove the sound board in the grand piano. The sound board is located directly underneath the bottom of the inside of the frame of the harp. It is a curved wood surface that almost takes up the entire base of the frame. If there are any cracks on the board, allow a few days for the board to dry out. Humidity in an environment can cause the board to become moist, and it should be dried out occasionally. Once the board is dry fill the small cracks using epoxy, and then, sand the epoxy down after it is completely dry. For large cracks us a shimming tool to hold the cracks open and take small pieces of spruce wood and insert them into the cracks to fill them up.
  3. Fix up the outside of the piano if necessary. If the grand piano looks like it can be polished up on the outside you can strip and repaint it. It is better to do this after the harp and sound board have been removed from the piano to prevent from possibly damaging or getting paint on these parts.
  4. Reassemble the piano in the order it was taken apart. First, insert the sound board, and then using your helper, lower the harp into the grand piano, making sure that it is vertical at all times. Once the harp is secured in place, tighten the strings until they play the correct pitch. Enjoy you newly restored grand piano.
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