Somerset's Trusted Grand Piano Mover

A grand piano has to be partially dismantled before it can be moved safely.

The lid, music stand, and pedal lyre all come off first. The legs are removed individually and wrapped in furniture blankets.

The main body of the instrument is then tilted onto its side and placed on a specialist piano board, sometimes called a skid board, which has rubber-lined edges to prevent slipping.

The keyboard lid is taped shut to protect the keys from impact. None of this is guesswork.

It is a precise sequence that every member of a Giant Van piano crew knows by rote.

Baby grands, the most common type found in Somerset homes and village halls, measure roughly 150cm to 170cm in length.

Concert grands can reach 270cm and weigh close to 500kg. Both types require the same methodical approach, but the crew size scales up accordingly. For a concert grand, we typically deploy four operatives rather than two.

The destination matters as much as the origin.

Moving a grand piano into a property on the Quantock Hills, where driveways can be steep and gravel-surfaced, demands wheel covers and a different approach to stopping the board mid-slope.

Moving the same instrument into a converted barn near Somerton means measuring barn door heights, which are often lower than standard domestic doorframes.

We have encountered both scenarios many times across Somerset removals and plan for them in advance.

Once inside the destination room, we reassemble the piano in the correct sequence, check pedal function, and position it away from direct heat sources and exterior walls to help preserve tuning stability.

Somerset's climate presents a specific risk for piano removals that many customers do not consider.

The county sits in one of the wetter parts of England.

When a piano moves from a temperature-controlled room into the back of a van in wet November conditions near the Somerset Levels, moisture can affect the soundboard and tuning pins if the instrument is not properly protected.

Every piano we move is wrapped in padded furniture blankets before it leaves the property.

Grand piano bodies get an additional layer of stretch wrap over the blanket to seal against damp air during transit. The van itself is a dry load vehicle with a sealed cargo area.

We do not mix pianos with garden furniture, white goods, or anything that could shift and make contact during transit.

Internal components are the most vulnerable during any removal.

The strings inside a grand piano sit under roughly 18 tonnes of tension in total. A significant impact or a sudden drop in temperature during transit can shift the pitch across the keyboard by a noticeable margin.

This is why we always advise customers to wait at least two weeks after a move before having the instrument tuned.

The piano needs time to stabilise at its new ambient temperature and humidity level.

We carry corner protectors for all grand piano legs, foam padding for the keyboard lid, and rubberised strapping that holds without scratching the lacquer.

No rope is used at any point during a Giant Van piano removal.

For antique or specialist instruments, such as a Victorian cottage piano with inlaid marquetry, we can also provide a hard transit case arrangement for an additional agreed fee.