A piano is not furniture. A baby grand weighs over 500 pounds, a full grand over 800. The legs on a grand have to come off. The mechanism inside will not forgive a dropped corner or a hard tilt. Moving one takes the right equipment, the right number of people, and a crew that has moved pianos before, not just large furniture.
Weight alone is not the problem. A grand has to be disassembled before it can move. An upright will fall apart under the wrong strap. The mechanism inside will not tolerate a hard jolt at the wrong angle.
Most furniture movers will attempt a piano because it looks like a heavy box. It is not. A grand piano weighs 700 to 1,000 pounds and has to have its legs, pedal lyre, and lid removed before it can be placed on a piano board and moved on its side. An upright is 200 to 400 pounds and can fracture a castor or snap a leg if the force is applied wrong. LA adds its own complications: hillside homes, steep driveways, narrow doorways on older properties, high-rise freight elevators with height limits.
Royal Moving & Storage moves pianos across Los Angeles with the equipment and crews the job actually calls for: piano boards, four-wheel piano dollies, stair-climbing equipment for difficult access, and the know-how to disassemble and reassemble a grand cleanly. Transparent pricing with the full cost up front, and USDOT #3617767 behind every move.
Get a Free Quote →Six things that make piano moving different from moving any other heavy piece, and why each one matters in Los Angeles.
An upright starts at 200 lbs; a baby grand is 500 to 600 lbs; a full grand is 700 to 1,000 lbs. The crew size and equipment are determined by the piano before anyone arrives.
A grand cannot move on its legs. The legs, pedal lyre, and lid come off, then the body goes onto a piano board on its side, padded and strapped, before it can be loaded. All reassembled at the destination.
Hillside homes, outdoor stairs, steep driveways, and split-level entries are common across LA. Stair-climbing equipment and a route plan before the crew arrives, not improvised on the day.
A 9-foot grand on its side through a standard doorway needs the route measured first. We check the clearances before the day so nothing gets stuck mid-move.
Keys, hammers, dampers, and the action rail will not forgive a hard jolt at the wrong angle. The piano is padded and secured on the truck so it cannot shift in transit.
Every piano goes out of tune during a move because the strings change tension as the instrument acclimates. Book your tuner 2 to 4 weeks after the move, once the piano has settled in its new environment.
Four steps built around the piano, not around a standard furniture move.
Tell us the piano type, any stairs or access points, and where it is going. We give you a transparent quote and confirm the route can handle the move.
For a grand, legs, pedal lyre, and lid come off; the body goes onto a piano board. Upright pianos are padded and strapped and placed on a four-wheel piano dolly.
Loaded with the right number of crew for the weight, secured on the truck so it cannot shift, and transported carefully to the destination.
Carried into the room, legs and hardware reattached, and the piano placed exactly where you want it. Book your tuner 2 to 4 weeks after the move.
Moving the piano as part of a larger move? Here are the related LA services that pair with it.
For antique or high-value pianos and the art and fine pieces moving alongside them, white-glove adds custom crating and full documentation.
Moving the piano alongside a few other pieces? We can handle the rest of the furniture in the same trip.
Moving a full home locally across LA? We handle the whole move, with the piano as part of the crew's plan.
Need to store the piano between moves? Climate-controlled storage protects the instrument from humidity and temperature swings.
Have your own truck but need an experienced crew for the piano? Book us for the specialist labor only.
Pianos often move with estate and downsizing moves. Our senior moving service handles the whole relocation, including the instrument.
Local crews covering Downtown LA, the Valley, the Westside, and all of Los Angeles County.
The most common piano-moving mistake is using a general furniture crew, because the weight looks like the only challenge. It is not.
Tell us the piano type, where it is, and where it needs to go, including any stairs. We will give you a transparent quote and send the right crew with the right equipment.
The cost depends on the piano type, the access at both locations (stairs, hillside, floor level), and the distance. An upright in a ground-floor apartment and a baby grand on a hillside with exterior stairs are very different jobs. We give you a transparent quote with the full cost up front once we have those details.
