Moving a piano, artwork or fine furniture
A dining table is replaceable. A piano that has been in the family for three generations is not. These moves need a different level of care, and it is fair to ask a removalist to prove they know the difference.
Most items in a house move can be replaced if something goes wrong — inconvenient, but not irreversible. Pianos, original artwork, antiques and fine furniture are different: damage is often not something money fixes. That changes both how these items should be handled and what a fair price for moving them looks like.
Why pianos are their own category
An upright piano weighs 200–300kg; a grand piano considerably more, on an oddly distributed centre of gravity that makes it genuinely dangerous to move without the right equipment. A proper piano move uses a piano board or skid, moving straps rather than bare hands, and — for a grand piano — the legs and lid are removed and the body wrapped and lowered onto the board before it goes anywhere near stairs.
Ask directly whether the crew has moved pianos before, and specifically whether they own a piano board. "We'll be careful" is not the same answer as "we have the equipment for this."
Artwork and mirrors: the enemy is flex, not just impact
Glass and framed artwork rarely break from a straight drop — they break from flexing across their face when handled by the frame alone or stacked flat under other items. Corner protectors, flat vertical transport rather than horizontal stacking, and mirror or picture cartons that hold the piece rigid are what actually prevent this. If a quote does not mention any of that for a house with real artwork in it, ask.
Antiques and fine furniture: the finish is the risk
A modern flat-pack wardrobe survives a scuff. A hundred-year-old sideboard with an original French-polish finish does not — even light abrasion during a carry can mark it permanently. These pieces should be wrapped in moving blankets secured with tape that will not touch the surface, carried rather than dragged or tilted onto castors, and loaded last so nothing is stacked against them in transit.
What this means for the quote
Specialist items take longer to prepare, need dedicated equipment, and reduce how much else can safely go on the same trip — all of which is legitimate reason for a specific line item in the quote rather than being folded into a generic hourly rate. What is not legitimate is a surcharge that only appears once the crew is standing in front of the piano. Flag every specialist item — piano, safe, artwork collection, antiques — when you book, and ask for it costed into the written quote up front.
Questions worth asking
- Have you moved a piano before, and do you own a piano board?
- How is artwork transported — flat or vertical, and in what?
- What insurance specifically covers high-value or irreplaceable items?
- Is the cost of specialist handling in the written quote, or added on the day?
See our fine furniture, art and piano removal service for how we handle pieces where replacement is not an option.
The value of a fine piece is not what it cost — it is that it cannot be bought again. That is worth one extra phone call before moving day.
01 Do you move pianos?
Yes — with a piano board, proper strapping, and legs/lid removed for a grand piano where needed. Let us know the type of piano and the access at both ends when you book, since stairs change the approach.
02 Is my artwork covered by standard removalist insurance?
Standard cover applies, but for a significant art or antique collection it's worth asking specifically what the policy covers and whether individual high-value pieces need to be declared separately.
03 Does moving a piano cost extra?
Generally yes, reflecting the extra time, equipment and crew size required — and it should be a clear line in your written quote, not a surprise on the day.
04 Can you disassemble antique furniture?
Where a piece is designed to come apart, yes, carefully and by hand. Anything original or delicate is flagged and handled with extra padding regardless of whether it needs disassembly.
Got a piano, artwork or a piece that matters?
Tell us what it is and we'll quote the specialist handling properly, in writing, before moving day.
- Telephone
- 0402 592 492
- Response
- Same day, business hours