Upright and baby grand pianos moved from £200, on a published hourly card. The route is measured before the day, the instrument is prepared and protected, and three movers do the carrying: two on the weight, one guiding the turns.
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Moving a piano with us costs from £200: an upright between ground floors with a 3 Men crew at the 2-hour minimum, on a published card of Driver Help £70 per hour, 2 Men £85 and 3 Men £100. An upright between flats is usually £200 to £300; a baby grand, taken apart and refitted, £300 to £400. The route is measured from your photographs before the day, the total is confirmed in a written quote before you book, and tuning afterwards is a piano tuner’s job, not ours: plan one for about two weeks after the move. No deposit; free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Real totals for the piano jobs people actually book, worked from the published card. Moving the whole home around the piano? See house removals.
| Piano job | Crew | Typical time | Typical total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upright piano, ground floor to ground floor across London | 3 Men | 2 hours (minimum) | £200 |
| Upright between flats, stairs at one end | 3 Men | 2 to 3 hours | £200 to £300 |
| Upright up or down several flights, tight turns on the stairs | 3 Men | 3 hours | £300 |
| Baby grand, legs and pedal lyre removed and refitted | 3 Men | 3 to 4 hours | £300 to £400 |
| Digital piano and stand, taken down, wrapped and carried | 2 Men | 2 hours (minimum) | £170 |
| Upright into a storage unit you have booked (transport only) | 3 Men | 2 hours (minimum) | £200 |
Illustrations, worked from our published hourly card (Driver Help £70, 2 Men £85, 3 Men £100 per hour, 2-hour minimum), checked October 2026. Your written quote confirms the total for your piano before you book. Included beside every price: the crew’s carrying at both ends, preparation and protection of the instrument, dismantling and refitting of a baby grand’s legs and lyre, fuel and mileage within London, and placement in the room you choose. Add £5 per floor where the carry is by stairs (a third-floor flat with no lift adds £15 at that end): tell us the floors at both addresses when you ask for a quote and the charge is in the quote, not a surprise on the day. Tuning is not in any total on this page: it is a piano tuner’s work, booked by you for about two weeks after the move. The storage row prices the transport only: the unit is rented by you, in your own name.
A piano is two jobs wearing one cabinet. On the outside it is the heaviest single piece in most homes: an upright carries 200 to 300 kilos, most of it high up in a cast-iron frame, standing on small castors that were never meant for stairs. On the inside it is a precision instrument: strings under tension, a soundboard that reacts to knocks and weather, and an action of thousands of parts that a sharp jolt does nobody any favours.
So the work splits cleanly in two, and this page is honest about which half is ours. Ours is the physical half, done properly: the route measured before the day, the instrument prepared and protected, enough hands on the carry, careful transport, and placement in the new room. The technician’s half is not ours: we do not tune, regulate or repair pianos, and we do not call ourselves piano specialists. A removals crew that is straight about that line is the one you want carrying the instrument.
Where this page sits among our services: a piano inside a whole home move is quoted as part of house removals; other heavy pieces (a marble table, a safe, an American fridge freezer) sit between furniture removals and our specialist removals hub, which covers antiques, safes and oversized items. The card, the crew and the terms are the same on all of them.
Three kinds of piano cover almost every job in London. Each is planned as its own carry, from your measurements and photographs.
Usually 3 Men, 2 to 3 hours, £200 to £300
Typically 200 to 300 kg
The everyday piano job, and the one we plan most carefully. An upright is top-heavy, with most of its weight in the cast-iron frame, so it is wrapped, protected at the castors and pedals, and carried by three movers: two on the weight, one guiding the route. Stairs are normal work, measured from your photographs first.
Usually 3 Men, 3 to 4 hours, £300 to £400
Typically 250 to 350 kg
A baby grand travels on its side. The legs and the pedal lyre are unbolted as standard careful practice, the body is protected and carried on its curved side, and everything is refitted in the new room. Ground floors and lifts suit it best; stairs are assessed from the measurements before anyone promises anything.
Usually 2 Men, 2 hours, £170
Typically 30 to 80 kg
A digital piano is lighter but not sturdier: stands, pedal units and key beds dislike being twisted or carried by their edges. The stand is taken down where it comes apart, the unit is wrapped and carried flat and level, and the pedals and cables travel bagged with it. A lighter job, charged honestly as 2 Men crew time.
No specialist mythology: preparation, protection, enough hands, and a route that was measured before the day. That is the whole method, and it works because none of it is improvised.
Before a price is given, the route is checked at both addresses: the piano’s dimensions against every door it must pass, the width and turns of the stairs, the ceiling height on the half-landing, the lift size if there is one. Photographs of the staircase tell us most of it; send them with the quote request. A piano move is decided by the tightest turn on the route, and that turn is found on paper, not with the piano in the air.
On the day, before anything is lifted: the lid and key cover are closed and secured, music and loose items are taken off and out, and the castors and pedals are protected, because they are the parts that snap when a piano is rolled carelessly or set down hard. A baby grand has its legs and pedal lyre unbolted, each fixing bagged and labelled, so it goes back together in the right order at the other end.
The body is wrapped in furniture blankets and protective wrap before it moves, not after the first doorway has had its chance. Then the carry itself: three movers on an upright, one guiding and calling the turns, the other two on the weight, at walking pace, by the planned route only. In the van the piano travels upright (or on its side, for a grand), strapped against a padded surface so nothing shifts or rubs in transit.
Stairs are charged at £5 per floor where the carry is by stairs, and lift-served floors are not charged. A straight flight is straightforward; the half-landing turn in a converted house is the real test, and it is a measuring question, answered from your photographs before the day. If a piano cannot make a turn without force, the answer you get from us is no, with the measurements explained, before anyone is standing on your stairs holding it.
If the measurements say a piano cannot pass a doorway or a turn without force, or a staircase cannot sensibly take the weight and the crew it needs, we refuse that route, from your photographs, before the day, and we explain the measurements behind the refusal. A piano wedged in a stairwell helps nobody: not you, not the instrument, not the neighbours trying to get past it. Refusing early is part of the service, not a failure of it.
Three limits, stated before you book rather than discovered on the day. If your piano falls outside them, we would rather point you at the right firm than take the job and improvise.
Uprights and baby grands are our regular piano work. A full-size grand is a different undertaking: around 9 feet of instrument and roughly 500 kilos, belonging with a specialist piano firm that moves grands every week. If that is what you have, we will tell you at quote stage, plainly, rather than learn it in your hallway.
We do not use cranes, hoists or external lifting platforms, and we do not take pianos out through windows or over balconies. Everything travels by the building’s internal route: doors, stairs and lifts. If your piano can only leave by a window, you need a lifting specialist for that part, and the honest answer from us is to say so before you book.
We are movers, not piano technicians. We do not tune, regulate or repair pianos, and tuning is never in our quote. Any move can unsettle a piano’s tuning; the standard advice is to let the instrument settle in its new room for about two weeks, then book a piano tuner. Book your own tuner, and we will happily work the move around that timing.
One more honesty point, about value: tell us the make, model and approximate value of the piano when you enquire, so its handling is planned properly. Cover for the instrument itself is the owner’s side of the arrangement: if the piano is valuable, check your household policy or speak to your own insurer about the move before the day.
Four steps, decided by measurements rather than by optimism.
The type of piano, both postcodes, the floors and lifts at both ends, and photographs of the tight turns if you can. That is what the crew size, the method and the total are built from.
The quote comes back in writing with the crew, the planned route and the total, and it is honest about anything outside our scope. It is valid for 7 days, and booking takes no deposit.
The instrument is prepared and wrapped before it moves, then carried by the planned route at walking pace, and travelled strapped and padded in the van.
The piano is positioned where you want it, unwrapped, and checked over with you before we leave. Payment is at the time of service. Your tuner comes about two weeks later.
| Point of comparison | The typical way | With Vano Removals |
|---|---|---|
| The crew | Two men booked for a two-hundred-kilo instrument, with the customer expected to take a corner | 3 Men planned as the default for an upright: two on the weight, one guiding the route. You are never asked to carry |
| The route | Discovered on the day, usually at the first turn of the stairs, with the piano already in the air | Measured from your photographs before the day; a route that cannot work is refused in advance, with the measurements explained |
| Protection | A blanket thrown over the top, castors and pedals left to chance | Lid and key cover secured, castors and pedals protected, body wrapped before it moves; a baby grand’s legs and lyre removed and refitted properly |
| The price | A "from" price per piano, with stairs, turns and dismantling surfacing as extras on the day | A published hourly card, the stairs charge stated with the price, and a worked total in writing before the day |
| The limits | Anything attempted: grands, windows, balconies, and the improvisation that follows | Stated plainly up front: no cranes or window work, full-size grands belong with a piano specialist, and tuning is a tuner’s job |
| Deposit and cancellation | A deposit to book is common, and cancellation windows vary widely at the budget end | No deposit to book; free cancellation up to 24 hours before |
Based on the published prices and terms of London man and van and piano moving offers, checked October 2026. The full four-way comparison of every way of moving is on our compare page.
Content updated October 2026. Prices from our published hourly card, checked October 2026. Piano weights are typical figures for each type of instrument; your written quote is built from the measurements and photographs of your actual piano and its route.
Send the type of piano, both postcodes, the floors at each end, and photographs of the tight turns if you can. The quote comes back in writing with the crew, the method and the total. No deposit, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before the move.
Or email info@vanoremovals.co.uk
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Common questions about moving a piano, cost first. If you do not see yours, call us. We are happy to help.
Published rates, a written quote, and no deposit. The fastest way to price a piano move is to send the piano type, both postcodes and photographs of the stairs.
07459 180023A piano is priced as crew time on our published card: Driver Help £70 per hour, 2 Men £85 per hour, 3 Men £100 per hour, with a 2-hour minimum on every booking. An upright is planned as a 3 Men job, because three pairs of hands are what control 200 kilos or more on a turn: an upright between ground floors starts at £200 for the minimum, and an upright between flats, with stairs at one end, is usually £200 to £300. A baby grand, with its legs and pedal lyre removed and refitted, is usually £300 to £400. Stairs add £5 per floor where the carry is by stairs. No deposit, and your written quote confirms the total before you book.
Weight and control. A typical upright weighs 200 to 300 kilos, and almost all of it sits high, in the cast-iron frame behind the strings, so the instrument is top-heavy and unforgiving of a tilt. Two movers can lift one end each, but on stairs and turns there is nobody free to guide, steady and watch the route. The third mover is what turns a strain into a controlled carry, and on a staircase it is the difference between easing the piano round a turn and swinging it. That is why the written quote plans an upright as a 3 Men job from the start.
In order: the route is measured first, from the piano’s room to the van and from the van to its new room, including door widths, stair turns and lift sizes. On the day, the lid and key cover are closed and secured, the castors and pedals are protected, and the body is wrapped in furniture blankets and protective wrap before it moves an inch. The crew then carries it by the planned route only, slowly, with one mover guiding. In the van it travels strapped upright against a padded surface, and at the other end it is placed where you want it, unwrapped, and left standing on its castors so you can check it over before we leave.
Usually, yes, and it is the most common piano job we quote. Stairs are charged at £5 per floor where the carry is by stairs, and lift-served floors are not charged. What we need from you first is the turn: photographs of the staircase, especially any half-landing turn, tell us more than the floor count alone. If the measurements say the piano cannot make a turn without force, we will tell you from the photographs before the day, explain why, and refuse that route rather than wedge your piano in a stairwell with the clock running.
Baby grands, yes: they are part of our regular piano work. The legs and the pedal lyre are unbolted as standard careful practice, the body is protected and carried on its side, and the legs, lyre and lid are refitted in the new room. Full-size grands are a different undertaking: a concert grand is around 5 feet wide, 9 feet long and roughly 500 kilos, and it belongs with a specialist piano firm that moves grands every week. If that is what you have, we will say so at quote stage, plainly and without embarrassment, rather than learn it in your hallway.
Then we are not the firm for that part of the job, and we will tell you before you book. We do not use cranes, hoists or external lifting platforms, and we do not take pianos out through windows or over balconies. Everything we move travels by the building’s internal route: doors, stairs and lifts. If a piano genuinely cannot leave that way, you need a lifting specialist for the window work; once the instrument is at ground level, the onward move is ordinary piano work and we can quote for it.
Plan on it, yes. Any move can unsettle a piano’s tuning, because the strings and soundboard react to being carried and to the temperature and humidity of a new room, even when the carry itself is gentle. Tuning is not part of our service and is never in our quote: we are movers, not piano technicians. The standard advice is to let the instrument settle in its new room for about two weeks, then book a piano tuner. Book your own tuner for a date roughly two weeks after moving day, and tell us if that timing matters, so the move is planned to suit it.
Tell us the make, model and approximate value when you enquire, so the crew size, protection and route are planned for that instrument properly, and any existing marks or weakness are noted with you before it moves. Cover for the instrument itself is the owner’s side of the arrangement: if your piano is valuable, check whether your household policy covers it in transit, or speak to your own insurer about the move before the day. Nothing on this page should be read as us covering the piano, and the written quote sets out the booking in writing before you commit to it.
Insurance is as stated in your written quote: ask us to confirm in writing.
Yes, as transport. You book a storage unit in your own name with the operator you choose; we collect the piano, carry it by the planned route, stand it in the unit, and bring it back out when you are ready. The runs are charged on the hourly card as 3 Men crew time, and the unit’s rent, access and terms stay between you and the operator. We do not hold pianos ourselves, so your instrument sits in a unit under your own contract, with your own access. Ask the operator about their conditions for instruments, and plan a tuner for about two weeks after the piano comes home.
Take everything off and out of it: music, metronomes, lamps and anything stored inside the top or on the pedals. Close the lid and the key cover. Clear the route at both addresses as far as you can: doors wedged open, hallway furniture moved, and cars rearranged so the van can stand close. If you can, send us photographs of the piano, the doorways and the stairs at both ends when you ask for the quote; that is what the crew plan and the total are built from. Leave the wrapping and the carrying to the crew: a piano that has been half-dismantled by a well-meaning owner takes longer, not less.
Ask for a quote with the piano type (upright, baby grand or digital), both postcodes, the floors and lifts at both ends, and photographs of the tight turns if you can. The quote comes back in writing and is valid for 7 days. There is no deposit to book. Changing your date is free up to 24 hours before the move; inside 24 hours, a cancellation charge of up to 25 percent of the quoted price applies. Payment is at the time of service.
Moving somewhere specific? Send both postcodes with your quote request and the route is confirmed in writing.
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