Moving a piano isn't the same as moving a wardrobe
A domestic upright piano weighs 200–300 kg with almost all of that weight in the top half of the frame. Digital pianos are lighter but delicate — the pedal unit, the keybed and the finish all bruise easily if the piece is tipped or dragged. Every piano move gets treated as a two-person job unless it's a compact digital that fits through doors clean.
The kit that comes on a piano move includes piano skates, corner protectors, moving blankets, ratchet straps and a heavy-duty sack truck. What we don't do is drag a piano across a hardwood floor or shove it onto a lift without protection — that's how instruments get damaged and floors get scored.
What we move
- Upright pianos (spinet, console, studio, professional) up to standard domestic weights
- Digital pianos with weighted-key actions — Yamaha Clavinova, Kawai CA/CN, Roland RP/HP, Korg Havian and equivalents
- Stage pianos and electric keyboards with stands and pedal units
- Small ensemble kit — cased cellos, string basses, drum shells (case-by-case)
- Church-hall pianos moved between venues
Grand pianos, harpsichords and antique concert instruments are beyond a single-van removal — happy to recommend a specialist for those.
Pricing a piano move
Piano moves are always quoted individually because staircases, doorway widths and access to the room matter more than distance. Rough ranges to plan around:
- Digital piano (up to 80 kg) within Kilkenny city — from €120
- Small upright within Kilkenny city, ground floor to ground floor — from €180
- Standard upright with one straight staircase — from €240
- Standard upright across counties (Kilkenny–Carlow, Kilkenny–Waterford) — from €300
- Third-floor apartment (no lift) or awkward-access uprights — quoted after a photo/video check
What we need to know before quoting
- Make and model of the piano (photo of the front is fine)
- Photos or a short video of both rooms and every doorway between them
- Any staircases, and roughly how many steps
- Whether there's a driveway or if we'll be parking on-street
- Any lifts and their internal dimensions (for apartment blocks)
Ten minutes with a WhatsApp video walkthrough and we can give a firm price for even the trickiest room in Kilkenny.
The move itself
Digital pianos come apart on request — legs off, pedal unit off — and travel in cases or wrapped in blankets. Uprights stay assembled but travel on their side with the keybed padded and the lid strapped shut. Turning corners takes patience — a rushed piano move is how walls get dented.
At the other end, the piano goes back to its exact playing position, legs and pedal unit refitted where they were taken off, and gets a wipe-down. Tuning after any move is recommended (an upright can drift after being lifted) — local Kilkenny tuners will typically come within a week.
Book with confidence
Because piano moves are quoted individually, no two jobs are the same — but the process is: send photos, get a firm price, agree a date, done properly on the day. Ring or WhatsApp 089 948 9185.