PIANO RESTORATION

Piano restoration requires skill, experience, passion and patience. The principle behind restoring older, good quality instruments is, naturally, to preserve them for future generations to enjoy, and bears certain similarities to the restoration of antique furniture.

However, a piano is more than a piece of furniture, and not worth much as a musical instrument if it does not work correctly. Although ideally its originality should be retained, it needs to be restored to the point where it can still function efficiently. It’s ridiculous to imagine that an 80 – 100 year old piano could still be in perfect condition. Even if it has hardly been used, it remains subject to dust, climatic and weather changes, insects and rodents. The felts, tapes and leathers do perish, and will most certainly need replacing. Occasionally the hammerheads and/or tuning pins will require replacing, however in the vast majority of cases these may be left original, and the hammerheads simply faced to remove wear and thus restore the tone of the piano. Most often, the strings do not require replacing, but are simply cleaned in order to remove the accumulated dirt which also dulls the tone. 

The case (or cabinet) should never be oiled (as is often the case with antique furniture). If it looks tatty it should be stripped and repolished by a professional french polisher who is dedicated, experienced, and has an understanding of pianos, in order to avoid it being damaged, and to preserve its originality. Most piano cases are veneered and not solid wood, so that the panels do not warp and crack as a result of changes in temperature and humidity. An inexperienced person can easily sandpaper right through the veneer! Special lacquers are used in the spraying, as opposed to commercially available varnishes. An inexperienced person is likely to get the “varnish” inside the piano. This is virtually impossible to remove, and can do enormous damage to the funtionality of the instrument.

Guidelines For Buying A Restored Piano

1. The piano should be reasonably if not completely in tune, and should be tuned before delivery as well as some time after that. DO NOT ACCEPT THE STORY THAT IT GOES OUT OF TUNE WHEN IT IS MOVED.


2. It should please you aesthetically. You have to live with it! Make sure you appreciate its appearance.


3. Make sure it has a matching stool of suitable height. Piano stools are hard to come by, and can be expensive.


4. Play it. The keys should respond correctly, and the tone should be satisfying and pleasant to the ear.


5. Ensure that it is moved from the seller to your premises professionally.