There are so many ways to upcycle an old piano.
I’ve done so many different pieces of furniture with old pianos. Upcycled pianos are a great way to make use of something that is past its useful life with its original purpose. I’m sharing some of my work in this blog series, so that perhaps you’ll get some inspiration. If you’re in my area (Madison, WI), feel free to commission me to do the work for you. I won’t lie, it’s very labor intensive to completely gut a piano, so study up and be ready, or hire out the work to an expert.
In this post, I’m sharing a kitchen island/bar that I did a couple of years ago. This works well for console and spinet height pianos. This option does not work for really tall uprights because you need “breakfast bar” height in order to make a counter top.
When taking a piano apart, make sure you consult a professional first, or even better, have a professional do it. Pianos are very complicated, heavy, and carry tons of string tension.
If not done properly, gutting a piano can actually be dangerous.
It can also be a huge pain. The easy part, is taking out the action and the keys. Where things get challenging is when the pins, strings, and plate come out. The pins need to be loosened first. This is really important. Then, the strings come out, followed by the pins. The plate is last. The plate is almost always problematic because the screws and bolts are often melded a bit to the plate itself. The piano case often needs to be dismantled, cut away a bit, or the bottom needs to be removed because the plate does not have enough clearance to come out otherwise.
Once everything is out, then the real fun starts. For my breakfast bar piano, I used the existing lid for the eating counter top area. I simply turned it around the other way and secured it on the top of the piano. Then, I found a remnant piece of laminate counter top and had it cut to size for the prep area, which is where the keys used to be. Add some back splash and stools and an old piano becomes a functional furniture piece.
Looking for more ideas? Check out other posts with the title “What to do with an old piano” for loads of projects done by The Piano Gal Shop. Hopefully, these will serve to get the creative juices flowing.
To see what you can purchase ready-made from our store, check out the SHOP section of The Piano Gal Shop website.
