Has anyone painted a piano?

[gluenotsoup]

We are just about to be given an old but decent upright piano. It needs a bit of tlc, and needs refinishing and I am planning on cleaning, sanding and painting it up. Has anyone done this and could give me some tips, show me a photo of how its styled or recommend a colour? I am thinking maybe F and B with a foam roller, in a light colour so its not too oppressive. Any ideas welcome!

I have never had a piano but I have seen lovely painted ones on eBay

This sounds horrific.
Maybe if you never plan on playing it again.

Why do you think it would be horrific? It has already been painted, but needs a bit of work to look nice, and is in tune. I have seen them advertised as painted from places like The Little Piano Store, so is it just personal preference?

I'm thinking that it won't be in tune anymore after you have finished, that's all.
It could look great, just seems wrong to do it.

Ok, thanks, its worth keeping in mind. I didn't realise that painting the outside could have an effect on the sound. It really needs bit of cosmetic work though, very patchy paint finish, and a missing front support, otherwise it can't come in

Anyone else? Someone must have done this....

We painted an old one we had. It looked okay but not amazing if I'm honest. It depends how fussy you are about things looks very well done. It is really hard to do nicely. We have expensive rollers and f&b paint but it still only looked okay as a temporary measure. It's is hard to do cos of all the bits and avoiding the keys. It was never in tune though and so we just painted it untill we were able to remove the part of the wall that allows us to bin it.

No experience of doing this myself but Tim Minchin painted a black piano white for a recent music video. His blog has videos of the process --> www.timminchin.com/2020/09/25/airport-piano-a-making-of-blog/

He then had Ben Folds playing it during a livestream concert and it sounded just fine.

Hmm, yes, I am very fussy about the finish on things tbh, if I do something it has to be as close to perfect as I can get it, otherwise I do notice the faults. The piano is for the dc's though so I can't be too precious either I suppose. I wonder if I had it sprayed by the companies that do kitchen resprays? We have built in alcove shelves and cupboards that were painted with a small foam roller, and they are fine and hard wearing. Hope I've not let myself in for a world of piano pain here.......

I painted my minx piano (it was a mahogany brown before).

I sanded it all using a sander, only to take the varnish layer off (till it wasn't shiny). Then painted with primer and then used grey eggshell wood furniture paint from b&q. Didn't use a varnish and it's been great and isn't showing any signs of age (did it in 2017). I removed all the panels I could and clingfilmed the keys then taped round the cling film to make sure keys were protected.

Used chalk pain under the lid though to make it a bit cooler and different.

These are best pics I have on my phone annoyingly

Forgot to say it still sounds magical and had no issues when it's been retuned. My tuning guy actually commented on how nice it turned out once I'd had it tuned when I finished painting :)

@SenoraSurf

I painted my minx piano (it was a mahogany brown before).

I sanded it all using a sander, only to take the varnish layer off (till it wasn't shiny). Then painted with primer and then used grey eggshell wood furniture paint from b&q. Didn't use a varnish and it's been great and isn't showing any signs of age (did it in 2017). I removed all the panels I could and clingfilmed the keys then taped round the cling film to make sure keys were protected.

Used chalk pain under the lid though to make it a bit cooler and different.

These are best pics I have on my phone annoyingly

Looks lovely and like it was made to fit in that alcove!

@DuckBatRabbit thank you! The alcove was 10cm smaller originally but dh used the disc cutter to slice off some and then replastered it all, all so my precious piano had a place to live
Im very grateful he went to the effort as it looked such hard work!

I’ve seen painted pianos in the window of the lovely piano store near to me, and they always look fab.

Don’t use F&B or any chalky paint if you actually plan to play it. F&B paint is awful for finger marks so it will mark really badly.

I’d maybe look at a wood stain rather than paint?

It depends on whether you want to play it (if it's able to be tuned) or if you want it as a piece of furniture.
It's only decent if it's in good working order and can be tuned.
Many uprights once moved don't work again.
You could do with a specialist to move it, but I certainly wouln't paint one.

What about painting it black with some ebay gold candleholders on the front

My mum rehabbed two pianos. Both looked fantastic. The first was painted with gloss. The second looked so good when it was sanded that it was left like that. She was an expert and very experienced painter.I've done a significant amount of painting and my gloss never looks perfect so I'd go for Senora's method. I've never had a problem moving uprights but they've all been really old. Maybe the problem is with modern ones.

www.thepianoshopbath.co.uk/design/painted-pianos/ They had a bright orange one in the window last year that I lusted after.

Oh, wow! Lots of replies after a busy weekend, thank you everyone . Theres lots to think about now, just to confirm its a good piano, a Rogers London upright that has been regularly tuned and well looked after in its workings. Its been recommended to me by my childrens piano teacher, and he says its in tune, as he has played it many times and knows who is getting rid of it, because their children no longer play. Its for my children. who are currently muddling along on a keyboard and facetime lessons, so its our first piano. It has already been painted, but desperately needs a facelift. Until I have it brought home, I can only go off pictures, but I will need to replace the missing support, which isn't affecting its performance as the keyboard is well integrated into the body of the piano.
The reason I was thinking of painting it is because its already partly done, and I thought with good quality preparation and paint, it would be the best way to get a good finish. If, after sanding it, its showing signs of looking ok to just varnish or laquer then I would consider it.
I'm taking my inspiration from the beautiful pianos in the Piano Shop, Bath, and The Little Piano Store, although I do realise they are painted by experts, not little old me. They do sell as painted in F and B though, so I'm bit thrown by the comments that it won't be playable after painting? I am pretty good at painting, careful and attention to detail with excellent prep, if I do say so myself
I was also thinking of polishing up the peddles, and either rstoring or replacing the name letters/decal.
Senora - thanks for showing your lovely piano, I like the idea of doing the inside of the lid a slightly different colour. Clever dh of your to fit it in the alcove for you, I would love to put it in an alcove but we have built in shelving in one room, and the other rooms alcoves are too small, so I'm not exactly sure where its going to live yet. Did you take off the lid and panels when painting? I was wondering if I should take off as much as I could , prep, paint and reassemble to get the best result and make sure it can be got at properly to be retuned?
Wilteddaffs, the Tim Minchin video was great! Unfortunately I've not got a Yamaha....
Pinkyparrot - I was thinking of putting piano sconces on but its a very simple and plain design with quite clean lines and I thought I might make it look a bit out of place.
Itsdinah - would you be happy to show me a photo?
Sinkgirl - does the eggshell paint leave fingermarks? what else would you recommend? I've used f and b modern emulsion on walls, and I think our cupboards are F and B eggshells in all white, they seem ok, but I grant its not the same as a piano ?
Develsko - have you got any tips as to what to do with it?
Thanks all!

I think it’s just a gut instinct thing as a (lapsed) pianist - the idea of painting a piano just feels like it must be sacrilege! Like she wouldn’t be able to breathe! Probably groundless. That’s why I thought a wood stain rather than paint. I like Protek wood stains for other things and they come in some beautiful colours and are eco friendly etc www.protekwoodstain.co.uk/products/wood-stain
Disclaimer - not an expert!

From an aesthetic point of view I do love the idea of the inside of the lid being a different colour. Once my front room is done up I’m looking to get a second hand baby grand. I love the idea of it being all natural/wood but just the underside of the lid being a bright pop of colour when it’s propped up!

Ahh, yes I see. I hadn't thought about a coloured woodstain, only natural, but that could be a good option. I've not seen the protek make before, I'll have a good look. i think I will be doing under the lid a different colour too, thanks Senora!
Do you think I could replace the supports so they match each other with chamfered oak spindles, cut to size? Or is that piano sacrilege too?

Hi there, when you say supports do you mean legs? Some pianos don't have legs.
Moving a piano does not effect its tuning or render it untuneable - unless of course the piano is dropped and damaged. It the change in humidity and temperature in the different environment that causes the piano to loose tune.
Strip off as many panels as possible, including the small rail above the keys. The lid will also come out. You should be left with just the sides. Leave the panels to dry as much as possible before reassembling.
Enjoy - we know of a few painted pianos and they can look lovely.

Ok, I’ve added a photo I hope! It’s not been picked up yet so I can’t give much more detail. Does this help anyone with ideas?

Hopefully you can see the missing support or leg too