Hi,

My family owns a little workshop where we do some restoration of old furniture etc and I am restoring and old piano...

Now we have a client that says that wants to refinish and restore the ivories, Weknow how to do it good enough to offer our services but we don't know what is the aproximate cost of this work.

The piano is an old Erard upright pianino from 1850 wich isn't a very big uprigt, this is the list of things that we want to do:

1. Removing old "French Polish".
2. Refinishing with varnice (No French Polish).
3. Restoring the ivory keys (Sanding+Sunlight+Polishing).
4. Restoring the metal ornaments+pedals.
5. Removing woodworm.

What would be the aproximate price for all this job? We want to
do this job for aproximate 2600 $ (2000 €).Is it ok?

Thank you very much,

a photo of the instrument:

Rather than ask for prices here on the forum, it would be better for you to investigate prices in your area. That will give you a more accurate reflection of your competitor’s charges for the same kind of work.

Well, I'm trying to pick more information as possible, investigate the prices in my area is something that I will do in the next days!

Hi Lluis

Those prices would be too low for here in my location.

But I live in the second most expensive city in the world to buy real estate. (Hong Kong #1, Vancouver, Canada #2.)

To refinish an instrument of this size, bench included, would be around the 4k mark. That includes the name board decal, all felt trims, desk buttons, and pedals re-plated in either nickel or chromium.

Then the ivories about $400.00 Depending upon how yellowed they are and how many applications of peroxide are required. With obsolete products such as ivory I usually do not quote a fee; when the job is satisfactorily completed then I add up the hours and costs. Because there are so many different cuts of ivory it is difficult to tell how they will come up with the standard dressing. Some ivory cuts and grains react to the whitening process better than others.

Now for technician in another area of the country, or in a rural town, the prices would be different again.

I would base your pricing for refinishing the same as you are doing the furniture; so much per square foot, with the pricing competitive in your area of Spain.

Good luck with the job.

Keep in mind for piano work there is always someone who will do it cheaper. The industry is rife with schlock artists. Better to save your money until you can afford a good quality job.

I think Dan Silverwood's basic estimate is reasonable, and prices are similar in my area (an hour south of Seattle.)

The main consideration is finding a tradesman you can really trust. This will mean doing your homework and looking for credible referrals. Take your time, see examples of the technicians work, and you will most likely have a great experience.

Lastly, make sure the piano is worth spending money on. From the picture, it looks outstanding for its age, but we have no idea what kind of condition the action is in. I always encourage people to restore pianos from the inside out if they are wanting to do it in stages. It is always a disappointment to find a beautiful looking piano that plays poorly. I would much prefer an old finish on a piano that plays well.

Ry, Luis is asking how much he should charge his client, he is not asking about a quote he was given.

Luis, the price should be composed of your material cost, the estimated number of hours you expect to do the work X your hourly charge, plus any optional profit on top of that which you think is reasonable.

How many hours will this work take? Is your work worth 8 Euros or 35 Euros per hour?

Its a surprise for me that here in Spain the prices are more or less the same!! Thank you for your replies!