The ebony finish on my 25 year old Baldwin Baby grand has been damaged by a leaky skylight. The piano is in great shape otherwise, and I have a bid to have it restored for $6700. Does that seem reasonable? Or is that more than the piano is worth.

It depends on where you are. I would get another bid. Is this covered by insurance? If so, do they have any suggestions.

I think you should ask yourself what piano you could get for whatever the refinishing cost is. If you prefer your Baldwin then it makes sense to refinish the Baldwin.

Having been involved in many repairs caused by water damage, I think you are lucky that the piano needs only simple refinishing. In fact, I would seek a piano technician that also does refinishing for a second opinion, particularly if you are dealing with insurance. Once you settle a claim it is difficult to obtain more compensation if something turns up later.

Would you like a recommendation?

Good luck!

Cabinet repairs can be done by furniture repair shops as there is no special requirement to use a piano shop to complete what are essentially furniture (cabinet) repairs.

$1000 per foot has been a ballpark number for many years. It would not surprise me if it has gone up. Water damage can be many things. If water has penetrated into the wood and the veneer on the lid is lifting, there can be real repair work needed.

$1,000 a foot has been the price for over 10 years. Due to the U.S. economy and the slower demand for piano refinishing that price has stayed constant. Even though the cost of running a shop have gone up. $1,000 a foot is for a grain filled hand rubbed finish like a factory job. Not the open grain lumpy finish I see so often.

And yes it has gone up, at least in my shop it has. We raised our price per foot 2 months ago.

Most cabinet shops who try their hand at piano finishing are ill equipped for the proper grain filling techniques, rubber button installation, and proper skills at dis-assembly. The result will be a piano that "looks" refinished. You should get someone who refinishes pianos regularly if you want it to look like new.

The last ebony finish I did for that kind of pricing was 2002.




Rubber desk buttons and knobs can be found in a variety of places along with instruction on how to install if required.

The same goes for finishing technique and disassembly or reassembly.

Contracting a piano shop for refinishing is no guarantee of anything as can be read in this thread.

Steinway London

Please notice I did say "most" cabinet shops! I stand by my advice.