Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum How much to paint a studio piano flat/satin black

Hello,

How much does it cost to paint a studio piano (say a baldwin 243) a flat/matte/satin black?

It depends on how well you want it done.

Probably also depends where you are. I could get one done in Chengdu for a couple of hundred dollars.

Thanks, I'm in Los Angeles btw. $200 is reasonable, not sure where I'd go for this though?

As BDB said, "It depends on how well you want it done." $200 in LA guarantees you won't like it.

Maybe he would like it, but few others would!

Can you hire a piano mover in LA for $200.00 ?

May I ask, "Why?"

As finishes, I understand "matte" or "satin," but I don't really understand flat for use on a piano, unless, perhaps, it is meant for, say, use in a theater to hide the piano so that light does not reflect off of the surface.

Anyway, the terms "painted" and the selection of finishes is what piqued my curiosity. I have seen some truly awful paint jobs on pianos that caused me to wonder, "What in the world were they thinking?!?" These jobs were not properly "finished." (Or, properly started, methinks...)

--Andy

One of the very first refinishing jobs I got, lo those many years ago, was a Baldwin grand circa 1930's which had been repainted every time the owner had changed the color of the living room. I found all sorts of ... unique colors as I stripped away the accumulated paint.

As to the OP question. Do you mean to use some type of house paint? lacquer?

For $200 you should plan on going down to the local paint store and buying a gallon and putting it on yourself, but if you are not very careful you will do the following:

1) paint the cabinet shut
2) get paint all over the keys
3) get paint between the keys
4) get paint on the strings
5) get paint on the action
6) ... you get the point

Anyone of the above could pretty much mean the end of the piano for any musical purpose.

It would be helpful if you would elaborate on WHY you want to do such a thing and/or plan on spending a whole lot more money.

I’ve tried my hand at a little exterior refinishing on pianos… I’d rather be tuning or regulating the action!

Refinishing is hard, dirty, dusty work. It is time consuming and tedious work. However, the results can be nice… a big improvement over what you started with. The biggest thing is getting the surface prepped… if there are flaws or blemishes on the finish that is to be refinished, the flaws and blemishes with show up in the refinishing.

Of course, it is nice to have a nice finish on a piano… most folks look at it more than they play it.

Rick

$200 in China is likely going to cost about $800 or more here.

If you start off with something like this.






And expect something like this.






Grain filled, satin ebony, hand rubbed like a new piano expect to pay $4,000 to $5,000

Thanks. I know there are different kinds of black that vary in price, from hand rubbed, to semi-gloss, to flat or satin. I was thinking something like this: take a natural wood Baldwin upright and make it a nice satin black (see pic). I'm a visual artist too so color is very important to me.

Sorry for not being specific, but hopefully that explains it a little better?

Thanks, I appreciate you guys and your knowledge.

John, please keep in mind that there is a very big difference between "painting" and "refinishing."

A truly fine job, as presented by Rod, is an expensive proposition. Heed his estimate.

Since you are a visual artist, why not create something which pleases you?

Since you haven't yet bought a piano, if getting that color is very important to you I'd restrict my search to the color you are looking for. Then you could put the money that you would have spent on refinishing into your piano budget. Problem with satin is that I've seen that finish in more grand pianos than uprights, so if a gloss black upright is out of the question, it may take a while to find. Also it seems used satin black finishes tend to get more marked up than gloss.

I've refinished a piano back to its original finish. It is a lot of work and time, and I imagine would cost a lot if hired out and done properly.

That could get you a visit from the Oak Police, and most likely "blacklisted" by the "Natural Wood Grain Appreciation Society."

Seriously, you could not "paint" that natural finish piano and expect it to look like the ebony finish without A LOT of work (an a ton of sanding sealer, and even then...) Or, perhaps you want to see that pronounced grain under an ebony finish?

Obviously, I am still confused by the original question.

--Andy

When I watch all those "Play Me" videos and the amazing finishes I wish I had one of those pianos at home...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0gzazyaYYQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yS5MhaA2Vo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX5QNYJJ8Dc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWC69SDTQso

... hopefully with all the keys working, that is. Maybe not a proper restoration work... but well, I quite like them!

Good advice, I agree may be best to find a black one off the bat, so as to forego the whole paint job altogether. Satin black is my fave, but I guess I wouldn't be against any type of black, so long as its not natural wood color (aesthetically not my thing

The piano in the left photo is open grain oak, the case would need sanded to break the factory glaze but we use glazing filler if we are using a solid color like black. You would need a really big industrial air sander like a Hutchins Hustler to get all the larger areas flattened out in a reasonable amount of time, like before Jimmy Hoffa goes to his high-school reunion.

The reality of refinishing work and costs is going to depend on what EPA regulations the shop you choose has to endure. I would think California would be a nightmare on over-regulation. Equipment costs, material costs are all going up. Paint booth certifications, paint booth filters that cost as much as a mortgage and then there is knowledge of doing the job.

The average studio piano takes about 36 to 40 hours to do right, It is stripped down, masked a couple times, sanded, filled, re-sanded, primed. Satin or Flat black is merciless to get right. You cannot take a break or the individual parts will not match and you do not want to have to change from one can of paint to another in the same session. It is nothing to spend maybe 6 consecutive hours in my booth painting parts. It is also more of a problem child with blushing when humidity rises above 63%.

The other thing is when painting a piano use Lacquer over acrylic enamel. Any enamel based products will not be finger-print proof when dry and will be easily smudged.

Thanks for that. Btw, I just came across a piano store online that use Annie Sloan chalk paint to refinish pianos and let me tell you, they look AMAZING!
I'm considering buying one from them but I live in LA and they're in Tempe.

The cool thing is since it's a family biz, the husband is an amazing piano tech so he does all the internal work like tuning, voicing and making sure everything is perfect inside. Then the wife dies all the external work like refinishing and painting.

The pianos look so cool, I just love the satin and diffused / matte look and the colors are great, very tasteful. If I lived closer I'd go check one out but I still may consider buying one and having it shipped to LA, if I can hear some video and get a full rundown of the piano.