Piano Care & Climate
Humidity, placement, cleaning and the Ontario seasons — the care that makes every tuning last longer.
How Much Does a Piano Weigh?
Spinet 135 kg, upright 180–300 kg, baby grand 250–350 kg, concert grand 450–600 kg — with pounds, common models, and what the weight means for moving, floors, and stairs.
Piano Care & ClimateHow to Make a Piano Quieter: What Actually Works
Too loud for the room, the neighbours, or the baby's nap? Every real option ranked — room treatment, lid and placement, the practice mute, voicing, silent systems, and a digital for late nights.
Piano Care & ClimateHow to Clean and Polish a Piano's Finish Without Ruining It
Polyester vs lacquer vs satin — each cleans differently, and furniture polish damages all of them. Dusting, fingerprints, scratches, water rings, and whether to cover the piano. A technician's guide.
Piano Care & ClimateWhy Your Piano Smells Musty — and How to Fix It
That old-piano smell is damp history: mould in felt, mildew on wood, dust in the action. What causes it, what actually clears it (and what doesn't), and when a musty piano is a warning sign.
Piano Care & ClimateField NotesField Notes: Planning a Piano Room in a Seaton or Audley New Build
Building or finishing a home in Pickering or Ajax? Decide the piano's spot before the drywall: vents, glass, electrical for a humidifier, flooring. What to tell the builder — from tuning the pianos that arrived after.
Piano Care & ClimateProtecting Your Piano During a Renovation or Painting Job
Drywall dust, paint fumes, humidity swings and careless movers do more damage than most owners expect. A technician's checklist for renovating around a piano — and the tuning after.
Piano Care & ClimateField NotesField Notes: The Kingsway's Fine Old Pianos
Caring for a heritage instrument — the 60- to 100-year-old grands and uprights of the Kingsway, Humber Valley and Sunnylea: what ages well, what to watch, and what "restoration" should and shouldn't mean.
Piano Care & ClimateField NotesField Notes: Why Port Credit Pianos Drift Differently Than Erin Mills Pianos
The same piano behaves differently by the lake and inland. What Lake Ontario does to pianos in Port Credit, Lorne Park and Clarkson vs. the dry subdivisions of Erin Mills and Meadowvale — and how to care for each.
Piano Care & ClimateField NotesField Notes: Pianos and Neighbours in Toronto's Semis and Towers
What actually reduces piano sound through a shared wall or floor — and what doesn't. Notes from tuning in Leslieville semis, Annex duplexes, and Harbourfront towers, with the honest physics.
Piano Care & ClimateThe Best Humidifier for a Piano Room: What to Buy and Why
Evaporative beats ultrasonic for pianos, size it to the room's volume, and target 40–50% on a hygrometer. A technician's no-brand buying guide for Ontario winters.
Piano Care & ClimateSummer Piano Care in Ontario: The Season Nobody Warns You About
Winter dries a piano; summer swells it. Why keys stick and pitch drifts sharp in July, the 60% line, air conditioning vs dehumidifiers, and the vacation mistake to avoid.
Piano Care & ClimateCan My Floor Support a Piano? Weight, Upstairs Rooms, and Condos
Pianos weigh 200–500 kg but your floor almost certainly holds one — here's why, what to check for old houses and second floors, and how to protect hardwood.
Piano Care & ClimateGrand vs Upright: How Their Care Actually Differs
Same strings, different animal: how grands and uprights differ in tuning stability, action wear, humidity exposure, placement, and what each needs from its owner.
Piano Care & ClimateHow to Clean Piano Keys — Plastic and Ivory — Without Hurting Them
Clean piano keys with a barely-damp cloth and mild soap — never sprays or bleach. How to tell ivory from plastic, treat yellowing, and what to leave alone.
Piano Care & ClimateAre Piano Humidity Control Systems Worth It? The Dampp-Chaser Question
An in-piano humidity system costs several hundred dollars installed. Who genuinely benefits, who's fine with a room humidifier, and the maintenance nobody mentions.
Piano Care & ClimateCan a Piano Survive a Garage, Basement, or Cottage?
Garage: no. Cottage: seasonal roulette. Basement: measure first. What unconditioned spaces actually do to a piano, and how to store one properly instead.
Piano Care & ClimateHow Long Does a Piano Last? Lifespan by Type and Care
A well-cared-for piano lasts 60–100 years; a neglected one fades in 30. What actually ages a piano, the parts that wear, and how to read an old piano's health.
Piano Care & ClimatePreparing Your Piano for a Canadian Winter
Winter is the hardest season on a piano — furnace air, not cold, does the damage. A five-step November routine that protects tuning, soundboard and keys.
Piano Care & ClimateThe Best Humidity Level for a Piano in Ontario — and How to Keep It
Pianos are happiest at 40–50% relative humidity — a range Ontario homes leave twice a year. How to measure it, control it, and whether a Dampp-Chaser is worth it.
Piano Care & ClimateWhere to Put a Piano in Your Home — and Where Never To
The best spot for a piano: an interior wall, away from vents, sun and doors. A technician's guide to placement in Toronto houses and condos.
Piano Care & ClimateA Piano in a Toronto Condo: What Owners Should Know
Yes, you can have a real piano in a condo — neighbours, bylaws, moving, placement and practice hours, from a technician who tunes them across Toronto weekly.
Piano Care & ClimateCaring for Your Piano Between Tunings
A few simple habits — placement, humidity, cleaning — that protect your piano and help every tuning last longer.
Piano Care & ClimateWhy Toronto's Weather Is Hard on Your Piano
The biggest threat to keeping your piano in tune isn't how often you play — it's the air inside your home.
No guides match — try ‘humidity’ or ‘pitch raise’.