Services - Piano Finish Care

What's the easiest finish to care for? Every piano sold today can easily be cleaned. That said, there are distinct difference between the finishes and there are some things you should know.

1. High Polish Pianos: Shiny or Polished pianos with mirror-like finishes will show dust the easiest. Shiny black pianos are notorious for being dusty again just hours after you dust them. The highly reflective surface shows every single spec of dust, but is very easy to clean. Finger prints will also show fairly easy, but again, clean up is simple with a spray and micro-fiber towel. A swifter duster can also be used to collect dust vs. just pushing it around. You can purchase special cleaner for high polished pianos.
2. Satin Black Pianos don't show dust nearly as easily but require a bit more effort to clean. Because satin finishes are rubbed finishes, the detail of the finish is actually created by thousands of little uniform scratches. Any fingerprints or other substance that gets into the finish will require more rubbing on your part to clean. There are also special cleaners for satin finishes which make this much easier. When rubbing a satin finished piano, you should always rub in straight lines with the grain of the finish.
3. Wood Grain Finishes tend to not show dust or finger prints very easy. They're also the easiest to hide a small scratch on because the scratch can often be disguised as a grain line. Wood grain pianos look more like other furniture in your home versus a centerpiece in a room that draws attention to it. That said, black pianos account for well over 90% of all pianos sold today.

Can a scratched or chip in the finish of my piano be fixed? Yes, all finishes can be repaired. The harder the original finish, the tougher the repair but even high polished pianos can be touched up. As with cleaning, wood grain pianos are the easiest to repair because the repair can easily be disguised as part of the wood. Satin pianos must be filled in and rubbed out to match. High polished pianos can be buffed to remove scratches and larger chips can be filled in and fine sanded to bring back the shine.

Should I use furniture polish on my piano? This is one of the biggest mistakes people do with their pianos. The finishes of modern pianos often react poorly with furniture polish. Worst case scenario is a chemical reaction that discolors the finish. Best case scenario, the wax in furniture polish builds up on the piano and dulls the original beauty. Here are some simple cleaning instructions:

How to Clean Your Piano:

1. Use a swifter duster to remove dust from the cabinet parts
2. Use a clean micro-fiber towel, never a towel or rag that might scratch or have dirt on it
3. Use an appropriate cleaner for your finish to remove fingerprints and other marks
4. Always rub satin finishes in straight lines in the direction of the rub marks
5. Polished pianos can be rubbed in any direction but make sure the towel is free of debris
6. The insides can be carefully cleaned with the swifter or dry towel
7. Dust under the strings can be blown to the edge or ask your technician for help
8. On a grand piano, never touch the strings with your fingers
9. On a grand piano, be very careful of the dampers as they can be easily bent.

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