How To Paint a Piano in 3 Easy Steps

Have you ever wondered how to paint an old piano?

It’s a divisive topic, that’s for sure! Die-hard music lovers would argue that it’s sacrilege to paint a piano, but I would disagree.

And here’s why…

Is It OK to Paint a Piano?

We were lucky enough to be given a piano by a friend who didn’t use hers any longer. That said — even though she’d given it away — it was a much-loved instrument that had given her and her family many years of pleasure.

Painting the piano certainly wasn’t a decision I took lightly!! I agonised over it for weeks.

I certainly didn’t hate it, in its original state. But in a house full of oak beams and doors, a big, orange wood piece of furniture stuck out like a sore thumb.

Plus, the living room it sits in is quite dark too, and the piano sucked every ounce of light away from the walls.

I even put a poll on Instagram, asking what other people thought.

The overriding response was no!

The majority of people thought that it would ruin the look of the piano. Lots of people said it would ruin the sound.

And some even said it would devalue it.

But, try as I might, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I really wanted to paint the piano; but absolutely didn’t want to risk ruining it.

It felt a real sense of responsibility to my lovely friend, who’d been generous enough to gift us with her beloved piano.

If I painted it, and it had all gone wrong, I would have felt terrible.

But I did paint it! And it was a triumph!

In fact, it’s something I’m really proud of.

So I’m here to dispel all of those myths! If you’d like to know how to paint a piano, keep reading.

Can You Paint a Piano With Regular Paint?

I guess the question here should be, what is classed as regular paint?! If you treasure an instrument, I’d say that regular emulsion would be a bad option.

However, regular undercoat followed by —either — gloss or eggshell would work well. And if you were experienced, you could even spray — rather than brush — the paint onto the surface of the piano.

How Do You Paint a Piano Without Sanding Or Priming?

This is the million dollar question. There are lots of different paint that you can use, that don’t require sanding before you use them.

Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint for one. I’ve used this on furniture before and it definitely doesn’t require sanding. However, unless you were after a shabby chic look, I’d probably advise against this option unless you finished off with a clear wax.

There are other brands that claim to work; French Chic, Rust-Oleum, Retique It, Autentico — to name a few.

What Kind of Paint Do You Use to Paint a Piano?

So, what did I use to paint our piano in the end?

I used my old faithful — tried and tested — Zinsser AllCoat — Colour Match from Decorating Centre Online. Not an AD — I just rate it.

I went for a matt finish and had it matched to one of my favourite Farrow and Ball shades.

The paint itself has a fantastic finish. It’s self-priming, which means there’s no need to sand and undercoat first.

Although, to ensure a really long-lasting finish, and because I wanted my paint to stick to the glossy varnished wood, I did give the entire surface of our piano a light sanding with medium grit sand paper.

The main thing is to spend time masking off all the areas that you don’t want to paint.

I used my trusty magic blue masking tape for this.

Although it’s classed as automotive tape, I use it on everything!! It’s the best way to mask any kind of painting job. It gives a really clean, crisp finish.

Piano Makeover Tutorial: How To Paint a Piano Without Priming

Materials

• Zinsser Colour Match paint
• Medium grade/grit sandpaper
• Painter’s tape (I always use blue automotive masking tape because it’s brilliant!)
• Old newspaper

Tools

• Paintbrush
• Roller

Instructions

1. Mask anything that you don’t want to paint. I masked pedals, keys, and even hinges and brackets. 
2. Lightly sand the areas that you plan to paint, using a circular motion. 
   
   This isn’t 100% necessary with the Zinsser Colour Match but if you want to ensure your paint adheres really well and gives a long-lasting finish, it’s definitely worth spending the time doing this.
   
   Word of warning — don’t use a sander. Go gently, by hand.
   
   Then make sure you remove all of the sanding dust afterward. You can get the excess off using lint free cloth or dry rag.
3. Start painting! I gave our piano two coats of paint. Once you’re happy with the finish and the paint is dry, remove the masking tape.

Does Painting a Piano Devalue It?

I suspect, if you were painting a Steinway or a Petrof piano, then yes, it absolutely would.

But the majority of old upright pianos don’t have a great financial value and aren’t particularly saleable. You can look on Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace and eBay, to see lots and lots of old pianos being given away for free.

Friends have even said to me that they’d love a white piano but can never find them in the classifieds.

So surely by painting a piano, in some cases it makes it more desirable. Which adds to the value, rather than detracts from it.

Will Painting a Piano Ruin The Sound?

Again, as above.

Our piano tuner said: ‘if it’s a concert grade piano — yes — possibly.’

But it’s unlikely that the acoustics of an old upright are going to be seriously affected by painting the exterior. If you got paint on the sound board or on (or between) the piano keys, then possibly.

I’ve spoken to a couple of other piano tuners who have said it’s unlikely that the untrained ear would notice too much difference with a piano similar to ours.

Here’s How To Paint a Piano in 3 Easy Steps

So do I regret it?

Absolutely not! I’m absolutely thrilled with how our beautiful piano looks now.

If painting a piano to give it a new look — and a new lease of life — is possible, personally, I think this DIY project is worth doing.

It was relatively quick to do. The thing that took the longest time was the masking off. But the painting itself was done over a weekend.

The piano really feels like it’s ours too now — it looks beautiful in the room it lives in. And — best of all — my little boy is learning to play. He’s taken to it like a duck to water and is studying for his Grade 2 exam, so as well as looking beautiful, the piano is finally getting some proper use too!