The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
  1. #1

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    Wife has a black baby grand that I've always wanted to refinish. It's pretty rough, but no major problems. Just overall dull and speckled, small nicks and worn edges. Retiring from my day career this week, so I'm starting to think about tackling it next year. Am I crazy because of how much work it will be? I don't expect it to come out perfect, just better than it is now. I came across this.

    ow to reffinish a black piano - Google Search
    Last edited by Woody Sound; 04-18-2023 at 09:00 PM.

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  3. #2

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    It's a ton of work and you'll need a spray gun to get a nice even lacquer surface.
    But if you have the time and patience....

  4. #3

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    Getting a professional quality finish will require equipment, knowledge, skill and experience you probably don't have. The simple checklist in that Google search sounds great -


    • Disassemble your piano.
    • Clean your instrument.
    • Cover the keys and soundboard.
    • Sand and/or strip your piano's surfaces.
    • Add a fresh coat of paint to give your piano new life. Refinish your piano with black lacquer for an elegant look.


    Start with #1. How far you have to go in disassembly depends on how thorough you want the job to be. Think of repainting a car. If all you want is a decent appearance from 50 feet away in dim light with doors, hood and trunk closed, mask off everything that's not black and go to the next step. But if you really want it to look good, you need to remove the innards so that the entire exposed black surface is accessible for refinishing. I'm surprised that they simply say to cover the keys and soundboard, since you really need to refinish the wood case inside and out if it's to look even close to professionally done.

    As for cleaning, sanding and stripping the surface, read up on proper auto body prep. This is the same situation - you need perfectly flat, smooth surfaces with no dust or other particulate matter on it. A black piano reflects a lot of light. You will see every irregularity, every ripple, every bulge, etc every time you look at it no matter how minor or slight it may seem before finishing it.

    "Add a fresh coat of paint" is just the first of many steps to getting a proper finish. First, you'll need to know how to apply the finish and you'll have to be able to do it very well. Spraying is an art - you can't just pop the tops off a few spray cans and end up with a gorgeous piano. Then you'll have to know how to sand it between coats. And you'll have to know how to finish sand, "cut" and polish the final coat.

    Can it be done well by a first timer? Yes it can - with a lot of reading and preparation, the right equipment, a spotless and dust-free area with controlled air flow in which to work, great patience, and a leprechaun on your shoulder for luck. You might want to read this article in the New York Times ("Thinking of Refinishing Your Piano? Don't.") for more of the same perspective.

  5. #4
    Thanks for the advice, I figured it would be quite daunting.