What to Put Under a Piano on Hardwood Floors?

So, finally, you’ve got your eyes on your dream heavy piano, but the thought of your expensive hardwood floor damage is giving you goosebumps. Then it’s crucial for you to know what to put under a Piano on a hardwood floor, which I’ll tell you in this article. 

To protect the floor from an upright piano, you can put caster cups, a thick rug, vinyl flooring, or laminate flooring under the Piano.

To learn more about the topic, make sure you make it to the end of this article. 

What If You Don’t Put Anything Under a Piano on Hardwood Floors?

When you don’t put anything under a Piano on hardwood floors, you may encounter the following issues:

• Scratches and Dents: The hardwood floors are shiny and smooth; if a heavy piano sits on them, it can easily scratch or dent them. If you move the piano a little, you’ll see a dent and a scratch on your floor, which doesn’t look good.
• Vibration Noise:  We all enjoy the soothing and refreshing sound of a Piano, but when it’s resting directly on the hardwood floor, its vibration transfers directly to the hardwood floors, which amplifies the sound and may disturb other family members.
• Floor Damage: Undoubtedly, hardwood floors are sturdy, but compared to concrete floors, they’re not so invincible. If your piano continues to rest on the floor, it may weaken the floor, resulting in cracks and even big damage sometimes. 
• Unevenness: Pianos can be heavy enough to cause the floor to become uneven over time. It can create an uneven surface for the piano and the entire room, making it difficult to place other furniture properly.
• Resale Value: We often have to resell our floors, especially when we’re shifting the house. So, when there are dents or scratches on your hardwood floors, you’ll get less value. 
• Aesthetics: If you have scratched or damaged floors, it won’t make your piano look great. Instead of being an eye-catcher, it might end up being an eyesore.
• Costly Repairs:  If your hardwood floor gets structural damage, replacing it will cost thousands of dollars. You’d never want to spend that much, right? 

Because of all these issues, you mustn’t let your Piano directly reside on your Hardwood floor. But now the question is, what to put under a piano on hardwood floors to protect it?

What To Put Under A Piano On Hardwood Floors?

There are many different coverings and floorings that you can put under the Piano on your hardwood floors. That will keep your Piano from directly touching the hardwood floors, preventing issues like cracks, scratches, dents or even structural damage to the hardwood floor. Let’s now talk about each covering of the Piano:

• Caster cups:  The best thing you can put under a Piano on the hardwood floor is caster cups. These are basically the square or round coverings that you place under your Piano’s wheels or legs. These coverings are made up of soft materials such as rubber or felt. They keep the Piano from touching your hardwood floor’s surface, preventing any type of damage. 
• Sliders: The sliders are just like Caster cups as they’re also the covering for your Piano that you put on the legs of your Piano to avoid any direct contact with the instrument or the floor. These are the type of discs made up of either felt, rubber or any other soft materials that don’t damage the floor. 
• Rugs: You can also put a rug, a piece of fabric that you put under your piano on your floor so that your Piano’s weight doesn’t directly sit on the floor.
• Carpet runners: Carpet runners are the best and quite cheap floorings for your hardwood floor. You can put them all over your hardwood floor or on the small part of the floor where you have to keep the Piano. They’ll protect the floor from any indentations or cracks. 
• Vinyl flooring: Vinyl is durable, affordable, and doesn’t scratch or dent. The installation and maintenance are also pretty easy.
• Laminate flooring: Laminate flooring is another durable and affordable option resistant to scratches, scuffs, and dents. Installing and maintaining it is also pretty easy.
• Plastic sheet: Putting a plastic sheet if you don’t have anything mentioned above can also be a good option to keep your floor safe. You can simply cut a piece of a plastic sheet to the size of your Piano and then put it under it. It works the same way as the above-mentioned things to protect your floor.

These are all the best coverings and floorings you can put under your Piano to avoid damaging your hardwood floors. But now the question is, how do you put any covering or flooring under your Piano? We’re going to learn that now.

How To Put Covering or Flooring Under Hardwood Floors?

Coverings are made up of soft materials placed under your piano legs or wheels, so they don’t touch the ground. They’re not placed on the floor. On the contrary, floorings are the pieces of fabric placed on your floors, on the small part where you have to keep the Piano or the overall floor. That’s why we will learn how to put covering or flooring under the Piano to protect the hardwood floors individually. 

Putting Coverings Under a Piano:

If you want to put any covering like a caster cup, a rug, or sliders, then you can put that under your piano by following the below-mentioned steps.

• Choose what cover you must put, whether a caster cup, felt pads or furniture sliders, depending on what suits your piano the best.
• Measure the dimensions of the piano legs or wheels accurately to ensure a proper fit for the chosen coverings.
• Clear the legs of the piano with a piece of cloth or any towel to ensure that it doesn’t have any debris or dirt on it. 
• Then, gently place the Caster cups under the wheels or legs of the Piano. Attach them securely to the bottom of each leg or wheel if using felt pads or furniture sliders.
• Test the stability of the covers by putting some weight on them. Ensure they give the piano a good base without damaging the floor.

Putting Flooring On A Hardwood Floor Under A Piano:

If you want to put flooring on your hardwood under your piano, then the below-mentioned steps will help you do that.

• Select a suitable area rug or piano mat that fits the dimensions of the space under the piano.
• If you want to put it under the piano, measure the piano size accurately, or measure the whole room if you want it under the piano.
• After measuring the size, clean the area throughout, removing debris, dust, or other dirt.
• Under the piano, place an area rug or piano mat, making sure it covers the entire area where the Piano stands.
• Place the rug or mat under the piano snugly. Make sure it doesn’t slide around.
• It should provide a stable surface for the piano if you put some weight on the rug or mat.

Following these tips, you can put any covering or flooring under your Piano. Now, let’s talk about how we can move a Piano safely on the hardwood floors without scratching.

How To Move A Piano On A Hardwood Floor Without Scratching It?

Usually, when you try to move your piano on your hardwood floor, it leaves a lot of scratches on the floor. So, what’s the safest way to move a piano on a hardwood floor without scratching it?

• Start by closing the Piano lid and locking it if necessary.
• Cover the area around the piano with moving pads or blankets to prevent scratches.
• If you have one, you can use a Piano-moving dolly to lift the piano. If not, lift carefully; you don’t want to strain your back.
• Roll the piano to its new spot if you’re using a dolly. It’s as easy as that. But if you’re moving it by hand, slide it gently across the floor. Watch out for walls and furniture so that they may not get damaged.
• Once your Piano is where it needs to be, gently place it on the floor. Also, remember to remove those pads or blankets from underneath the piano. 

That’s how you can easily move the Piano on a hardwood floor without scratching it. Let me answer a few of your frequently asked questions about the topic. 

FAQS(Frequently Asked Questions)

How do you protect a wood floor under a Piano?

You can protect a wood floor under a Piano by using Piano coverings like a Caster cup or furniture sliders or any flooring like a Plastic sheet, rug, carpet runner or Vinyl flooring. 

What do you put under a Piano to protect the floor?

You can put caster cups or a thick rug under the Piano to protect the floor from the piano.

What do you put under an upright piano?

You can put a caster cup under an upright Piano to avoid its weight damaging your floor. 

Final Words

What to put under a Piano on hardwood floors? You can put different Piano coverings like Caster cups or furniture sliders. Also, you can put flooring on your hardwood floor under your Piano, including Plastic sheets, carpet runners, laminate flooring or Vinyl flooring. Both of these things will help you protect your hardwood floor from the damaging weight of a Piano.