A beautiful finish takes much time and patience beginning with proper surface preparation and finishes with many light even coats of the proper finish that is sanded and rubbed out carefully between each coat.
Refinishing means restoring, improving or altering the external finish and appearance of the piano. Many people think that this means simply stripping off the old finish and painting on a new one and some people attempt to tackle this formidable task themselves. While this may be fine for a table or dresser but this approach can actually cause the value of the piano to DECREASE. We've seen several people realize that they bit off more than they could chew and end up bringing the piano to the shop to "fix". Pianos have many parts and to refinish the piano properly it should be disassembled and each piece gets refinished individually and then the piano needs to be reassembled.
The finish needs to be removed carefully. The chemicals used for this are dangerous. Not only do they have the potential to permanently damage parts of the piano if they get on the wrong parts but great care needs to be taken to avoid injury from exposure to these chemicals. professional refinishers wear protective clothing, gloves, goggles, and respirators during this phase of the job. Proper ventilation is also vitally important to avoid buildup of the fumes which are flammable.
The application of the finish is tricky. Even an experienced finisher can run into difficulties. contaminants in the finishing materials or on the surface of the wood, over or under applying, runs are some of the most common problems.
