It takes a much shorter time for wood to absorb moisture than to release it. And if the piano has case part panels that are made of MDF or other particle boards the swelling will not be able to be repaired. Even if the piano is much newer than the pre WWII years the modern glues will not prevent the wood from swelling or rust from forming. Even if the water is only 5-6 inches above the floor, strings, tuning pins and screws will rust and wood will swell far beyond its original specs, causing extreme moment of joints. The soundboard will form compression ridges and the fibre of the wood is crushed so that upon drying out the wood will crack. A grand piano sitting in water for days on end, even if the water does not reach the bottom of the key bed will take on enormous moisture in the rim, soundboard, action and bridges. I actually do not agree that the damage is limited if the water does not reach the level of the keys. A piano removed from a flood and put into uncontrolled storage in Texas could easily be subjected to 140 degree temps in the sun.

A piano that has absorbed moisture and is exposed to heat is likely to have extensive damage to the hundreds of glue joints. It is noteworthy that the standard method of joint release in old pianos is heat and steam because of this. The melting point of that glue is 140 degrees. Old pianos made before WWII are assembled with hot hide glue. It became their primary recital instrument and led to more work with the university. Being a Steinway D, the low cost with which they acquired it, left them with immense room to restore the piano and still be well below the cost for any new or nearly new replacement instrument. The lid was still rough after refinishing, but that was an acceptable savings to the client over lid replacement. Once that was done, the restoration was normal with the added expense of new legs & pedal lyre. The piano spent 6 months in our shop, upside down, carefully repairing the laminated rim. After being pulled out of several inches of standing water and weeks of exposure, the piano was put in a storage area for a couple of years even before we started. A hole in the roof allowed the piano to be rained on and slightly flood.

We restored a Steinway concert grand for Auburn University that they acquired from a condemned building. Repairs on the most drastic level also benefit from waiting, letting the core sit, dry slowly and experience at least 1 year of seasonal changes to expose any hidden weaknesses. If a client holds sentimental value over and above the insured value, then the structural limits of what can be done goes a bit higher.Īnother problem is time. Almost everything must be evaluated on a case by case basis, but the dollars make the final determination. We've restored numerous pianos that survived floods, fires, animals, insects, etc. Make no mistake, there are some pianos that continue to work, almost miraculously, even after such an event, but the long term performance will always be a question mark. the repair cost, but once the keys get wet, you've usually exceeded the value even in valuable instruments. There are still likely questions about the value vs. The cost for major restoration exceeds the market value, and often the framework is structurally compromised to the point that any moderate level of repair work could not be warranted.įor a grand piano, a critical point is when the flood waters reach the height of the keys. The song became also considerably popular in the meme community after it got used in several videos depicting funny accidents using the song to make them seem more tragic for comedic purposes.If it is an upright piano, almost any level of flooding will be a total loss.

For the damaged coda virtual piano