Painted Piano

This week I decided to pull the plug on my on again off again fantasy that we'll raise musically inclined kids. I offered our piano to whoever would pay the cost of moving it and had quite a few people respond. Several people said they wanted it because it's pretty. I got the impression there are a lot of ugly pianos out there that people might like to change. So I decided to write this post as an encouragement that almost anything can be painted. If you don't like something, what do you have to lose?


The back story: We were given this piano for free by a neighbor that was moving. I wasn't blogging at the time, so it never crossed my mind to take any pictures. But if you can imagine a very large, dark wood, slightly beat up (and dare I say homely?) upright piano, you've got a pretty clear mental image.

The only problem was that I couldn't live with its wooden color. I felt like it sucked the light right out of the room and I knew I'd never change my mind. So I started painting it that very afternoon. Here's what I used...

Zinsser Bulls Eye 123 Primer. This primer doesn't require sanding and it's water based so you can work with it right in your home.

Benjamin Moore's Winterwood paint. To avoid impacting the way it played, I didn't paint the wood around the keys.


Valspar's Mocha Translucent Glaze. I applied this with a brush and then rubbed it off with an old tshirt.



I think this treatment really freshened this piece up, giving it a lot of character and charm. Obviously, not every piano is a candidate for a makeover. Some are too gorgeous to touch with paint. But if yours is an eyesore, know that you can give it a new look!

Do you have a piano needing some help in the looks department? What's the most surprising thing you've ever painted?



21 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness! THIS IS BEAUTIFUL! I have an upright piano that I have been meaning to paint. This exact style would look amazing in my house. We have hard floors throughout the house and a white painted piano would bring something special to the overall atmosphere. Thank you so much for sharing. I will be saving this post to use as a reference later. :D

    Also-- raising musically inclined kids is easy! I used to think that I had to put my kids in piano lessons and give them a strict (scheduled) music introduction at a young age. BUT it doesn't have to be that way. My children are 1 and 3 years old. We stick to casual and stress-free music. We sing pretty much all day, everyday. I will bring out the microphone and we do Disney karaoke. I let them play on the piano for fun. I haven't taught them anything so it's just for discovery and they like it. Essentially, I am adding as much music to their lives as possible without formal lessons. I'd like to do music lessons with them but I don't think I could personally handle the added stress of that right now. :)

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    1. I'm glad you'll be able to try this out! It sounds like your piano is one that will look great with a makeover. I'd love to see a before and after picture!

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  2. This is beautiful! What a good way to breath new life into an older piece!

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  3. I can picture what it must have looked like before. We had one growing up. But it's beautiful what you did with it.

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    1. We had one very similar when I was growing up too. I think they must be pretty popular! I'm glad you like the change!

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  4. Wow! So pretty! We have a very well loved piano that my four daughters play daily and my oldest just started offering piano lessons. I wonder...it would look so pretty painted.

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  5. I never would have had the courage to paint a piano, but as you say: if you don't like it, what have you got to lose? Turned out beautifully!

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  6. I have an eyesore of a piano, but I never considered painting it! I know it's not a valuable piano, so painting it wouldn't decrease it's value. But it's a medium brown wood - I hate it. Maybe I will paint it black...now you've got me thinking.

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  7. What a great idea. Our piano isn't the most attractive either, and I love how yours turned out. My son is still holding out hope for a grand piano, but he's going to have to buy that for himself someday!

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  8. I love it, Marie! What a great idea! Now, you have me thinking.......hmmmm..

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  9. This is gorgeous! So well done!

    I have an old piano that I inherited from my grandmother but quite frankly I think my mom would die if I painted it.

    Well done though Marie! What an ambitious project.

    Thanks for sharing and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop.
    xoxo

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  10. That's beautiful!! So many times you see ones that are just old looking...now you can make it new again!! Ours is a 1918 piano, so the scratches actually mean a bit more! :)

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  11. I love this - and I never ever thought about painting our old upright. What kind of paint did you use?
    And thanks for linking up with Tuesday Talk!
    Sarah (co-host)
    www.sarahefrazer.com

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