Ask the Piano Lady

Mary A. wrote: "I usually use regular furniture polish to shine up my piano. Is that doing any thing bad to it? And is there anything I can do to make the scratches less noticeable?"

Dear Mary A: Using a good quality furniture polish to shine up your piano will not affect the sound of your piano. Unlike violins, violas, cellos and double basses, the finish on the case of a piano imparts no acoustic properties. The piano's cabinet provides protection for all of the internal moving parts of the instrument. In fact, over the many years that I have been a piano technician, I have seen lots of different treatments for piano cases: pianos painted most colours of the rainbow; a piano that was completely covered in mirrors; pianos with plexiglas inserts; and - my personal fave - a piano that someone had painstakingly covered with "naugahyde" complete with carefully positioned matching tacks! None of these pianos suffered any sound-related deficits. As for masking minor scratches, you can obtain pigmented pens or wax sticks from most stores that sell wood and wood related stains and finishes. Just follow the directions on the tube. For deeper scratches or veneer damage you may want to ask your piano technician to recommend a furniture refinisher that is experienced with pianos. Some refinishers will even do in-home touch-ups. If you have a piano with a high polish (very, very shiny) finish you probably already know that it can get scratched just by looking at it. I would not recommend that anyone attempt any kind of scratch repair themselves on high polish finishes. Please ask your piano technician for a referral to someone who specializes in polyester finishes.