Have you ever painted a piano? Me either!!! But I painted ours and the result is amazing. I love it!
Does your piano need a makeover too? Mine was not in the best shape so I decided to paint the piano.
And I know what you’re thinking.
What? Is she crazy?
But hear me out.
The finish on our piano was really dark and pretty damaged. There were knicks and scratches all over it.
It was missing a few pieces, the sheet music rack is broken and it was just time to do something about it.
Our piano is located in my living room with my dark brown leather couches. Because the sofas are so dark, the piano looked too heavy for the space.
Given the damage it accumulated through the years, I started researching how to paint the piano.
Before painting the piano, the room felt very heavy with both the dark leather couches and piano.
I searched for what type of paint for the piano I should use.
Most inspo showed chalk painted pianos. And I seriously considered using that.
But I decided to try Fusion Mineral Paint because it’s suppose to be even easier than chalk paint.
Say what?
It’s true! Fusion Mineral Paint does not need a piece to be pre-sanded AND it has a top coat built in.
How cool is that?
Ideally, I prefer to try new techniques on smaller projects, but decided to go all in on the piano.
I mean I have experience painting furniture and other types of home decor.
My kitchen looked pretty amazing after I applied chalk paint to the cabinets.
I used chalk paint on some old picture frames to make jazz up an empty space with a vintage botanical print gallery wall.
Two of my favorite chalk paint projects are when I painted the fabric on this antique bench and this vintage chair.
And I even repurposed this old vintage framed art.
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Before I applied paint to the piano.
Supplies Needed to Paint a Piano
Whether you paint piano with chalk paint or fusion mineral paint, it is a personal preference. Both work options work really well and minimize the amount of work needed to complete the job.
- Chalk Paint or Fusion Mineral Paint (I used the color Raw Silk)
- Paint Brush
- Painter’s Tape (to tape off any areas you want to avoid painting
- Finishing Wax (if you refinish with Chalk Paint)
- Sanding Block
- Dry rag to wipe down after sanding
- Wax brush or old sock to apply wax
- Piece of cardboard to help paint around the keys.
- Drop cloth
- Antique Glaze to help age the piece (if desired)
How to Paint a Piano
- Remove all hardware if you don’t want to get paint on them.
- Lift bench off the ground to make it easier to paint the legs. I set mine on paint cans that are the same size.
- Lightly sand the surface to scuff it up.
- Wipe down whole piece to clean it up with dry rag.
- Start painting! Allow the piece to dry in between coats. Since my piano has such a dark finish, I needed to use three coats of Fusion Mineral Paint.
- When piece is dry, open it up to expose the keys. Lightly sand down any areas or drip marks. Then finish painting. I used a piece of corrugated cardboard paper that I had laying around to help paint around the keys.
- Allow to dry for a few days. Then lightly sand the edges to give it a distressed look.
- Clean the surface with a dry rag or cloth.
- Then use a damp cloth or damp brush to lightly apply the glaze and wipe off to give it an aged appearance.
- Allow to dry.
- If you finish the piano with chalk paint, use a finishing wax to seal it.
Use a sanding block to lightly scuff up the surface. I did not put a lot of effort into this.
All Sanded!
Lift the bench up off the floor with something like paint cans. Since it is raised, it will be easier to work with and easier to paint the lower legs.
First coat of Fusion Mineral Paint is going on well. A little goes a long way…
Done with Painting!
Allowing the piece to dry for a few days before lightly distressing it.
What Do You Think?
And that’s it! What a transformation right? I love how it turned out. Painting the piano was not very difficult but was a little more time consuming than I expected. So give yourself about half a day for it.
It’s been really fun decorating the painted piano for the seasons.
Here is the piano all decked out for spring. To see the rest of my home decorated for spring, click here.
And here it is all prettied up for fall. To see more of home decorated for fall, click here.
I love the piano so much more now that it looks better and fits in with my decor.
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Lori @houseonwren
It turned out amazing Stacy! I think it looks so much better in white! Do you or anyone in your family play?
admin
Thank you so much Lori! I used to play when I was younger, now I just pop on every now and again to see what I can still play!
Ann
It looks amazing Stacy????
admin
Thank you so much Ann! I’m so happy it turned out so good! ❤️
Wsnottle04@gmail.com
You did an Awesome job! I like the piano either way. The old way looked good with your fireplace. But this turned out beautifully.
admin
I really appreciate that! Thank you so much!!!
Mary
Hi Stacy! You inspire in everything you do! That was a huge project (I think!) ????. The piano color is beautiful and wow what a transformation!
admin
Thank you so much Mary! It was a big project but not difficult to do! I love how it turned out too…I’m so glad you stopped by the blog!
Aprile
oh my goodness; I have a piano that is almost exactly the same as your piano including the bench; mine has a maple finish and I was considering staining it but after seeing this, I may paint it instead. Thank you for giving me a different idea for my piano,
admin
I’m so glad you found it helpful! If you paint yours, I would love to see it!
Monique
Gorgeous transformation….love how you decorated the top of it also…
admin
Hi Monique! I really appreciate hearing that. Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today! xo
Judy Collins
Great job! Love the clock⏱????
admin
Thank you so much Judy!
Cindy@CountyRoad407
This such a beautiful transformation! I hate painting but this makes me want to pick up a paint brush! Love it
Stacy Ling
Thank you!!! I’m really glad I did it – it looks so much better in my living room now!
Jennifer@CottageOnBunkerHill
Amazing! The piano looks so pretty!
Stacy Ling
Thank you Jennifer!!! xoxo
Stacy Ling
Thank you! I wanted to do it for so long! I’m so glad I finally did it! LMK if you try it!