Repurposing Pianos

You have a beautiful, old ornate piano that has been in the family for about 100 years. It sounds terrible. The bass is thumpy, the high treble sounds like wood hitting metal, and middle C won't stay in tune. 

"I'm so sorry, in order for your piano to actually sound like a piano again, it needs to be completely rebuilt. I don't usually recommend rebuilding if you have an upright piano. It's very expensive, and if you want to play the piano, you're better off buying a new instrument," I say.

Bad day. 

Unfortunately, like all things, pianos have a limited life-span. If you have a strong sentimental attachment to your piano, or recoil at the thought of taking a beautiful instrument to the dump, here's a few ideas to repurpose your instrument:

1. The Wine Bar! 

If you have some power tools, a dad with lots of time on his hands, and a sister with some artistic skills, you might try converting that old upright into an entertainment conversation starter!

2. The TV Stand

Large pianos can also be good entertainment centers for your unusually large TV.

3. The Computer Desk

This one is a good option for smaller console and spinet pianos, and is much more simple than the wine bar. 

 Unfortunately, I can claim no credit for these repurposed pianos. They were all my dad's projects with pianos I had on hand.