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!
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/111d39_5c07851ab42a4345a56145f39e4544bf~mv2_d_2448_3264_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_1307,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/111d39_5c07851ab42a4345a56145f39e4544bf~mv2_d_2448_3264_s_4_2.jpg)
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/111d39_9408bc9fc8ca49f693fab33a2de38f29~mv2_d_2448_3264_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_1307,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/111d39_9408bc9fc8ca49f693fab33a2de38f29~mv2_d_2448_3264_s_4_2.jpg)
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/111d39_89970ee330d8481aa8dd8a27b3633d54~mv2_d_2448_3264_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_1307,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/111d39_89970ee330d8481aa8dd8a27b3633d54~mv2_d_2448_3264_s_4_2.jpg)
2. The TV Stand
Large pianos can also be good entertainment centers for your unusually large TV.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/111d39_a774e15790cd464a9010391fe53da8c9~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_735,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/111d39_a774e15790cd464a9010391fe53da8c9~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg)
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.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/111d39_13d49ea202914649b850f3c7b6e3fbdb~mv2_d_2448_2448_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_980,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/111d39_13d49ea202914649b850f3c7b6e3fbdb~mv2_d_2448_2448_s_4_2.jpg)
Unfortunately, I can claim no credit for these repurposed pianos. They were all my dad's projects with pianos I had on hand.
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