An upright piano is close to 500 pounds of poorly-balanced weight on wheels that don’t turn where you need them to, and a baby grand comes apart into a body and three legs that all have to go back together correctly at the other end. Cardinal Moving rigs both with an actual piano board and ratchet straps — not a furniture dolly and enough manpower to muscle it down a stoop, which is how pianos and stairwells both get damaged. Gun safes get the same treatment: a safe that size doesn’t move on a hand truck alone, and we bring the equipment built for it rather than treating it like a heavy dresser.
Because the weight and the risk are consistent, we price piano and safe moves flat instead of folding them into the hourly local rate. An upright or spinet runs $275. A baby grand or full grand runs $325 to $450 depending on size and stairs involved. A gun safe runs $200. Darnell confirms the exact number at the walkthrough once he’s seen the model, the stairs, and the distance from the door to the truck.
These flat rates cover the specialty equipment and the extra hands a piano or safe move needs — they’re not an add-on stacked onto an hourly bill, and they’re not something we quote sight unseen over the phone.
- Upright or spinet piano: $275 flat rate
- Baby grand or grand piano: $325–$450 flat rate, depending on size and stairs
- Gun safe: $200 flat rate
- Rigged with a piano board and ratchet straps, not a standard furniture dolly
- Flat pricing confirmed at the walkthrough once Darnell sees the model and the stairs
- Can be booked as a standalone job or added onto a full local or long-distance move
What Comes With This Service
- Upright/spinet: $275 flat rate
- Baby grand/grand: $325–$450 flat rate
- Gun safe: $200 flat rate
- Piano board and ratchet-strap rigging
- Flat price confirmed at the walkthrough
- Bookable standalone or added onto a full move
What This Service Runs
Crew size sets your hourly rate — $135/hr for two movers, $175/hr for three, $215/hr for four — or if you'd rather have a firm number before move day, Darnell can walk the place first and write one up
That hourly rate covers the truck, dollies, furniture pads, and shrink wrap — nothing billed separately: $135 for two movers, $175 for three, $215 for four, and $45/hr for each mover beyond that. A $150 deposit holds your date and comes straight off the final invoice. Basic released-value protection rides along at no charge on every job, and Renee will walk you through full-value coverage when she books your date if the higher payout ceiling is worth it to you.
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