Recycling Pianos

If nobody is playing that old piano you have in the house, it is probably just taking up room and collecting dust. Maybe you bought the piano for the kids when they were growing up, but before long they found out it was work to learn how to play it well. Their interest waned and sports or the TV captured their attention. Now they’ve grown up and moved out on their own and you are stuck with this piano which you never learned to play. What to do with it now is the question.

Of course, you could learn to play it, or you could send it off to the home of one of your kids, or you could donate it to a worthy cause. If it has any value, try to find it a new home where it will be used. However, if you can’t find a recipient for the piano, there are ways to recycle this piano and keep it in your home.

For an upright piano, you could take out the insides, leaving the keyboard in place. Place a sheet of glass over the keyboard and build shelves or drawers to fit in the upright portion. This would make a great desk or a computer station.

Similarly, you could turn it into a mini bar. Keeping the keyboard or not, place a table top across the instrument. Build shelves for standing bottles right across the innards, or build a rack for bottles to lie down. A clever idea is the install a hanging rack for stemmed glasses. Below the keyboard, in the knee hole, design more storage for bottles.

Again with an upright piano, install an aquarium for an absolute visual delight. Or, create an entertainment center, with TV and music components.

A grand piano can be made to have other functions. One idea is to remove the legs, the sounding board and the strings; turn it on its side and run shelving for books or to display items. Set this on the floor or, even more impressive, hang it on a wall. In either case, leave the keyboard in place. Find a use for the cover; perhaps turn it into a table, hang it on a wall, or simply decorate it.

If you don’t care about the piano case, either upright or grand, move it out doors and turn it into a water fountain. Install plants, sitting, hanging and climbing varieties to further enhance the case.

Should you have an old square piano, it would make a wonderful kitchen or party table. Put stools around it, serve breakfast on it or use it as a drinks conversation table. If you don’t have an old piano sitting around the house and would still like to create a very useful or attractive object d’art, check the classified ads. Often pianos are given away for free or at low cost. Pick up one of these or use the one you’ve got, and let your imagination go wild. Make something that catches the eye and a much talked about item in your home.