Maybe it's because I'm sentimental about pianos...but there's something sacred about a piano. Unless it was made of color, personally, I'd leave it as is.

To me, they look as suffocated as the dead chick in the movie Goldfinger... so, sorry but passing on this one.

I totally dig it. A friend offered to give me his old very beat up (but still musically sound) piano but I just don't have the room for it. Had I the room, I would have painted the crap out of it and it would have been a great punch of color!

I don't know, perhaps its just me, but when I see a painted piano, I feel that something just looks wrong.

A lot of low-end pianos have a rather boring and sometimes even unattractive finish. And the old upright grands often aren't much better. Go ahead and paint, I say! And I am a former classical musician, if that counts for anything.

I am with @lyonstill.

As someone who's torn apart and rebuilt/refinished a host of stringed instruments, I love the look...if it fits with the room.

I'm going to work on getting my wife to let me paint her old out-of-tune upright when we move later this summer. Although I'm betting she'll be in the "leave it alone and don't be stupid" camp.

I just don't know why this never occurred to me before!

Just saw Moonrise Kingdom and fell in love with the red/orange painted piano! Timely post!

Lol - as soon as I saw the title of this post I knew there would be objections!

I don't particularly get the objections. I don't think this would be a good look on a grand or baby grand (unless you're Elton John), but I think it suits most of the uprights here pretty nicely.

@ DeborahDay, so did I! But yeah I don't see the problem if the piano has seen better days! My MIL's piano could use some freshening up. It's boxy and ugly and the finish is dull and dated (like 80's wood paneling dated). I think you have to pick and choose the piano to paint, just the way you pick and choose the book to cut up and turn into something else.

I have an upright my g-ma purchased from the original owner in 1967. And while I appreciate the eye-candy value of the pianos above, I would seriously hurt anyone who came near my baby with a paintbrush.

Google "painted piano" if you wanna see some real travesties.

(Not that any of them were necessarily great before they were painted, but they sure aren't great now, imo.)

"If painting it means it stays in the room and gets use from the family, it's a keeper!" So an unpainted piano wouldn't be allowed to stay in the room? Not kooky enough for the decor? What kind of decorating is this, where "wood" is a deal-breakingly incompatible finish?

If the piano won't "get use" unless it's painted, the problem is the family, not the piano. Get a new family.

I painted my piano and have no regrets. It looks better in our home and hasn't changed the sound quality.
We bought it very cheap from the local school district - they were getting rid of old classroom pianos and it was certainly beat up. Many areas of the veneer had chipped, so sanding and painting were a huge improvement. Sounds AND looks great now.
Of course I wouldn't do that to a piano that was already beautiful or particularly sentimental. But if you want to do it - Do it!!

Wow wow, so much hate. Having been given and old junker that was destined for destruction, I don't see why it would be such a big deal. Mine was missing knobs, the music stand and had a mis-matched bench to it. Still plays, but giving it a coat of paint to make it better suited for my living room might make it even more dear to me; make me want to play it.. who knows!? Would be completely different if it were a handmade, precious antique, but it's not. This is really inspiring.

If a coat of paint gives new life to a cheap/free piano, what's the problem? I'd never paint over a family heirloom but I don't understand piano elitists like "Bee for Brian." Telling someone to get a new family? Has there ever been such a rude comment on this site?

Oh, this really does pain me... But I suppose if a person doesn't mind it. I certainly wouldn't do it to a new piano, but if it's got an old shell, I suppose there are worse things you could do to it (like not touch it). Personally, I don't need anything interfering with the sound--I can make it sound pretty bad with little help. But if it inspires someone to play on their piano, I hate to see pianos languish untouched and become unable to get back into tune.

These old uprights look beautiful painted, and I really like Kevin Obregon's point of view on it. It's refreshing... especially amidst all the commentary from people just LOOKING for something to be offended by. I shouldn't stir the pot, but here's a link to Robin & Clay's gorgeous turquoise baby grand!

I would so paint my piano if I had an actual real piano and not an apartment-friendly little one. Still, I love pianos, been playing since I was six, and see no problem with painting them!

Not meaning to be unfair to those who have done this, but my honest first reaction to these pictures, as a musician, was to cover my mouth in horror. :(

Thanks for this post! We have a really old beaten up piano that I have been thinking of painting. Nothing could make it any worse, truly. Thanks for the inspiration!

I have been a piano technician now for 26 years, and honestly, I wish more people would be this creative. The old piano finishes are usually a mess, scratches, chips and dings, looks horrible. I do prefer this on a spinet, console or upright piano, for some reason it never looks right on a grand piano but I have seen exceptions...

Now for the technical facts:
Painting a piano DOES NOT alter or ruin the sound
The paint actually preserves the veneer better than the original finish
Refinishing a painted piano takes slightly longer to strip but not by much
You can pick any color you want! Don't like it, paint it again!

One tip would be to pay your piano tuner/technician to come out and remove the piano keys while painting, he/she can also pull all of the case parts so those will be easier to paint as well. Should be a simple service call fee...

Cheers!
Kris

I would only have a fairly well functioning piano in my house and therefore, would never paint it.

They look good but if I had a piano, I would be afraid to paint it.

Thanks, @Kris Klein! I had always wondered whether paint would alter the piano's sound in any way. Our piano had been left on the curb, and has some serious problems. Plus, the wood appears to have several different finishes on it. But good enough for my son to learn on until we can afford a good one.

Is there an easy way to find out if an old piano is worth something? It's a little junky, but it was made by a very old Chicago piano manufacturer, so who knows.

Most of them (especially the white) look great in context...but I just cant get on board with this one. Some things are sacred. Unless of course its chipped and damaged on the outside anyway.

Hi @Amberm... These old uprights are rarely worth much on the open market. If the piano is technically sound and can hold a tuning, they will usually bring between $500-$1,200 but if they have any type of issue visually or mechanically they are usually worth, sadly $0 :(

The only exception to these rules is if the piano is one of the greats, such as Steinway, Mason & Hamlin or some of the German made pianos. I have a weak heart for these old instruments because I was trained on them, and, fell in love early on with their amazing craftsmanship and history of the wood that was used. Some of these pianos have our great Spruce tree's that were already 500 years old from the West coast.

I think you are right on with your son! That piano will serve him well for at least 6-8 months as he learns the basics...

Good luck!

Thank you so much for chiming in Kris!

I love these painted pianos, and it is good to know that, if painted properly, no harm results.

My 8 year old desperately wants one, and it might be a great project. Our house is so small, I just can't imagine where we could hide an ugly piano (the sort in our price range!)... but a pretty painted one would be very welcome.