Steinway piano RESTORATION
STEINWAY PIANO RESTORATION
Guided by decades of Steinway experience
For Steinway owners, restoration isn’t about making a piano look new. It’s about preserving what makes it a Steinway. Every decision matters — from materials to touch to tone — and there are no shortcuts.
Our work is guided by decades of hands-on Steinway experience, including direct employment by Steinway and factory training in New York City. We understand how these instruments are built, how they age, and how even small changes affect the way a Steinway responds and sounds. That understanding informs every recommendation we make.
Just as important as knowing what to change is knowing what not to. Our approach is careful, measured, and rooted in long-term performance rather than quick fixes.
TRUSTED BY RENOWNED CLIENTS
PROUD TO HAVE WORKED FOR MANY PRESTIGIOUS CLIENTS
THE PROCESS OF
REBUILDING & RESTORING A STEINWAY
Rebuilding and restoring a Steinway is not a standardized process. Each instrument has its own history, wear patterns, and musical intent. Our role is to evaluate the piano honestly, explain the options clearly, and guide the process with experience rather than assumptions.
An Initial Consultation
Every restoration begins with a careful evaluation of the instrument, its history, and your goals for it. We’ll discuss condition, budget, and scope, then outline a clear plan with realistic options and costs. For out-of-town clients, consultations can be handled remotely.
The Restoration Itself
Restoration work is carried out methodically, with attention to both mechanical precision and musical outcome. Decisions are made deliberately, with an emphasis on long-term performance, tonal balance, and preserving the character of the instrument.
Transport
Once a plan is approved, we arrange secure transport to our shop. Before any work begins, the piano is inspected again to confirm details and ensure the restoration proceeds exactly as intended.
Final Review and Delivery
We invite you to visit the shop and spend time with your piano before it’s returned, ensuring it feels right to you. After delivery, we follow up and remain available for any adjustments, allowing the instrument to fully settle in its new environment.
OUR EXPERIENCE WITH STEINWAYS
We’ve spent decades working hands-on with Steinway pianos — restoring, rebuilding, repairing, and refinishing instruments for musicians, collectors, and private owners who care deeply about how their piano plays and sounds.
Our experience includes both New York and Hamburg–built Steinways, across multiple generations and eras. That depth matters. Each model, era, and factory has its own construction details, materials, and tonal characteristics, and we approach every instrument with that context in mind.
Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach, we evaluate each Steinway individually — preserving what should remain original, addressing what affects performance, and guiding owners through thoughtful, informed decisions.
REBUILDING & RESTORING A STEINWAY
A Steinway grand is built to last generations, but only when it’s cared for with intention and expertise. Restoration is not about making a piano new again — it’s about supporting the instrument as it matures, addressing wear where it matters, and preserving the qualities that define a Steinway’s sound and feel.
Effective restoration requires more than technical skill. It requires understanding how Steinways are built, how they change over time, and how subtle choices affect performance for years to come. Our approach reflects that responsibility at every stage of the process.
Once your Steinway is in our care, the restoration begins with a complete disassembly and evaluation of the instrument. This allows us to assess each component in context — not in isolation — and determine what work is truly necessary to restore long-term performance.
Depending on the piano’s condition and history, this may involve removing the cast iron plate, addressing soundboard integrity, and preserving original elements where appropriate. Decisions are guided by how the instrument responds, how it has aged, and what will best serve its future stability, tone, and touch.
Structural components such as the pinblock and action are inspected carefully and addressed only when required. Timing and sequencing matter. Work is performed in stages so that each step supports the next, allowing the piano to be rebuilt as a cohesive system rather than a collection of replaced parts.
Sound is where a Steinway ultimately reveals the quality of its restoration. As the instrument is rebuilt, new strings and tuning pins are installed as needed to establish a stable foundation for tone and tuning longevity.
The action and damping system are then refined with close attention to how each note speaks, releases, and responds under the player’s hands. Hammer shaping, alignment, and regulation are approached incrementally, with each adjustment evaluated in relation to the last. Nothing is rushed, and nothing is done in isolation.
As the restoration nears completion, we reassess the instrument as a whole — listening critically, making final corrections, and reassembling the cabinet once the piano has reached a point of musical readiness. The goal is not simply that the piano plays, but that it responds evenly, predictably, and musically across its entire range.
STEINWAY UPRIGHT PIANO RESTORATIONS
Upright Steinway pianos demand a different approach than grands, but the standards are no less exacting. Their design, scale, and mechanical layout require careful judgment to restore proper touch, balance, and tonal clarity.
Our experience with Steinway uprights allows us to evaluate what can be preserved, what should be corrected, and what will most meaningfully improve long-term performance. Whether the goal is a full restoration or targeted mechanical and tonal work, every recommendation is guided by how the instrument should function and feel when played.
The result is an upright Steinway that responds cleanly, plays evenly, and meets the musical expectations the name implies.
Upright Steinway pianos require careful evaluation of critical components such as the pinblock, soundboard, action, and structural integrity to determine what should be preserved, corrected, or replaced.
Rather than applying blanket solutions, we focus on the specific factors influencing how your piano responds and sounds. This may involve targeted refinishing, mechanical regulation, tonal work, or more involved structural restoration when warranted.
Our role is to bring clarity to the process and guide the work based on how the instrument is meant to perform — not quick fixes or unnecessary changes.
OUR SERVICES
REBUILDING A STEINWAY
Rebuilding a Steinway is often a more thoughtful and enduring choice than replacing it. Many older Steinway pianos — particularly those built before World War II — were constructed during a period widely regarded as a high point in the company’s history and are well worth preserving.
We rebuild and restore Steinway pianos with a focus on long-term performance, structural integrity, and musical character. Our work is guided by deep familiarity with Steinway design and construction, and by experience gained through direct Steinway training and hands-on restoration work.
Rather than applying a standardized approach, each rebuild is tailored to the individual instrument. The scope of work is determined by how the piano was built, how it has aged, and how it is meant to perform going forward.
The sections below outline how we approach Steinway rebuilding in greater detail.
One of the first aspects of a piano that deteriorates over time is the cabinet. Considering when a piano is made, wood grain and finishes begin to warp, crack or dry out over decades of oxidation. At Bradfield Piano, our experts rejuvenate the outer cabinets of your home piano.
Spreading lacquer by 20 coats of spray, our team creates the color and grain that reflects the vision for your instrument. Bradfield Piano knows that you cannot rush perfection, so spraying by hand leaves a wood grain shining for years at a time.
The action of a piano relates directly to the sound of the instrument. When rebuilding the action of your piano, our team takes the time to ensure that the weight of each key strikes the correct voicing and tone. Pianos that feel off balance are a problem of the past.
With Bradfield Piano, you have a say in how you want your piano to play. We adjust the action of your piano to play to your preference and specifications. Control over playing a piano comes from the fingers, so each key gets the attention it needs.
A piano’s pinblock is responsible for holding the intense pressure from the strings. Over time, this crucial piece grows tired and loses strength from aging. Filled with holes, these openings widen and a piano’s tuning falls flat or sharp.
Bradfield Piano repairs and replaces pinblocks during our restoration process for the best playing experience. You want to keep a piano in tune, and this comes from a strong pinblock. We can do repairs to original pinblocks or can make new ones to meet custom sizing and fits.
Piano strings experience wear and tear over time and with use. These are the parts of a piano that get struck by hammers to vibrate and produce sound. Piano strings create your instrument’s overall tone and character.
Bradfield Piano replaces strings during the restoration process for accurate tuning and stability. Worn out strings don’t ring as well with every strike, so our experts recommend restringing home pianos both old and new. Aside from the restoration process, Bradfield Piano visits homes for tuning throughout the year.
Grand pianos feature 88 standard keys for creating music. With each key being equally important, our experts weigh and replace these parts for perfect functionality. Piano keys need to act and feel precise to the player, so our team is able to install an entirely new key set if your piano calls for it.
If you own a vintage grand piano, Bradfield Piano knows how to restore original keys to your preference from weight and feel. Keytops wear away and show dirt through use, but artificial keytop fill cleans up and replaces chips for accurate playing.
The inside of a Steinway grand piano holds a cast iron plate. While this piece withstands thousands of pounds worth of tension from strings, its shining bronze color fades with oxidation and playing. Bradfield Piano brings the cast iron plate of your home piano back to life through detailed cleaning and re-bronzing technology.
Visitors to your home can appreciate the shining qualities of a refurbished cast iron plate as it is visible with open-top piano styles. Deciding on the color finish of the cast iron plate and hardware is your choice. We aim to suit the vision for your home piano.
With each restoration process, Bradfield Piano goes back to fine tune our previous work. Our experts work to inspect the key action, and your piano receives multiple tunings to account for adjustments made throughout the process. Bradfield Piano remembers your ideal playing preferences, so our team tests the piano during the finishing touches to match your requests.
Piano restoration requires a professional set of eyes and skills. Setting up an appointment for your home piano restoration keeps your home instrument strong for generations to come.
WHY BRADFIELD PIANO?
Steinway restoration requires more than general piano experience. Our approach is shaped by formal training at the Theodore Steinway Technical School in New York City and decades of hands-on work with Steinway instruments.
That background informs every decision we make — from materials and parts selection to how each piano is evaluated, rebuilt, and regulated. We understand how Steinways are constructed, how they age, and how small choices affect long-term performance.
Our focus is simple: restore each instrument with care, restraint, and respect for what makes it a Steinway.
Our focus on quality isn’t a slogan — it shapes how we work. Every Steinway presents different options, and our role is to help you understand them clearly.
We offer straightforward guidance based on what’s best for the instrument, taking into account condition, goals, and practical considerations. No pressure, no upselling — just informed decisions made together.
BRADFIELD PIANO
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