Hello! I have 2 young kids (age 2 and 4) and am getting a Steinway piano. I need to protect my piano from damage and want to get a quilted cover. Which companies do you recommend to get the best cover? The piano will be in a room that cannot be cordoned off from the rest of the house so I need to protect it. Thanks!

When our children got to that age, we opened the keyboard on the piano - and it never closed till the last one was married.

It had huge benefits. They saw & heard Daddy (me) play the piano every night, they sat on his knee (or lay cradled in his arms) when very young and he sang to them. And as a consequence, they knew the piano was an exciting living "thing". And, as soon as they could reach the keys, they'd tinkle away - just a note or 2 at first - eventually we'd put them up on the bench for them to experiment with sounds. Our first daughter consequently has a Bachelor of Music and still plays violin, piano and Tenor Sax. The other 2 children both play, one went to conservatory for a year.

Putting a cover on the piano will only discourage their musical education.

Some of these photos below are of nieces and grandchildren - but most are my own children, either as little ones - or as they advanced toward being advanced musicians.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJKGeUvnR0U&t=2s

backto_:

What lovely pictures and the memories they must evoke!

Regards,

I get the "Why would you ever use a quilted cover?" reaction, but in my life and my household, I need one.

I ordered mine through Keith Kerman at PianoCraft, and I'm sure he could help you out.

Instrument Covers II. The best. She took over the biz from her parents - instrument covers by Jill.

http://www.pianocovers.net/
https://www.facebook.com/InstrumentCoversII/

A past thread
http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2767161/purchase-piano-cover.html

We bought a quilted cover from Vanda King's Piano Showcase for our Yamaha (6'3"). That was 25+ years ago. I see they still sell them. It has worked out fine for us. According to their website, they have custom cut covers for different Steinway models, requiring a photo for some models to match the tails exactly. Also the deluxe version and adding slits on the sides adds to the cost. Our Boesie came with a cover from the factory. Both our covers have slits on the sides so they can be pulled up and the played while still protecting the lid and sides of the pianos. We normally leave our pianos in that position.

Yes, the cover I've got for my Grotrian is the same - in fact, most nights I don't pull it back over the front.

PIANO COVERS BY ALICIA. Formerly with APSCO, her covers are rapidly becoming the cover of choice. We offer six types of material-all covers custom made. Color bench pads available. Great looking-affordable prices-fast service. Brochure Available. AMERICAN PIANO COVERS LLC, PO Box 456 Clifton, NJ 07015. (T) 973-246-9144 (F) 973-246-9264; knightwing710@yahoo.com

I have used this company for 20 years and ordered multiple covers from them ranging from basic mackintosh to fully quilted cover, excellent quality and pricing.

the custom cover fabricators suggested by D.Ferris, in OR, did a superb job with the two piece, padded piano cover for our vintage M & H BB, and the price was absurdly reasonable for the quality of the work.

For the very best quilted piano covers, we call Dennis at Instrument Covers by Jill. We received another this week for a Bösendorfer 280VC. Beautiful as always, but you may need to order through a dealer. They have case length or full drop covers, as well as embroidery options.

For still good protection, but more basic aesthetic and lower price, we order quilted covers from Jansen. We order quite a few of their Macintosh covers.

For your living room? I think I'm more in Alan's camp about introducing even the youngest ones to the piano with an appreciation and respect for it. With very small children, we worry about toys in their hands that can mar finishes or food/drinks that can cause problems. Other risks are very low.

A heavy quilted cover is good protection, but can also be an impediment to casual use. Something else to think about as you move forward. If you insist on protection while they are so young, a second option might be to get a Macintosh cover + a fallboard lock. Mac covers are easy to fold back, and a fallboard lock is also easy to use and put back. This is less protection of the cabinet, but more protection of the inside where accidents could be costly.

It all depends on the children, their ages, their activity level, pets, and their activities around the piano. With pets there’s far more dust and hair, with kids there’s toys, dirt, crumbs, and sticky stuff that I won’t fully describe here. We now have one older dog that only sits or lays in the same room as the piano, so I have to sweep his hair from around the piano. I fully close my piano when I’m not playing it but if we had three year olds running through the house and would climb up to the piano at any moment with food remnants on their hands, I would keep it closed, locked, and covered with a thick protective quilt.
Some guests can be total pigs too. How many pianos have a big drink ring next to the music rack. Under adult supervision the piano could be uncovered for the kids’ practice, depending on when they start. My mother never covered, closed, or locked her piano ever. My younger brother was the wild child. Everyone knew in our whole family to tread carefully around the piano or you might get hit with a well aimed spatula. I think the cover is an easier method.