State of Maine Locations Currently Closed For Business
Due to the economical conditions and other considerations, we at Parks & Sons Piano Service have decided it would be best to take a year long hiatus. During this time Parks & Sons Piano Service will be closed for business as we explore options for becoming more profitable.
The website will remain open and fully functional, but we will not be booking appointments for piano servicing during this time.
We would like all our customers to know how much we appreciate that they have allowed us to service their pianos.
We will update this notice as we progresses through this hiatus.
To be clear - at this time, we have not decided to permanently close the service.
Thank you very, very much -
Parks & Sons
Services :: Refinishing, Finish Touch-Up, and Cabinet Repair
You can find more detailed information in our Information Library. Some topics on this page are linked directly to Library articles.
A piano can allow a musician one of the widest ranges in expression of all the instruments, but it can also be a beautiful piece of furniture - a prized centerpiece for both beauty and musical entertainment.
The piano's cabinet serves both as a first line of defence for the delicate mechanisms of the instrument as well as a piece of furniture, but like all furniture - the finish eventually deteriorates. What was once beautiful becomes dull and crazed. Besides an aging finish, other common damage comes in the form of scratches, dents, and dings. Leaking potted plants kept on the lid can quickly leave ugly dark water rings. Since a piano is a functional piece of furniture it can suffer wear faster than a book case or cabinet that rarely is used. Dings, dents, and scratches are all common. Eventually that once beautiful instrument is looking a bit ragged.
Instead of accepting the damage and deterioration as unchangeable - why not simply Inquire into the cost of refinishing the instrument? Simply scroll to the bottom of this page and fill out the form. The online estimate is free and there is no obligation. So why not Inquire?
Opening a Door to Possibilities
Once the piano owner chooses to have the instrument refinished they open a door of wide possibilities. While a piano can be returned to it's original beauty, a refinishing can go far beyond.
Cabinet additions of trims, scrollwork, carvings, etc. can take a piano cabinet from plain to elegant. Color can be tweaked or completely altered to favor the owners preferences. Seen can be adjusted from flat to the wet gloss look.
A good example of just what can be done would be an older player piano that lost its player mechanisms at some point in the past. Since vertical player pianos were built deeper than the average to accommodate the player mechanics - why not make use of that space? Without compromising the instrument's tone or function, the cabinet can be altered to incorporate shelves, display areas, music storage, even a MP3 audio system complete with speakers (all conveniently concealed behind cabinetry to remain true to the piano's appearance).
Beyond Just Beauty
While most recognize the beauty of a finish, few realize the far more important function of a finish for their piano and other furniture.
A finish is the front line defence, protecting the cabinet from the damaging effects of the instrument's environment. Sunlight, relative humidity, and even our modern indoor lighting slowly damages both finishes and wood - not to mention foods and drinks, oils, dirt and dust, and water. Without a good finish the wood is just waiting to be damaged.
For instance, many people may not realized that a good finish will greatly reduce and slow the normal cycles of swelling and shrinking of any wood furniture. This reduction prolongs the items life span and helps prevent warping, cracking, sticking or jamming of moving parts, and joint failure.
Another example if a piano's soundboard which serves the purpose of both transforming the vibration of played notes into sound waves and amplifying those sound waves. A good finish on the soundboard helps reduce the normal cycles of swelling and shrinking through the season and can both make tunings more stable and help prevent cracking of the soundboard and the possible resulting damage to both the bass and treble bridges. See our Information Library article about Relative Humidity for more information.
So not only does the finish impart the beauty we have all come to expect in a piano, but also provides the protection needed so that we can enjoy our instruments for many decades and even generations to come.
Why not get a free online estimate?
* Please note that an estimate in not a contract or agreement in any form. Neither is an estimate a guarantee of exact cost.
Estimates are our good faith effort to provide customers with as close an idea as to the costs for a refinishing of their item as can be expected via the internet. Actual costs can be provided by an in-person inspection of the item.