It’s OK. Don’t panic. You CAN paint a piano….we’ve pained several. We are a musical family that is very plugged in to many music professionals, have a large music school here at the university…and have checked with all the right professionals. Relax. 
I would not suggest painting a Steinway, or any other highly prized/collected piano. They usually have a beautiful finish to start with….and you would have to come to grips that if you painted it the value would immediately go down if you ever wanted to resale it. {However, it’s not that you COULDN’T paint it….I just wouldn’t suggest it, for investment purposes.}
We love our piano…but the wood was not a very pretty color/stain. So, we painted it.
Here is how we painted it at first….very whimsical to go with our very whimsical living room. We loved it.
But last year when we started the living room redo we just wanted something a little different. So in the fall I repainted the piano….and here is what it looks like now:
Knobs before {typical little piano brass knobs}:
Knobs now {vintage cut glass}:
For a cushion I used one of our hand painted faux grain sack pillows.
If you are going to paint a piano…. chalk paint is a wonderful option. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Gray, and then distressed it with the dark wax. I think I need to distress it a bit more. It only took one coat. {One of the many reasons that I love chalk paint!} This whole project took me just a couple of hours.
There is nothing that I’ve found that can’t be painted. I’ve painted refrigerators, countertops, TV’s, floors, tub, tile, etc. Really…..you can change your whole world with paint!
Have you ever painted anything out of the ordinary?
Happy Wednesday~
Sharing with: Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie, Today’s Creative Blog, Not JUST a Housewife, Blue Cricket Design, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Whipperberry, The Idea Room, Between Naps on the Porch, French Country Cottage, The Lettered Cottage, Thrifty Decor Chick, Funky Junk Interiors, At the Picket Fence, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Common Ground, DIY Showoff, Home Stories A to Z, a.k.a. Design, Someday Crafts, Organize and Decorate Everything, Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Craftomaniac, Carolyns Homework, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tatertots & Jello, Serenity Now, No Minimalist Here, Savvy Southern Style, Coastal Charm, My Romantic Home, Redoux, We Are That Family, The Charm of Home, Delightsome Life, Anything Goes, Rooted in Thyme, Positively Splendid, Cedar Hill Ranch, House in Roses, Rook No. 17, Elizabeth & Co., Domestically Speaking, The Power of Paint, The Trendy Treehouse, Faded Charm Cottage, Michele Raven Designs, Junk in Their Trunk, Gingersnap Crafts, Night Owl Crafting, The Vintage Farmhouse, My Repurposed Life, The Rooster & the Hen, Shabby Nest, Finding Fabulous, Thrifty Handmade Days, Homemaker on a Dime, Miss Mustard Seed
I love it.!! I painted an u. g. l. y. grand mother clock and just love it.
I really love how it turned out.
Karin
http://www.artisbeauty.net
Thanks, Karin! Oh, I bet your clock is beautiful….
I like both painted versions of your piano, both are very cute! I’m not a huge fan of painting because I have trouble getting it to stick, even to wood. I’m not sanding enough first I guess. How in the world do you get it to stick to all those shiny surfaces you mentioned?
I actually don’t do a lot of sanding….only when absolutely necessary.
Chalk paint amazingly sticks to pretty much any surface. Shiny surfaces can be scuffed up a bit and that always helps. 
I love painted pianos, and liked yours both ways.
Bliss
Thanks!
I’ve been thinking about painting our piano for a while now. Thanks for the inspiration! Yours turned out just lovely.
How fun! Let me know how it goes…would love to see it.
Love this redo, Duane! I love what you’ve done to it and those little knobs just perfect the look…So beautiful, as usual, you’ve done an incredible job…Nice piece for your home, makes such a large piece a little less all consuming in the room. I wonder if this would work with my Organ?
It would work great on your organ!
Chalk paint wonderfully works on ANY surface…not sure if you have ever worked with it before. My favorite is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. 
What happened? I didn’t get any pics.
Hmmmm…I’m not sure…it may be your e-mail settings?????
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I have been planning on painting our piano for a while now but when I mentioned it to my sis-in-law she told me to do some research as it could change the sound of the piano. Although my kids play beautifully I know absolutely nothing about music and tone. I’m happy to know you have checked that out! You have totally inspired me to get going! Thanks again!!!
Colleen…you’ll have to let us know how it turns out! Make sure you don’t use spray paint or really wet, sloppy paint. That’s one reason I love chalk paint!
WOW! That’s AMAZING!
Thanks, Monica!
I love how this turned out… don’t know if I would ever be brave enough to attempt it on my own, but, I do really like the look of it. The glass knobs are the perfect touch and I really love your idea of having a cushion on the bench, too.
You can do it, Cynthia!
It must have been a lot of work to paint your piano but I love the white! Excellent and classic looking. Beautifully created. I am now a follower of your blog and look forward to return visits. I invite you to join me as well on my blog at http://atastefultouch.blogspot.com
Hugs, Gayle.
Thanks, Gayle!
The Pink was interesting but I love the white!
Thanks, Carolyn….the first way was actually white with lots of colors….the new way is Paris Gray.
I have an old yellow organ I painted white… I love it!
How fun! I’d love to see it!
I never would have thought of painting a piano, but it is simply gorgeous – I love the colour!!!
So far, I have just gotten into painting furniture around the home that needs a makeover and hopefully I’ll improve over time and take more risks with it!!!
Tani:)
Paint is wonderful! Don’t worry….if you don’t like it you can just paint it again.
Oh my gosh, you’ve painted several pianos – you are so brave! This one is a beauty!
Thanks, Sharon…..
Wow do I ever need to paint my piano….it’s ugly! I like yours
Link this post up with me at Wow Us Wednesdays, ok? Thanks!
You can do it! You can do it! {While waving pompoms and jumping…}
Thanks for sharing this beautiful redo of your piano. I love the color you picked out, it’s perfect! Thanks for sharing on Simple & Sweet Fridays.
Jody
It looks great! I have an old piano I am hoping to paint as well! I’ve just been meandering around looking for inspiration =)
Visiting from Under the Table and Dreaming
Go for it, Kristin!
Super job! I love it white – I love all things white:)
Thanks, Jill….it’s actually Paris Gray.
Love, love, love your piano! I recently was given a piano…..REALLY want to paint it, but it has a super high gloss finish! Was wondering if I could paint over it with chalk paint or would I still need to sand it first! Thanks!:)
Hannah~ That is one of the things I love about chalk paint….you don’t need to prime or do much prep work!
You could run some sandpaper over the whole piano if you’d like to, but it’s really not absolutely necessary. {I didn’t on mine.} Have fun painting your piano!