If you have scratches, dings, or other finish problems on your piano, you’ll need someone to repair the finish or do a complete stripdown and refinish job. There is a vast difference.
- Touchup is a method of hiding finish defects by repairing the existing finish. Often, a few dings and scratches can be repaired for comparatively little cost. Chips can be filled, scratches can be sanded out, and other minor problems can be remedied by a good touchup person. (OK, that would be me!). This type of repair is often done in the home, or parts of the piano may be removed if necessary to be repaired in the shop. The final result should be in the 90% and better range, though most repairs and touchups can be spotted if you know where to look. The alternative is refinishing.
- Refinishing is the process of completely stripping and refinishing of the entire piano, or at least parts of it. This should result in almost factory-new appearance. You have a choice of open pore finish, or completely smooth grain-free surface. The open pore finish allows the grain of the wood to show, and the closed pore finish fills in the grain. Open pore finishes are less expensive than closed pore, since it requres less labor and materials.
