Home Laminate Flooring Can Laminate Support the Weight of a Piano?

Can Laminate Support the Weight of a Piano?

by Bestlaminate
Published: Last Updated on 20 comments 4 minutes read

When installing laminate flooring, it is important to remember to protect your floor from your furniture. Many homeowners have pianos, and a common concern is if laminate flooring can support the weight of a piano without any damage. In general, laminate flooring can support a piano, but there’s a few things to keep in mind:

1. Durability and Stability

A thicker flooring with a higher AC rating will be your best bet when choosing a laminate for a piano room. The thicker the floor, the more sturdy the laminate flooring. The higher the AC rating, the more durable it will be. AC4, AC5, and AC6 rating flooring is tested to be commercial grade, which can withstand high foot traffic and constant pressure on the surface.

2. Locking System

With heavy objects, the direct pressure can affect the strength of the locking system. Laminate flooring is a floating floor, and it is critical to ensure that your piano will not pin down the laminate and prevent it from floating. When your laminate is pinned, this will prevent your floor from contracting and expanding with temperature changes, and can lead to buckling and damage to the locking system.

3. Special Installation Option

If the piano is over 500 pounds, you may want plan out a special installation for your grand piano. Installing a laminate “island” for just the piano can help protect the flooring, especially if it is a larger room. An “island” refers to a section of laminate that is installed with moldings around the edges and flows into the rest of the room,  therefore creating an island for the piano that is reinforced on all sides.

4. Protection

With any piece of furniture over a laminate, we always recommend to place felt pads beneath the legs. With a piano, we recommend using protective coasters designed specifically from pianos. There are many protector options on the market, and we recommend purchasing a product designed specifically for your type of flooring, and your type of piano. The protectors beneath the legs of your piano will help to disburse the weight to prevent any denting, scratching or even damage to the subfloor below. It will also keep the piano in place, which is ideal for the laminate flooring joints. Lastly, we recommend hiring a professional to move the piano into and out of the room to avoid damage.

John Putty - White Brushed Pine 4

Quick-Step Eligna White Brushed Pine Piano Room from Customer John P.

Quick Recap

The biggest concern with a heavy object is pinning your laminate to the subfloor. With direct pressure on the joints and planks, this can cause buckling if expansion and contraction is blocked. Pianos under 500 pounds should be fine over a properly installed laminate floor. With a floating floor, it is important to stagger joints and properly place transition moldings. If the room is larger than 30′ in any direction, the flooring will need a transition piece to maintain flooring stability. With these things in mind, go ahead and enjoy a newly renovated piano room to play in! Laminate is a great flooring option for your piano.

If you have any questions about your specific piano application, give one of our flooring specialists a call.

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20 comments

Josephine S Hou November 13, 2020 - 7:25 pm

Hi John, we just installed new laminate flooring (A4 grade) in our dining room. Our marble dining table with a centre stand (pedestal) sits in the dining room. We have placed a carpet underneath the base of the pedestal. The marble table is 78″x 36″ and sits 8 ppl. Do you think the weight of the marble table will cause the laminate floor to pinch? There are rooms on the edge of the walls to allow for expansion. If so we will have to replace our table.
Thanks.

Reply
Vanessa November 16, 2020 - 9:33 am

Hi Josephine! We would recommend checking with the manufacturer of the laminate that you have purchased. In some cases, as long as the weight is distributed properly, the table will have no effect on the floor. However if the weight is all in one spot, it has the potential of buckling the floor.

Reply
John Corvese November 18, 2019 - 12:52 pm

I am planning on building a moveable island for our kitchen which would have a total weight of approximately 300 pounds. I was planning on using 3 inch hard rubber casters (4) to accommodate the movement. This unit will be sitting on a floating laminate floor installed by a professional installer several years ago.
Should I have any concerns regarding either static load or movement induced pressure marks on the floor?

Thank you.

Reply
Alana Kane November 25, 2019 - 5:35 pm

Hi John, great question. You should have no problems here. You can also use cardboard to move the unit into the space. The weight will be disbursed, so you shouldn’t have any problem with denting once the unit is in place. If you have sharp legs or corners, I’d recommend adding caps or cushion under them to avoid scratches or denting.

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