Over forty years, one of the most consistent and gratifying things customers tell us is that they had no idea how good their piano could sound and feel — touch and tone — until after it was restored. This water-damaged Bösendorfer Model 225 is a good example of that discovery.
The short version: In 2023 an orchestra conductor called about his treasured Bösendorfer Model 225, a 7′5″ grand. While the family was out, a pipe burst in the ceiling directly above the piano. There was standing water, and water on the lid, the harp (the cast-iron plate), the soundboard, the strings and more. We gave the instrument a complete restoration in our Lafayette shop: we dealt with the water damage on the harp, soundboard and bridges; replaced the string felts; polished the harp and soundboard; replaced the strings; installed new tuning pins; removed the agraffes, polished and lacquered them, and put them back; repaired the high-gloss cabinet; restored the brightwork and the lacquer on the pinblock; and restored the pedals and casters that had sat in the water. When the piano went home, the conductor was thrilled. He said it looked better than ever — like a brand-new Bösendorfer.
I’m Trevor Nelson. I’ve been in the piano business for 40 years and a Registered Piano Technician (RPT) with the Piano Technicians Guild for 38 of them. I trained at Bösendorfer in Vienna, spent 12 years as a university piano technician, and was a visiting piano technical consultant and technician for the Banff Centre for the Arts, helping care for its 110 concert-quality pianos. I also care for pianos played by the Boulder Philharmonic, the Boulder Chamber Orchestra, the Boulder Bach Festival and the CU College of Music. Renaissance Piano Service serves Boulder, the Denver metro area and greater Colorado, with a piano gallery in Lafayette. But a growing share of our restoration work comes from much farther away. Owners ship pianos to us from across the country, and this Bösendorfer is a good example of why.
The piano, and the call
The Model 225 is a large grand — this one is 7′5″ — and for its owner it was a treasured instrument. In 2023 the conductor called after a pipe burst in the ceiling directly above the piano while the family was out. Water ran down onto the instrument. There was standing water around it, and water on the lid, the harp, the soundboard, the strings and other parts of the piano.
A piano is mostly wood, felt, iron and steel, all of it fitted to close tolerances. Standing water, and water sitting on the plate and soundboard, can stain, swell, rust and loosen things that are meant to stay tight. The sooner the instrument can be opened and assessed, the better the chances of bringing it back.
Arrival at our Lafayette shop
The Bösendorfer came to our shop and gallery in Lafayette, Colorado, for the work. When an owner ships a piano to us, I offer a clear record of what was done, a conversation about the major decisions, and real respect for the original instrument. If you own a piano that needs this kind of care and you aren’t near Colorado, contact us to discuss shipping your piano for restoration, or call me at (303) 521-3722.
What the water left behind
When we opened the piano, the signs of the leak were clear. Water had marked the finish on the harp, the bronze-colored plate that carries the tension of the strings. Marks like these, often near the hitch pins, are typical of water that has sat or run across the plate.
The pedals and casters had sat in standing water, which can rust the metal and ruin the finish. Water had also reached the soundboard, the bridges and the strings.
None of this means a Bösendorfer is beyond help. It does mean the work has to be thorough: not a wipe-down, but a restoration of every part the water actually touched, and of the parts that had to come off so we could do that work properly.
The restoration
We began by dealing with the water damage on the harp, the soundboard and the bridges. The soundboard is the thin wooden panel under the strings that gives the piano its voice; the bridges carry the vibration of the strings into that board. Water can stain the wood, swell it, and loosen glue joints. The harp, as I mentioned, can be marked and corroded. We treated that damage and then polished the harp and the soundboard so the plate and the board were clean and even again.
To do that work properly, all of the strings had to come off. With the strings out, we could reach the plate, the soundboard and the bridges and treat the water damage directly.
The felt that sits under and around the strings was replaced as well. Those felts cushion and quiet parts of the scale. Once they have been wet they can stay compressed, stain, or begin to deteriorate, and they no longer do their job.
The old strings were replaced. Water on strings leads to rust, and rusted strings will not sound as they should; new strings are the sure way to put that right.
The brightwork was restored to a high shine, and I restored the lacquer on the pinblock, as the new strings went in.
The tuning pins were also removed, and I installed new ones. Water can rust the pins and affect how firmly they hold in the pinblock. A piano can only stay in tune if those pins hold tight. A typical grand piano has about 230 strings and 230 tuning pins, each installed and brought up to pitch by hand.
On a Bösendorfer, every string has its own hitch pin. That is different from a Steinway, where one wire forms two strings: it runs from a tuning pin to the hitch pin, wraps around it, and returns to the adjacent tuning pin. For the Bösendorfer, we wrap each string’s hitch coil by hand.
The agraffes — the small brass fittings in the plate that each string passes through — were removed, polished and lacquered, and then reinstalled. Water can tarnish and corrode that brass. Taking them out, finishing them properly, and putting them back protects them and keeps the string spacing and height as they should be.
More photographs from the restoration
We repaired the high-gloss cabinet, which can haze, stain or blister when it gets wet, and we restored the brightwork, including the gold lettering on the fallboard, to a high shine.
The pedals and casters, which had sat in the water, were restored as well.
The finished piano
When the work was complete and the piano went home, the conductor was thrilled. He said it looked better than ever — like a brand-new Bösendorfer.
To someone who doesn’t live around fine pianos, it can be hard to picture what an instrument like this represents. A new Bösendorfer Model 225 in standard polished ebony currently lists at $279,999, according to Piano Buyer’s Fall 2026 price list. These pianos are still handcrafted in Austria — each one takes the company’s artisans up to a year to build, and Piano Buyer notes that Bösendorfer makes only around 300 instruments a year — which is why a concert-quality 225 is so valuable, and why a complete restoration after water damage is often a sensible investment rather than starting over with a new one.
Read the story behind this restoration.
What we did, line by line
I believe every restoration should come with an itemized list, so here is this one:
- Water damage on the harp (plate), soundboard and bridges dealt with; harp and soundboard polished
- All strings removed and replaced
- String felts replaced
- Tuning pins removed and new tuning pins installed
- Agraffes removed, polished, lacquered and reinstalled
- High-gloss cabinet repaired
- Brightwork restored to a high shine, including the fallboard lettering
- Pinblock lacquer restored
- Pedals and casters, which had sat in standing water, restored
For a sense of what work like this involves in general, see our page on piano restoration. We restore many makes, including Bösendorfer; see the piano brands we service.
If your piano gets wet
If a pipe bursts, a roof leaks, or water reaches your piano in some other way, the first hours matter. Do not play the piano. Do not try to dry it with a heater, hair dryer or other direct heat — slow, gentle drying is safer. Photograph the damage from several angles, including any water line. Then call a qualified technician.
I have written a longer, practical guide to what to do if your piano has fire, water or smoke damage, including first steps and how we approach this kind of restoration. Please read that page, and call me at (303) 521-3722 if you need help.
We also provide insurance appraisals and written damage reports for insurance adjusters, and for owners who are filing a claim. Every situation is different, and we do not handle the claim itself, but after we inspect a damaged piano we can document what we find and explain what restoration would involve, in a written report you can share with your adjuster if you need one.
If your piano needs this kind of care
If your family’s piano has had water damage, or needs a complete restoration for any other reason, distance doesn’t have to be the obstacle. Call me at (303) 521-3722 or contact us to talk it through. I’ll ask about the piano, look at photographs, and discuss what it needs. Then you can make the decision that’s right for you and your instrument.
You can also read more about me and our Lafayette shop.
Frequently asked questions
Can a water-damaged Bösendorfer, or another concert grand, be restored?
Often yes, but not always. It depends on how much water reached the piano, how long it stayed wet, and whether the water was clean or contaminated. The only honest answer comes from an inspection. This Model 225, which had standing water and water on the harp, soundboard and strings after a burst pipe, was fully restored in our Lafayette shop.
What should I do if my piano gets wet?
Do not play it, and do not try to dry it with direct heat. Let it dry slowly, photograph the damage, and call a qualified technician. Our guide to fire, water and smoke damage walks through the first steps. You can also call us at (303) 521-3722.
Why restore a water-damaged Bösendorfer instead of replacing it?
A new Bösendorfer Model 225 in standard polished ebony currently lists at $279,999 (Piano Buyer’s Fall 2026 price list). These instruments are handcrafted in Austria; each one takes up to a year to build, and only around 300 Bösendorfers are made in a year. When the piano can be properly restored, bringing that instrument back is often a sensible investment compared with buying a new one.
Do you provide insurance appraisals for damaged pianos?
Yes. We provide insurance appraisals and written damage reports for insurance adjusters, and for owners who are filing a claim. Call (303) 521-3722 to arrange an inspection.
Can I ship my piano to you for restoration from another state?
Yes. Owners ship pianos to our Lafayette, Colorado shop from across the country. Call (303) 521-3722 or contact us to discuss the piano and the logistics before anything is moved.