Piano Refinishing & Restoration · Bay Area & California

Bring your piano’s shine back to life.

Hand-applied French polish and lacquer finishes, and full restoration of Steinway and other fine instruments by Shawn, who has been doing this work for more than twenty years.

A0Tap a key, tuned to A440C8
20+
Years restoring & refinishing pianos
About

Hi, I’m Shawn. For over twenty years, I’ve personally restored and refinished pianos, specializing in Steinway and other fine instruments.

If your piano’s finish has lost its shine or its beauty has faded with time, I can help bring it back to life. My specialty is case refinishing, including French polish and lacquer finishes, bringing wood and shine back to their original beauty.

What I do.

From a faded finish to a full rebuild, every job is done by hand. I work with all major piano brands, with a special focus on Steinway.

Inside the piano

Full Restoration

Rebuilding the parts that make it play and sound right.

  • Action & regulation work
  • Restringing
  • Keytops
  • Damper replacement
Also available

Additional Services

Care and advice for pianos that don’t need a rebuild.

  • Tuning
  • Voicing
  • Pedal repair
  • Appraisals

All major piano brands, with a special focus on Steinway.

Before & after.

Recent refinishing and restoration work, including Steinway plates and fallboards. Drag the handle to compare, or tap any photo below to view it larger.

After refinishing
Before refinishing
BeforeAfter
Compare

Ebony to mahogany

Same pianos, photographed before and after the work.

Free appraisal.

No visit needed to get started. A few photos are enough for me to tell you what your piano needs.

  1. Take a few photos

    The whole piano, the finish up close, and anything that’s damaged or not working.

  2. Send them to me

    Email them with a short description to shawn@refinishingpiano.com, or text them to 510-646-0522.

  3. Hear back promptly

    I’ll get back to you promptly to discuss your piano’s needs and the options.

Where I work.

Proudly serving all of California, with a focus on the greater Northern California area.

  • San Francisco
  • East Bay
  • South Bay
  • The Peninsula
  • Napa
  • Santa Cruz
  • Santa Rosa
  • All of California

What customers say.

Reviews from piano owners across the Bay Area.

★★★★★
Case refinishing
Shawn refinished my grandmother's old mahogany upright and honestly it looks better than I expected. He walked me through what he was doing at each stage and had it done when he said he would.
Megan R. · Sacramento, CA
★★★★★
French polish
The French polish on our antique grand came out beautiful. You can actually see the wood grain again, which we hadn't seen in years.
Daniel H. · San Jose, CA
★★★★★
Touch-up & repair
Our movers put a nasty scratch across the lid. Shawn came out and touched it up, and I genuinely can't find where it was. Worth every penny.
Laura P. · San Diego, CA
★★★★★
Full restoration
Shawn restrung our old Steinway, replaced the keytops, and regulated the action. It plays better than it has in decades. My wife cried when she heard it.
Christopher W. · Fresno, CA
★★★★★
Tuning & voicing
Fast to respond, showed up right on time, and the piano sounds fantastic now. Can't ask for more than that.
Jennifer M. · Santa Barbara, CA
★★★★★
Steinway work
Shawn really knows these pianos inside and out. He treated ours like it was his own and the price was more than fair.
Thomas K. · Oakland, CA
★★★★★
Case refinishing
Our walnut console had water rings and faded spots all over the top. Shawn refinished the whole case and it looks like it just came from the factory.
Alicia B. · Long Beach, CA
★★★★★
Lacquer finish
We went from a tired brown finish to high-gloss black lacquer. I keep stopping to look at it every time I walk past. Completely different room now.
Kevin S. · Bakersfield, CA
★★★★★
Touch-up & repair
A chipped corner on our fallboard was bugging me every single day. Shawn fixed it in one visit and matched the finish perfectly. You'd never know.
Rachel D. · Irvine, CA
★★★★★
Full restoration
Our family piano sat in a garage for years and I figured it was done for. Shawn brought it back inside and out. Our kids play it every day now.
Michael C. · San Francisco, CA
★★★★★
Action & regulation
We had several sticking keys that were driving my daughter crazy during practice. After Shawn regulated the action, every key feels smooth and even again.
Nicole F. · Riverside, CA
★★★★★
Keytops
Our keytops were cracked and yellowed. Shawn replaced them all and the keyboard looks clean and bright again. Should have done it years ago.
Andrew L. · Santa Rosa, CA
★★★★★
Damper replacement
Notes kept ringing after I let go of the keys, which made everything sound muddy. Shawn replaced the dampers and the problem is completely gone.
Susan W. · Pasadena, CA
★★★★★
Restringing
Shawn restrung our old grand and the tone is so much richer and clearer than before. It almost sounds like a different piano.
Peter N. · Stockton, CA
★★★★★
Pedal repair
Our sustain pedal squeaked and barely worked. Shawn fixed it quickly and actually explained what had worn out so I understood what happened.
Karen J. · Monterey, CA
★★★★★
Tuning & voicing
Shawn tuned and voiced our piano right before my son's recital. It sounded beautiful and he was easy to work with. Will definitely use him again.
Brian E. · Modesto, CA
★★★★★
Appraisal
We had Shawn look at a used Steinway before we bought it. He gave us an honest appraisal and helped us understand exactly what we were getting into. Probably saved us from a mistake.
Patricia G. · Anaheim, CA
★★★★★
Free photo estimate
I texted a few photos and Shawn called back the same day with clear options and pricing. No runaround, no pressure. Easy from start to finish.
Eric V. · Sunnyvale, CA
★★★★★
Steinway work
You can tell Shawn has worked on a lot of Steinways. He handled our instrument with real care and the finish looks fantastic.
Christine A. · Redding, CA
★★★★★
Communication
Shawn sent photos throughout the whole project so we always knew where things stood. That meant a lot to us. Great communication.
Mark P. · Palm Springs, CA
Get in touch

Tell me about your piano.

Send a description of your piano along with a few photos. I’ll get back to you promptly to discuss what it needs.

Email Attach a few photos and a short description.
Phone or text Texting photos works great.