There are various levels of refinishing a piano, depending on how much time and detail you want to put into it. The easiest way is to strip the piano, then apply a few coats of linseed or tongue oil to it. It's inexpensive and doesn't require a lot of labor.
However, it doesn't protect the wood as much as the next method, which is to apply a three-coat finish, including two coats of lacquer and one coat of sealer that can cost you around $1,000. If you're willing to spend more, you can get the piano filled around its kinks and dents. This could cost as much as $1,000 per foot.
There are a few tools you'll need before beginning to repair your piano: a tuning hammer, a "C" tuning fork, a temperament strip and three different levels of mutes. (Numbers 202, 203 and 205.) You'll also have to determine which part of the piano needs repairing before seeking advice. For example, is it the bridge or a broken wire? If the problem lies in the bridge, you may need a slow speed drill. Or perhaps pins or hammers need repairing. Once this is established, there are specific books, online tutorials, including video footage, on how to proceed.
If you'd like to get your piano tuned by a professional, it will generally cost around $95. But if you'd like to attempt it yourself, there are a few steps you can follow. First, you should learn how to hear beats. Next, you'll have to learn how to position your tuning hammer correctly. You'll need a specialized wrench to do this. Then you should get a feel for the sounds your tuning pins provide, as well as the notes on the keyboard.
Next, you'll need to know how to set the temperament and breaking down the piano into sections. For example, the middle of the piano is divided up into 12 semi-tones.
After this, you'll need to tune the bass and treble, which both have their own techniques. Treble tuning consists of resetting the left, middle and right strings to match the others. Bass tuning is done on the far front-left of the piano.