Refinishing Hardwood Floors – should I do it myself or?
Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at
6:48 pm
hire somone? I’ve never tackled a project like this – have order prescription drugs online no clue what to do??? any suggestions….
I’ve done several houses myself, although I did hire one out because the town I was in has only trash equipment for rent until Home Depot started renting. It is hard work for the drum sander, and you HAVE to rent the corner machine. The trick with the corner machine is to get the floor the same level as the rest. If not, you will have grooves which may be noticeable.
Now for the update. This solution depends on how bad the floors are and how good you want them to look, s well as how much time you want to invest. A few years ago another type of sander was invented, called a pad sander. It has a 14 x 24" footprint, and is quite heavy. It has to be to do a good job. It requires a purchase of a 2" thick pad to which the paper is attached. This will wear out, so you’ll have to pay for it and the paper. If your floors don’t have major stains or gouges, this is the way to go. It is more tedious than a drum sander, but the % of really messing your floors up are nil. Start with 16 grit, then 35, then 50, 60, 80. You just walk behind it making sure the cord is out of the way, and the paper does not have a wad of sawdust and varnish ruining the sand. You’ll see them as swirls in the wood, like you scribble when you want the ink to come into the pen. Do several passes with each successive grit. Don’t worry about getting all of it out the first time you pass over it. Several more passes will even things out. When it is as you like it, vacuum the walls, windows and finally the baseboard and floor down well. Then damp wipe it. Thin the varnish 50% with thinner and apply with a cloth or foam pad. Make sure you don’t have bubbles. Do a second coat, then lightly hand sand, re-vacuum, then put on the finish coats. I mix high gloss and satin to get the sheen I want, and always apply at least 3 more coats. Let the finish age a few days before walking and moving in furniture. This is a good time to visit the in-laws! lol!
I wouldn’t recommend doing it yourself as it is dirty work. Hire someone reputable who uses a low or no VOC product and then take a few days vacations somewhere while they do the work.
Expect a lot of dust and toxic fumes.