Refinishing floors by yourself for a rookie like me?

Question

Shoot it is expensive to have someone come in and refinish floors.  I never had to get a quote before and I had a GC come in today and check out my plans.  He actually told me to scale back a bit and not renovate as much because of my overall goals and what the area will give me in return...  He is also a landlord and gave me some solid advice about the general business which was super kind.

He seems very honest and personable which through me off lol... an hour and half of chit chatting but it was great. Anyway...

I am expecting a high number to come back in regards to the hardwood floors under my carpet.  They look wonderful and would really push my rent up another 100 bucks along with some minor updates to the kitchen and bathroom (faucet, fixtures, vanity, toilet, paint cabinets, etc..)

So:

Ive never done projects before as this is my 1st home ever.... BUT I would love to learn and become handy.  So should I jump into refinishing the floors by myself w/ some help from family (who have done them before in their homes) and let them do the other stuff to save some coin?

thanks so much BP. You guys have helped me so much in my journey!

James DeRoest · Answer

I've refinished a few hardwood floors, and it's not that difficult but it is time consuming.

Use a drum sander from HD first, if you have lacquer to remove they say use a 32 grit, but I have never managed to get far with. Always had to use a 24. Once you've gone over with the 24, do all the floors again in a 60 and then finish off with a 100.

The use HDs edge sander, same score with grit, maybe a 32 to start with.

Then ideally you need to tack cloth the floor. Then out with polyurethane.

That first coat of polyurethane is a pig to dry, and the second ain't much better. The wood is absorbing the material and just stays tacky. Which is why I refinish on a Friday, leave the floor drying over the weekend and maybe getting back on it for Monday or Tuesday.

Once it's dry, sand the entire floor again with a small electric sander with a high grit, and then refinish with polyurethane again. Do this a minimum of 3 times, but budget in for 5. Don't lose hope after the first coat of polyurethane as it'll look crap, that's normal. Essentially the first coat soaks into the wood at different rates and it just looks bad, the second coat evens that up, the third sits on top fourth coat is where it starts to look good.

I have a floor to do next month, the only difference in the above that I may change is maybe starting with the edge sander, when the main drum sander goes across it'll even up the sanding a bit better I hope. The edge sander is incredibly aggressive.

Account Closed · Answer

There's a finite number of times hardwood floors can be sanded and refinished and a floor sander can do a lot of sanding really fast... so if you're not used to handling one, I'd suggest tackling some other projects to save coin... things that if you mess-up, don't cost you dearly.

Good luck with the project!

Account Closed · Answer

@Cody Barrett  Don't do it yourself;  it will look terrible.  You have to have the right equipment (220v dust-free drum sanders, edgers, etc that you simply can't rent at HD.  The disc machines that they do rent do not do a good job at all: they are too lightweight, under-powered and tend to  leave swirl marks. It really does require a lot of experience and skill to sand properly.  Then there is finishing: again, you must use the right materials and techniques or it will look awful.

HW flooring, done well, is always a huge focal point of a house.  It is very important that it be done right.  Find other ways to cut costs...you'll be glad you did!

Tim Steele · Answer

I've done it a couple of times and it turned out okay. I have a fix up background, watched some video's, rented a big sander at the local hardware store. Everything was good, but not great. The floors looked good. But not professional. I was able to sell the house and the floors were never an issue. But my target market is affordable homes to first time homes buyers. I would have liked a better result - smooth surface, no streaks, high shine. But, I saved a couple thousand dollars doing it. My advice, make friends with the staff at your local hardware store. The'll point you in a good direction, and they have coffee.

Jason Slater · Answer

Good advice here already, James laid it out for you. This is a good DIY project if you're looking to bank some sweat equity. Plenty of videos and articles to learn from online, do your research and be confident. Just be aware it is time consuming and you'll have a ton of dust to clean up. I've refinished nearly 1200 sqft in my units and it was tough but saved a ton of cash. Good luck!

Watson Smith · Answer

Theres some good advice here.  I've used the drum sander and did not like it... I prefer the large vibrating one.  Make sure there are no nails sticking up and buy lots of sand paper.  Give yourself a good amount of time too.  Have fun :)

Thomas S. · Answer

I have sanded and refinished hard wood floors. If the floors are in rough shape a industrial (home depo rental) is require and I would not recommend this to a novice. Contract it out.

If the floors are not too bad rent the industrial size vibrating floor sanders. They are very easy to operate and idiot proof. Start with the courses grit they have (probably24).

Refinishing is a bit of an art but good results can be obtained by following the instructions. Use the fast drying water base sealers.

Russell Brazil · Answer

No.  Let a professional do it. You will likely end up having to completely replace the floors if you do it yourself.

Steve R. · Answer

talk to this GC again, and ask him if it would work for him if he did this project and you would be a helper and perhaps he would give you some discount for it.

you will save a couple of dollars, but most importantly you will have some first hand experience doing it, will see what tools they use and how, where they take them.

that is if you are considering of doing such projects in the future.

I have done so with kitchen, laminate floors, soundproofing ceilings and some other projects.

Now I can do it myself, perhaps not as good as GC, but not afraid of it, and can easily calculate cost of labour and materials for any such project

good luck

Cody Barrett · Answer

Tons of solid advice from everyone here. I can't thank all of you enough!!!

I think with my current situation it might be beneficial to have a professional knock this one out and when I purchase my 2nd multi unit property, that I will live in, I will do some DIY projects like this one.  SO if I do ruin it at that point, I won't have to worry about fixing it ASAP for a future renter around the corner... This might also allow for me tor really dive into other DIY projects like swapping out toilets,vanities,sinks, etc... as I have never done any!.. Super newbie, I know lol..

I got a few bids and it looks like I will be tossing about 1500 bucks at it for about 700 sq ft.  It will be financed interest free on the business card so the rents will chop away at it. This was budgeted for before the sale so thanks again team BP!

Refinishing floors by yourself for a rookie like me?

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