Want To Refinish Your Hardwood Floors? 4 Important Things To Know
If you already have hardwood floors in your home and want to change your hardwood floors' appearance, you can do so by refinishing your hardwood floors. When it comes to refinishing your hardwood floors, you need to understand a few essential things about the process.
#1: Refinishing Will Not Fixed Damaged Floors
Refinishing is designed to give your floors a new luster. If your hardwood floors have lost their luster and are looking worn down, refinishing your floors can make them look shiny and new again.
However, if you have broken planks, deep gouges, or buckled boards, refinishing will not address those issues. Those are issues where you are going to need to replace the wood that is damaged first. Once you replace the damaged wood, then you can refinish it.
#2: Sanding Is a Must
When it comes to refinishing your hardwood floors, you need to first sand the boards before applying a new finish to the wood. Sanding the floors will help remove any previous wax or stains. If there is wax or other stains present and you reapply a new finish on top, you run the risk that the new finish will bubble up, which doesn't look good. Sanding the wood will help ensure the new finish sticks to the wood. Additionally, sanding the wood will help to remove any minor imperfections in the wood.
#3: Charged Per Square Foot
When it comes to paying to have someone refinish your hardwood floors, you will find that most contractors will charge you per square foot of wood that they will be working with. That per square footage charge will cover the sanding and application of the new finish, as well as the labor that goes with it. The type of finish you choose can impact the overall cost.
If you have any wood that needs to be repaired, that is generally an additional cost on top of the per square footage charge. If you have furniture that you can't move and need assistance moving, that is generally an additional charge as well, although some contractors will move furniture for free — however, you should always ask.
#4: Refinishing Takes Time
Generally, staining a hardwood floor is something that will take a few days to complete. First, all the furniture must be moved out. Then, the floor needs to be cleaned. After that, the entire floor must be evenly sanded down. Then, the mess from sanding must be cleaned up. The first coat of finish can be applied to the floor. Once the first coat dries, a second coat of finish should be applied to the floor. That coat needs to dry before the furniture can be moved back into the room.
Although you can refinish your hardwood floors on your own, it can be a time-consuming and laborious task to undertake on your own. It can be much more cost and time effective to hire some flooring professions to refinish your hardwood floors.
To learn more about hardwood refinishing, contact a local flooring contractor.
