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Refinishing involves sanding down the uppermost layer of the floor and applying fresh stain and lacquer over the existing wood. It only requires a drum sander, stain, and lacquer to make your floor look shiny and new again.
Do my hardwood floors need refinishing?
Since solid hardwood is one piece of uniform wood, it can be refinished more often. Refinishing engineered hardwood should happen less frequently due to its layered construction. If hardwood floors have scratches, fading, and/or discoloration, that’s another indicator that they require a refinish.
What is involved in refinishing hardwood floors?
Most wood floors can be refinished, which involves sanding away a paper-thin layer off the top and then mopping on three coats of clear polyurethane finish. The job typically costs about $3 to $7 per square foot.
Is it cheaper to refinish or replace hardwood floors?
In general, it will almost ALWAYS be less expensive to refinish your hardwood floors. If you replace them, you need to pay for additional wood as well as ripping up and hauling away existing hardwood. Even if you have this, it will still be less expensive then replacing the whole floor.
How much does it cost to sand and refinish a hardwood floor?
If your hardwood floors are dull, scratched, and looking old, it’s probably time to refinish them. According to HomeAdvisor, the typical price range to refinish hardwood floors is between $1,074 and $2,485, with the national average at $1,757. This comes out to $3 to $8 per square foot, including materials and labor.
What is the best time of year to refinish hardwood floors?
If I had to pick an ideal time, I would say spring or fall when the indoor temperature is most consistent with outdoor temperature and it’s often easy to open the windows (after the work is complete) to help air out the smell faster. But, really, sanding and refinishing hardwood can take place any time of year.
How many times can floors be refinished?
Hardwood flooring can be re-sanded up to 10 times, depending on how bad the floor is and how skilled the person doing the sanding is. It costs about $2.50 per square foot to refinish a floor, plus $50 an hour for patching and thresholds.
How messy is refinishing floors?
If your hardwood floors are scratched and dull, you can bring them back to their former beauty by refinishing them. One major drawback of refinishing wood floors is the dust that is produced. Cleanup after your floors have been sanded can also be a nightmare. Apr 16, 2018.
Can you refinish floors yourself?
If you only have some minor scratches and dings or a dull finish, you might be able to simply buff and add a new coat of varnish. But, even if your floors need a complete makeover, refinishing hardwood is a very manageable and rewarding do-it-yourself job that can save a lot of money.
Will refinishing hardwood floors remove scratches?
Refinishing hardwood floors is the right solution. Hardwood floor refinishing can help you get rid of those unsightly scratches and marks. But as long as the damage is shallow—in the coating and not in the wood itself—you can renew the hardwood floor by adding a new coat of polyurethane right over the old finish.
How do you tell if your hardwood floors can be refinished?
Water Test. Pour a spoonful of water onto the floor. If it forms droplets that stay on the surface of the wood, the floor finish is still good. If the water is slowly absorbed into the wood, the finish is worn and needs to be restored.
How much does it cost to refinish 1000 square feet of hardwood floors?
Cost to refinish hardwood floors Room size Square feet Average cost 20×20 400 $1,000 – $2,000 24×24 576 $1,200 – $2,800 Stairs (12 to 14 steps) — $300 – $1,200 Whole house 1,000 $2,000 – $4,000.
What is the difference between refinishing and resurfacing wood floors?
What’s the Difference? Refinishing involves sanding down the uppermost layer of the floor and applying fresh stain and lacquer over the existing wood. Resurfacing your floor involves more than just putting a layer of polish on top.
Does refinishing hardwood floors increase home value?
Flooring – Replacing outdated carpet or flooring, or simply refinishing wood floors that have seen better days, will definitely increase the value of your home, with a 102% return on investment.
What is the cheapest way to refinish hardwood floors?
Applying a revitalizer gloss is the simplest and cheapest way to refinish hardwood floors. This approach works best on floors that only have surface-level scratches and other minor wear and tear issues. You can get the job done without the need for equipment rentals or hard-to-find materials.
Can I sand my floors myself?
Sanding wood floors is a time consuming but relatively easy procedure. Sanding wood floors & refinishing yourself will definitely save money, and even an inexperienced homeowner can likely do a better job than the lowest bidding handyperson who quotes on it.
Can you sleep in house after polyurethane?
We recommend a minimum of 2 days of socks-only traffic for floors finished with oil polyurethane. The house is not inhabitable for a minimum of 2 days after the job is completed, and better to stay out for at least 5 as the fumes/off-gassing is not advisable to breathe in, even if there are other rooms to sleep in.
What is the next step after sanding hardwood floors?
After sanding, fill in holes in the floor with wood putty or wood filler. Be sure to work in well-ventilated rooms when sanding or applying stain or finish. Spot test the stain or finish to see what it looks like on the floor before applying a coat.
How long before you can put furniture on refinished floors?
Wait 48 to 72 hours after the hardwood has been refinished/ finished before “PLACING” furniture back in its place. Keep a steady temperature and humidity within your home. Dramatic swings in temperature will cause hardwood to shrink or to cup. Sweep/dust and mop often.
How much wood does sanding remove?
Since normal sanding will remove from 1/64 to 1/32 of the wood surface, the surface can be sanded from 6 to 10 times or more, before the floor needs to be replaced entirely. If the floor is resurfaced every 10 to 20 years, the floor will last for a century or more.
How much material does sanding remove?
Engineered and Solid Boards The amount of wood you remove when sanding a floor depends on the coarseness of the paper you use, but it can be as much as 1/16 inch with the coarsest paper.
How much wood is removed when sanding hardwood floors?
When sanding any floor, the amount of wood you remove depends on the coarseness of the paper you use. Flooring professionals can sand away as much as 1/16 inches of wood with the coarsest paper.
