Even with the best care and maintenance, eventually your hardwood floors will show signs of wear. Minor scratches here and there, fading from the sunlight, constant changes in humidity levels—all of these factors can combine to make your floors lose their luster. Refinishing a wood floor can help restore it to its former glory. But here’s a word to the wise: It’s not a job for the DIY enthusiast.
We know, we know; you love home improvement projects. You’re Home Depot’s favorite customer, and they all know you by name. You’re a whiz at replacing faucets, painting trim, installing new ceiling fans…the list goes on. But unless you’ve been specifically trained in wood floor refinishing, you’re taking a huge gamble with your investment. Here are three reasons why you should leave the wood floor refinishing to the experts.
One: Sanding the Floors Requires Special Skills.
Removing the old finish off your hardwood floors takes more than just getting a sander and sandpaper and going at it. Every finish calls for different grits of sandpaper—and sometimes several types per project—and you need to know which grit is best and safest for your particular finish. There are also specific sanding techniques you’d need to know in order to create a smooth finish that will accept the stain consistently. And finally, you have to be precise and avoid getting the sander on the baseboard or the wall. One misstep in any of these areas, and you’ve got nasty swirl marks on the floor, scratches on the baseboards, or a basically uneven finish that may not even show itself until you see how badly the stain takes.
Two: Using the Sanders Requires Training.
You might think you were born to use power tools—and we won’t argue the point—but the hand sanders, belt sanders and orbital sanders we use in floor refinishing are heavy, precision instruments that require some training and practice to use correctly. Mishandling the sanders can cause damage to the floor at best, and damage to your body at worst. Save yourself the risk of damage and/or injury and let a professional handle it.
Three: Applying the Stain and Sealant Isn’t as Easy as It Looks.
If you think your wood floors look bad now, just think how they would look with blotchy dark and light spots from stain that was applied unevenly. Likewise, you’ll want to apply a protective coating over the floor, and if you apply that unevenly, you’ll have noticeable clumps and irregularities, and you’ll basically have to sand it down and try again. Again, these tasks require skill, precision, and years of practice to get them right.
Bottom line: If you turn your wood floor refinishing into a DIY project, you’re running the risk of a floor that looks worse than when you started. Maybe you took on this project to save money, but considering you’ll probably need to hire a professional to fix what you broke, you’ll still end up spending more in the long run. Save yourself the trouble and protect your investment—hire a wood flooring professional to refinish your wood floors. You might not get to work the power tools, but you’ll save yourself a ton of regret.
If you’re thinking of refinishing your hardwood floors, our team of skilled craftsmen is ready to help. Give Renaissance a call today at 918-298-4477 for a free estimate.