In this post we discuss hardwood floor refinishing and why you should hire a professional to refinish your floors rath than try to do it yourself.
Natural hardwood floors are beautiful and can last for decades. They add so much to the look and value of your home.
They can also lose their shine over time, begin to collect scratches, and the finish may even wear away completely in spots.
Thankfully, high-quality hardwood floors can be refinished. Good hardwood floors can even be refinished multiple times.
Can you refinish hardwood floors yourself?
Like many projects around the house, it is possible to refinish hardwood floors yourself, and the equipment to do so is available for sale and rental in home stores like Ace and Home Depot.
Some people decide they want to redo their hardwood floors themselves.
The most common reason to do so is saving money. Many people also mistakenly believe that it seems like a simple job.
It’s not hard to find a place that will rent you a hardwood floor sander. Stains and finishes are available at your local hardware store.
You can find DIY hardwood flooring videos online and how-to articles.
But just because it’s possible to do something yourself doesn’t always mean that you should.
Reasons to not refinish hardwood floors yourself
DIY sanding and restoration of your hardwood floors turn out not to be as easy as most people think it will be.
Many people who have done it themselves will say that they would never do it again. There are a lot of things that can go wrong and mistakes can be difficult to cover up.
In the end, when you figure out the cost of materials, equipment and your time, the amount of money you will have saved will not be that significant.
- Rental equipment is not as good as what the pros use.
- You don’t have the experience to do flawless work.
- Sanding floors is exhausting and challenging work.
- The job will take you longer than it would a pro.
- It is a very dirty and dusty job.
- You may have blotchy patches of stain.
- Something unforeseen will go wrong.
- You will have uneven sanding and divots in your floor
- In the end, you won’t even save that much money.
Refinishing hardwood floors is harder than you think
The only real benefit of redoing your hardwood floors yourself is to try and save money.
Unfortunately, when you buy materials, rent a floor sander, and spend all the hours doing (and redoing) the work, you’re not going to end up saving much money by the time you’re done.
You will have made a big mess though and will be dealing with dust everywhere. You will be sore because your body will not be used to the physical demands.
And worst of all, it is almost impossible that you will have done the flawless job that an experienced and professional hardwood floor refinisher in Geneva, IL could have done.
If you didn’t do the sanding correctly, your stain will not penetrate fully and the polyurethane will not adhere to the hardwood correctly. Your new finish will end up lasting half as long as it should.
The stain can also end up looking blotchy in spots if either the sanding or staining was done incorrectly.
You can also end up with marks, divots, and dips in your hardwood. Some of these imperfections could end up being permenant.
A perfect, evenly sanded floor is rarely achieved by a non-professional.
If you want beautiful hardwood floors, hire a professional
Not only would we not recommend you refinish hardwood floors yourself, but we also don’t recommend you use a handyman either.
Only choose a hardwood flooring expert to refinish your floors if you want the best results.
Additional reading:
Refinishing Hardwood Floors: 5 Reasons Not to DIY – A Butterfly House
Hardwood floor sanding – DIY vs hiring a professional refinisher – The Flooring Girl
Should You Refinish Hardwood Floors Yourself? – House Logic
What You Need to Know About Hardwood Floor Refinishing – DIY Network
Located in Geneva, IL, Art Z Flooring is one of the most trusted flooring, kitchen and bathroom renovators in the Fox Valley and suburban Chicago area.
Contact Art Z with your questions to learn more about our available kitchen remodeling and backsplash installation services.
For flooring, kitchens & bathrooms call: Art – (630) 677-1371
For backsplashes, murals & decorating call: Zaneta – (630) 918-9176
