Refinishing floors by yourself for a rookie like me?

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Refinishing floors by yourself for a rookie like me?

Cody Barrett
Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2015 · 345 posts · 138 votes

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! 

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James DeRoest
Investor · Century, FL · Member since 2015 · 950 posts · 603 votes
10y

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.

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  • Russell BrazilBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Agent · Washington, D.C. · Member since 2012 · 17k+ posts · 30k+ votes
    10y

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

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  • Bob H.
    Rental Property Investor · Cedar Park, TX · Member since 2014 · 415 posts · 272 votes
    10y

    I've done it once, and it worked OK. Be sure you're sanding down thick solid flooring -- not engineered wood. Also, before starting, figure out what you're going to do about two things I didn't handle too well:

    1. The big floor sander I rented was fine for the main part of the floor. It's quite a workout. If you sand only in the direction of the grain, it doesn't fit into the edges where the floor boards are perpendicular to the walls. I used a smaller belt sander and probably hand sanded those edges, but it's hard to make the smaller tools cut as much as the big sander, so you tend to get a higher edge, which is not so good.

    2. A more noticeable problem is in the corners. There, neither the big floor sander nor a smaller belt sander will fit. I think I used an orbital sander and hand sanding there, but the corners ended up higher than the rest of the floor. You need a better process than I used -- possibly avoiding sanding close to the edge with the floor sander so any level difference isn't obvious.

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  • James DeRoest
    Investor · Century, FL · Member since 2015 · 950 posts · 603 votes
    10y

    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.

    3Reply
  • Account Closed
    Frederick, MD · Member since 2015 · 654 posts · 256 votes
    10y

    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!

    1Reply
  • Max T.
    Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    10y

    I agree with @James DeRoest. You can save a lot on labor by doing this job yourself. It is messy - makes a ton of dust. Orbital sanders work well in the corners and along edges. I wouldn't use a drum sander unless you need to sand through a lot of material.

    0Reply
  • Thomas S.
    Member since 2016 · 13k+ posts · 12k+ votes
    10y

    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.

    1Reply
  • James DeRoest
    Investor · Century, FL · Member since 2015 · 950 posts · 603 votes
    10y

    Why not get a big sander? The key thing is never stop. Always let the sander roll itself, and provide it with a bit of friction so it doesn't entirely drive itself across the floor. Never let the sander stop in position and grind a line, and even if you do grind a line, just sand it out.

    The 4 pad circular sanders do a lot more damage to a hardwood floor as they remove far more material. You're not trying to remove huge amounts of material from a hardwood floor, just the lacquer and a tiny slither on the top of the wood itself. 

    A large sander cannot get into the undulations of the wood panels themselves, without scratching out vast amounts of material to get to that dip.

    The drum sander sands a much much smaller footprint, and to a large extent follows the floor better.

    The big 4 pad sanders are best used in the in-between stages when you need to sand the new lacquer quickly. 

    0Reply
  • Emily S.
    Veterinarian · Leesburg, VA · Member since 2014 · 32 posts · 12 votes
    10y

    I did it myself with just a few words of wisdom from a friend and a couple youtube videos. Landlord was thrilled with the results! However, the smoke detector was coupled directly to the fire company because the apartment used to be the landlord's place of business. The machine was so loud that I never heard the smoke alarm go off from all the dust, and was rudely interrupted by the police and fire trucks lights outside my window. 

    Really though, if I can do it, you can do it.  

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  • James DeRoest
    Investor · Century, FL · Member since 2015 · 950 posts · 603 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Emily S.:

    I did it myself with just a few words of wisdom from a friend and a couple youtube videos. Landlord was thrilled with the results!

    One of our tenants refinished one of our hardwood floors. We did not know they were going to do that.

    I was not thrilled with the results.

    They left shortly afterwards; the house now has a new laminate floor.

    0Reply
  • Emily S.
    Veterinarian · Leesburg, VA · Member since 2014 · 32 posts · 12 votes
    10y
    James DeRoest Oh no! To clarify, I had asked permission first, and he reimbursed me for all supplies. There's always a difference between getting something done and getting something done well.
    0Reply
  • Watson Smith
    Investor · Peachtree Corners, GA · Member since 2012 · 131 posts · 83 votes
    10y

    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 :)

    1Reply
  • Jason Slater
    Investor · Dedham, MA · Member since 2016 · 18 posts · 9 votes
    10y

    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!

    1Reply
  • Jonathan David
    Attorney · Portage, MI · Member since 2016 · 38 posts · 16 votes
    10y
    Did it once. Never again. Ever. Look at your square footage and imagine that it is five times bigger.
    0Reply
  • Tim Steele
    Investor · Jackson, MS · Member since 2013 · 56 posts · 42 votes
    10y

    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. 

    1Reply
  • Karen O.
    NYC, NY · Member since 2016 · 619 posts · 456 votes
    10y

    Did it once on newly installed floors. Hardest part was getting that machine in/out of my car and in/out of the house.  It was so heavy but I was determined & younger.  Added three coats of poly and floors still look good almost 15 years later. 

    On the flip side, 5 years ago, found a guy to install new HW bought unfinished and on sale from LL for $2/SF.  Got a different guy to sand and poly off season for $1.20/SF. All in, floors cost under $5/SF installed and finished.

    Saved time.  

    Saved my back.  

    Supported local businesses. 

    Win.  Win.  Win.

    Will go this route in the future.

    0Reply
  • Account Closed
    Contractor · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2014 · 651 posts · 510 votes
    10y

    @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!

    1Reply
  • Colleen F.Pro Member
    Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    10y

    The type of sander you use is in some ways is dependent on the floor you have to sand, the condition it is in and your experience. An older very damaged floor and an inexperience operator with a drum sander you may do more damage then it is worth.  Find a good person that does floors, not a GC. Get a price/square foot based on the condition of your floors.

    We had fir and pine floors, they aren't hardwood so that drum sander would in no time tear them up.  Also coating with Poly urethane well is a trick.  Oh and don't leave the doors open for drying least you get some squirrel prints on your fresh polyurethane.. ..  lesson learned.

    0Reply
  • Dustan Marshall
    Investor · Hamilton, OH · Member since 2013 · 139 posts · 27 votes
    10y

    as other have mentioned above, you will need to know that the floors are able to be refinished... something you can ask when you get bids.  The people at the home depot rental store are very helpful when you describe what you are trying to sand off.  Example: many layers of varnish, just screening, paint....etc.  they will direct you to different types of floor Sanders. I would watch many YouTube videos on that type of machine before the rental day come because you are charged by the 1/2 day.  And material used.  It adds up quickly.  As for the edges and the corners I used a hand sander and what I could not get you can cover up with quarter round trim.

    0Reply
  • Cody Barrett
    OP
    Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2015 · 345 posts · 138 votes
    10y

    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! 

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  • Steve R.
    part-time investor/landlord · Calgary, Alberta · Member since 2015 · 66 posts · 27 votes
    10y

    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

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