In sanding and refinishing your wood floors better left to experts or can you do it yourself?

Question

Just want to know how big of a project it is.

Is

My typo

Answer 1

As you can see from the answers above, there's actually two different types of floor sanders -disk and drum. And both take some practice in order to achieve decent results. The drum sander is probably the easier of the two, yet is a muscle workout in itself! The disk sander will pull you one way or the other, depending on how high or low you hold the handles. The trick is to balance it just right so it's constantly moving slowly from one side to the other, like slowly scrubbing. Never let it stop in one place, even for a moment, or it'll gouge a depression in the floor. The drum sander will constantly try to pull you forward, and handling it is a lot like trying to hold back a power lawnmower. You have to keep this one moving too, in a slow forward-backward path. The advantage to using the drum is that the scratches all run in the same direction, and it's run with the grain of the wood -never cross-grain. With either sander, you'll need a couple of different grits. Usually, you'd start with about 80-grit, 50 if you want to remove a lot of material. You can also get them in 35-grit, which is terribly coarse. A floor doesn't need to be finished quite as fine as furniture or cabinets, and you can safely stop sanding after about 150-grit. Each grit finer removes the scratches from the previous one. This is going to be a pretty dusty project however you look at it, so it's a good idea to either cover all furniture, or hang drop cloth over doorways. Keep a window or two open for ventilation, and wear the best face mask you can afford. The respirator type are most practical for this. The drum sander does usually have a dust bag, but that doesn't catch everything. Vacuum up the excess sanding dust between grits. Wear old clothes, as they're going to get filled with dust too, and wipe your shoes before going to another room.

You'll also need a small handheld sander -probably more than one type- for getting into small areas and corners that the big ones miss. A small belt sander with 3x21 or 3x18 belt, and a quarter-sheet finishing sander are good choices there. They're much slower than the big boys, but get into the places the big ones can't. Again, always keep the sander moving. Don't stop in one place until it's shut off and has come to a full stop.

The application of a sealer and top-coat finish are your choice, and I won't go into them here. Just remember to clean everything up, sweep, vacuum, and wipe with a tac rag or damp cloth before applying any finishes.

Yes, refinishing a floor would be categorized as a "big project." And do-it-yourself jobs like this are not always cheaper than just going out and buying new, but they are tremendously satisfying and a source of self-pride for years to come! Anybody can spend money on a professional job, but not everybody can point to it and say, "I did it entirely myself"! If your floor is really old hardwood, it should be a federal crime to cover it up with anything!

Answer 2

That's one of those projects you CAN master as a DYI type but success comes down to having the right equipment, materials and little practice.

Major issues:

Sanding - Gotta rent a professional floor sander. If you've never seen one, it's got a handle like a lawn mower attached to a two foot wide round base. Trying to use anything other than this machine to sand the floors will make you work yourself to death. Also, once you rent it, practice a little on some scrap plywood. If handle the machine wrong you can gouge the floor or walls.

Stain - Pick your stain and test it on the same type wood as your floor. Best case would be if your floor runs into a closet and you can test a tiny spot on the actual flooring.

Finish - Don't skimp. Do your research and use floor finish! Again, practice the application first. Getting the finish on the floor smoothly is the most difficult part of the whole project.

You can save a TON of money doing this project yourself but be aware it's not easy.

Answer 3

We installed an unfinished wood floor and decided to have the pros sand it. Very happy we did cuz that sander can get away from you. And I agree with BigT...a satin finish is MUCH better than a high gloss. Especially in high traffic areas. It handles everyday abuse and still looks great. Easy to take care of, too. I just use vinegar and water to wash it. Everything little thing shows up on high gloss.

Answer 4

Was going to attempt this once.But sometimes I get lazy and decided against it. Glad I did. If you don't use a drum sander very often you have to be very careful with your movements or you'll wind up with deep spots. I paid just under 2k for a 22x14 dining area two small staircases and 10x12 foyer. Watching it being done and seeing the finished product, was well worth the money.

Answer 5

refinishing is more costly than new! one room at a time, I use an electric hand sander, and just remove the finish. I always use high gloss. it looks great!

Answer 6

I've done it and if I could afford to let someone do it I would've. But putting the finish on is fairly easy. Just get the water based matte finish NOT the glossy. It looks much better. Good luck!

Answer 7

That is SO funny that you are asking this. My best friend decided to do it himself. Now, two weeks later after having rented the machine for 2 weeks from the hardware store, it still looks like crap and he's going to have to hire someone anyway. His advice is to leave it to the experts.

Answer 8

i do it myself. i go to the local tool rental store and rent all of the equipment. it's really fairly easy to do. make sure you keep the sander moving. don't let it sit in one place to long. then you finish it with a hard urethane that is made for floors.
i sanded 3 bedrooms in one evening and they looked great. everyone that saw them complimented me.

Answer 9

the biggest problem you may have is not staing it all at the same time and creating an overlap in the finish. you should choose a small room, possibley a closet, and see how well you do.

Answer 10

yea you can do it yourself but it will take you awhile and requires a lot of work and patience.