Can you really have Hardwood Floors refinished without resanding them ?

Question

My Mother-In-Law owns a 60 year old House in New York which is in good structural & cosmetic condition with one exception.----- The House has hardwood floors which after years of use are badly in need of refinishing. I live across Country & am unable to help her other than trying to make arrangements for her neglected wood floors to be refinished. Her Health is such that I am trying to avoid having a contractor sand & refinish her wood floors. It has been suggested to me that I use a service like " sandfree.com " or have someone just put new flooring down over the old flooring ? I am open to any suggestions as to the best way to refinish her floors with the least amount of disruption to her ? I have been informed that a stripper & finish like sandfree.com can be applied in 1 day but I don't know whether these sand free finishes actually work ? Are there other Companies better or worse than sandfree.com with respect to quality, price, etc. ?? --Thanks

Since nobody has recommended sandfree or other restripping..does anyone know a good local/regional resander in Long Island, New York ? & approximately how much the job should cost ?--Thanks

Answer 1

I checked out the sandfree.com website and found it skeptical. The jist i got out of it is that if your floors are still in decent shape their process satisfies 90% of their customers for 6 to 8 years. I would be hesitant to try this and i would like to know what they charge also. If its at least half of what regular sanding/finishing costs i would just go with the old proven way. Send the mother in law on a long weekend retreat and have the floors done right.

Answer 2

Sandfree Wood Floor Refinishing

Answer 3

Well, here's my humble opinion:

You don't get much better than hardwood floors. To cover them up with another kind of flooring is taking away value from the home, especially if we're talking about a vintage home with wide plank flooring.

As for sandfree.com, although they may do a nice job, but I'm not interested for two reasons:
1. What they do only lasts about 6 years, which is less than hardwood.
2. I prefer dust to chemicals in my home.

If you deal with a company that refinishes hardwood, find one that has a partnership or deal going with a storage company. They'll take care of the logistics of getting the furniture out of the way and getting the job done.

Sorry I can't give you an easier answer, as hardwood floors, properly done, really add value and warmth to a home.

Good luck...

Answer 4

Personally I doubt they are wide plank, it is only sixty years old, unless it was custom milled at the time of construction, in which case you have a real gem on your hands. As for the flooring you do have. I have renovated many older grand homes with hardwood floors. The no sand technique I would not recommend. As it is not durable and will not enhance the value in any way, shape or form. A good refinish company could be in and out in a weekend if they have enough guys. I haven't the foggiest idea what hey get in NY for refinish prices. My guess on the East Coast prices would be about 7.00 per square foot for sand and finish.

Answer 5

I would think that the sanding and refinishing would be the best.

A friends elderly mother put down hardwood flooring in a 3 bdrm. and it was $16,000.00. I would think you should be able to have them redone for less than that.

On this old house they use sanders that have a vacuum attached and it did an amazingly dust free job.

Answer 6

It depends how deep the stains go. Some may come off with sanding, some not, but you can bleach them with oxalic acid, and you can re-stain which can minimize the appearance of watermarks especially if you go darker. You won't really know how it will go until you sand. Also look for signs of the floor having warped. Get a long straight edge or level and set it across the boards. It can be hard to see how much warping there is just by looking. Different boards will warp more or less, and you have to sand a lot to remove high spots from warping.

Answer 7

i do hardwood floors for a living and highly recommend having them re sanded. the company that i work for has a dust containment system that gets rid of almost all the dust.sanding will fix all your scratches dings. wood can be replaced in bad or rotted areas before it is sanded to make the floor as good as new. good luck.

Answer 8

I honestly would refinish the right way. They are an asset to a home. The stripping way is kind of just, "polishing a terd" way of doing it. If the home were to be sold, you'd have to redo them the right way.