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Last weekend we rented a drum sander to refinish the floors in my 10 yr old son's bedroom. The final steps in a room that has taken way too long for us to redo.
We are not floor refinishing pros by any stretch of the imagination. This would be the second floor we have redone in this house (not including our screened porch, because that is an entirely different animal I think) Both rooms are bedrooms. My advice to anyone thinking of trying this at home, start in rooms that don't matter that much. There is a learning curve and it is better to do the learning in a room that is not seen everyday by company.
Sanding a floor is hard work. The big drum sander has a mind of its own and trying to make it conform to your wishes is not an easy task. The sander wants to gouge your floors and run off side ways. I tried to do a couple of passes with the sander myself, but I think I am too short to manage the machine. At least that is my story and I am sticking to it.
Last weekend at the big yellow albatross, we sanded the floor of my 1 yr old daughter’s room. Or at least a room that I hope is finished in time for her to use before she leaves for college.
I say “we”, but really my job description entailed little more than standing around, telling my husband how hot he looked with the big manly power tool, and oohing and aahing as layer after layer of paint, stain, and varnish were removed from the floor. I tried my hand at the using the floor sander once but it flung me across the room like a rag doll and sent itself into the baseboard molding, where it left a huge black mark.
I do all the staining and applying of polyurethane, so it evens out in the end.
This Old Crack House offers a great tutorial on what is involved in refinishing an old hardwood floor, So You Want to Sand Your Floors?
Do you want to sand your floors but don't know what to do? Well here is what you need to know but were unwilling to ask! This task is not for the whimpy ones who are afraid to get blisters, sore knees or aching backs. Girly men should pay real men (or women) if this is the case but consider this; the last time I looked into getting a floor sanded (1998) it was $800 just to sand the floor. No stain or varnish! I have no idea what it would cost now. The material cost to sand a floor with a rental would be around $250
Mindy at Chicago Two Flat Writes:
I have encountered many people who say floor refinishing should be left to professionals. But when we got the estimate for our 10' x 11' kitchen for $1200.00, we decided that we'd try it ourselves. I am not going to debate whether that was right or wrong, but as many of you know budget has a powerful effect on what one might think they are capable of doing.
Get Me Out Of This House writes abut their DIY attempts gone bad:
I guess I need to explain that I tried doing this myself, but the machine we rented (avoid the Varathane models you can rent from Lowes!) heated the (very old) finish from the floor and then burned it back onto it. I spent an entire evening stripping the floor, which didn't help anything. I ended up taking the machine back and demanded a refund, which I received.
Although now that they have received an estimate to have someone do the floor professionally they are reconsidering and thinking of making another attempt.
Maya, from Coastal Dutch Colonial Home, offers tips on refinishing old wide board wood floors with gaps.
Mindy at Fixer Upper, wrote about finally finishing their hardwood floors:
The endless hours of work have already been forgotten, and we’ve taken to gazing lovingly at the wood like proud parents. The refinishing? Without a doubt worth every minute, every dime, and the long 1.5 years we had to wait to tackle it
I couldn't agree more. We have never regretted the time, money, or energy expended in refinishing floors.
Becky at That's A Cute Little Farmhouse, writes about their adventures refinishing their hardwood floors themselves. The
