Can you refinish plank sub-flooring....and live on it?
Elizabeth C.
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
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Adventures of a Newbie DIY Floor Refinisher (long)
Comments (3)I forgot to say that I first vacuumed and then tacked after each buffing. To tack I used premade tack cloths (the 3 for 97 cents kind cheesecloth with varnish). I pushed them a around standing up, using a long pole with a wall screen pad attached, but with no screen. Katie...See MoreHow many times can a harrdwood floor be refinished?
Comments (10)REALLY? Cut the thickness of her floor and its useful life in half, then just say, ok don't pay me for the finishing, we are even, and leave? She paid for NEW floors and now she has floors maybe half the thickness she paid for. I would not leave it at that and be happy that is for sure! That is why the business has insurance and needs a home improvement license. If they can not refinish a floor without leaving deep grooves with the sander, they should not be doing it. If they hired someone new who was not yet experienced enough, they need to cover the cost of what he damaged. If they can not afford to absorb the cost, they need to file an insurance claim. They should not be allowed to be licensed and continue to do business as floor refinishers if they are going to damage other homes as well. She doesn't WANT to keep the floor. She wants the NEW floor she is paying for. I would say if they are ones that installed it, IF they were willing to tear it up and leave, with no damage to the subfloor, so she could call a new place to install and finish an entirely new floor, that would be reasonable. So, no she wouldn't get to KEEP the floor without paying for it, nor would she have to pay additional labor to have it ripped up, and she could start again. If she had a contractor, like a GC, put in a new unfinished floor and this company was just to put on the finish and ended up damaging the floor, the contractor who installed might not consider he needs to absorb the cost of the new floor and installation. Then the finisher needs to have the new floor put in at his expense. I am putting in my own floor, as you know, and if after all that work, the finishers I plan to hire to make sure I have a professional result, did the kind of damage to it that is described here, I would have their heads! Good Grief! Sue...See Morecan you refinish nailed down pine?
Comments (5)All of the hardwood floors in our area (Rochester, NY) that were installed ca 1920 - 30 are face-nailed narrow strips of yellow or white oak. I've owned three houses with these floors and refinished two of them. It is important to to carefully inspect and use a nail set and hammer to pound down any nail heads that are sticking up; beds is right, a protruding nail head can damage the sanding surface which in turn can damage your floor. Come to think of it, one of those houses was built just post-war, in 1945, and it had the same narrow, face-nailed floors. And all the bathrooms from the era seem to have a marble ... "slabette" between the hall and the bathroom, in the doorway. The name escapes me now, but all three houses had it. White/gray marble with black/dark gray veining....See MoreCan I refinish these floors ? or redo ?
Comments (4)Here's the cost break down for refinishing vs rip out and install new: Refinishing what you have: A. A traditional 'site finished' wood = $5/sf B. A bevelled edge factory finish with Aluminum Oxide = $7-$8/sf C. Refreshing the stairs: $2200 - $2500 total costs Compare that to contemporary wide planked 'pale' hardwood floors with factory finish: A. Purchase of contemporary wood flooring (factory finished) = $10 = $18/sf B. Removal of old hardwood = $2/sf (includes dumping fees) C: Resurfacing stairs = $1200 per set (I can see 3 of these = $3600 or MORE) D: Subfloor preparation = $2-$4/sf (if the old floors were glued this could go up) E: Hiring finishing carpenter to ensure the stairs remain up to code: $100/hour The need to move furniture/storage is the SAME. The amount of time it takes to remove wood or SAND IT is very close to the same amount. Repairing subfloors and dealing with the stairs is going to put the project of 'replacement' on a slower track than the sand/refinish. A water based polyurethane ($6-$7/sf price range) allows the floor to FULLY CURE inside of 7 days. The floors are ready to be 'lived on' after that. Ok...so there you have it. Personally I always look at refinishing the floors where ever possible. A well versed flooring professional can have a quick look/touch of the finish and tell you if it is Aluminum Oxide or not. Once that has been determined, you can then go ahead and work with them to come up with a quote for OIL BASED (turns orange) or Water based (high-end please). With all the stairs involved I would HATE to try to resurface those treads. The cost is going to be enormous....See MoreBeverlyFLADeziner
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