Hardwood flooring can take years of use, abuse, and neglect but can be restored with amazing results. While refinishing a hardwood floor can transform a room, and the DIY savings are tempting, take it from us: Do NOT do this job yourself. It’s a long-term investment you’ll enjoy for years to come.
A floor refinishing service will charge $1,139, which includes labor and material, to sand and refinish a 15-by-20-foot room, or 300 square feet. A homeowner can do the job for $160 and save 86 percent. Your cost includes renting a floor sander and edger, sandpaper, polyurethane finish, and a paint roller and brush to apply it.
But the skill of floor sanding can’t be learned easily or quickly because a professional knows how to operate the equipment without gouging the floorboards, while a first timer might let the machine rip and cause hundreds of dollars’ worth of damage.
A homeowner has enough to do with the preparation work needed. Completely empty the room, and remove all the furniture, window coverings, wall decorations and carpeting. Finding somewhere to store all that stuff is not easy.
A pro will seal off the room with plastic sheeting taped to the doorways and room openings, but you still may find a fine grit in nearby rooms. As the floor sanding machine and edger chew up the old surface finish, it spreads a lot of grit and particles throughout the air. Don’t be surprised to find gritty film left on the tops of tables and furniture, or even a fine dusting on your Cheerios.
And if anyone has difficulty breathing, keep them away until the dust settles and is vacuumed away, and the new finish is applied and completely dry.
To find more DIY project costs and to post comments and questions, visit www.diyornot.com and m.diyornot.com on smartphones.
Pro Cost — DIY Cost — Pro time — DIY Time — DIY Savings — Percent Saved
$1,139 — $160 — 11.2 — 2.5 — $979 — 86 percent
