Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - New House-Harwood Floors_Refinish How long?
Doityourself.com community forum was created to provide answers to all questions related to home improvement and home repair. Doityourself community can help you find information about how-to topics on small fixes to large remodeling projects. With comprehensive how-to content and expertly moderated community forums DoItYourself.com makes it easy to tackle even the most complex home improvement projects.View Full Version : New House-Harwood Floors_Refinish How long?
dantis
09-07-04, 06:54 AM
Hello All,
Purchasing a new home 8 years young with beautiful hardwood floors. The finish in the high traffic areas is somewhat dull and I would like to have the floors "re-done" The color of the floors is nice, just needs a new top-coat I think. Would like to have it professionally done. What would they do? How long would it take approx. (Kitchen, living room, fam room), and what about drying time? Trying to plan moving in, while someone will be moving into my existing home..HELP!
Ohh my head...
Thanks
Dan :eek:
Purchasing a new home 8 years young with beautiful hardwood floors. The finish in the high traffic areas is somewhat dull and I would like to have the floors "re-done" The color of the floors is nice, just needs a new top-coat I think. Would like to have it professionally done. What would they do? How long would it take approx. (Kitchen, living room, fam room), and what about drying time? Trying to plan moving in, while someone will be moving into my existing home..HELP!
Ohh my head...
Thanks
Dan :eek:
act
09-08-04, 12:02 PM
Dantis,
As a general guideline, your new wood floors will probably need "refinishing" once every three to five years. Of course, there are several determining factors which could change this timeframe. These include: the environment just outside your home (lots of sand to be tracked in; construction nearby; the type of pavement on your driveway, etc.) Other factors would be: level of traffic over these floors (some areas may not need refinishing as often as others), pets (cats with claws and especially large dogs can damage the finish, especially near entryways. Also, pet "accidents" can cause some finishes to deteriorate faster.) Also, how often are the floors swept or vacuumed? (More often is certainly better.)
There is also a method of "sandless" refinishing for hardwood floors. It's called RX for Wood Floors. It can only be used certain types of existing finishes, but it doesn't involve sanding. It may also be that all you need to do is have the dulled areas buffed-out, rather than actually refinishing them. This would save you time and money. There is a test you can perform yourself. Take ONE TEASPOON of water, pick the area of your floor which seems to be most worn, and put two or three drops of water on the floor. If it beads up and you can wipe it away without a trace, then your finish is in good shape and you just need to buff it out. If the water slowly soaks in and leaves a moderate "wet spot" after you wipe it away, then your finish is wearing but not gone. You could have it cleaned and another coat or two of finish applied. If the water soaks in right away, then you definitely need to have it refinished right away.
One website you may find useful is www.nofma.org/careguide.htm. The time it would take depends on the dimensions of the areas to be done. Send me the square footage and tell me what type of finish you have on there now and I'll give you the closest guestimate I can. Drying time depends on the type of finish being reapplied. What do you want on your floors?
As a general guideline, your new wood floors will probably need "refinishing" once every three to five years. Of course, there are several determining factors which could change this timeframe. These include: the environment just outside your home (lots of sand to be tracked in; construction nearby; the type of pavement on your driveway, etc.) Other factors would be: level of traffic over these floors (some areas may not need refinishing as often as others), pets (cats with claws and especially large dogs can damage the finish, especially near entryways. Also, pet "accidents" can cause some finishes to deteriorate faster.) Also, how often are the floors swept or vacuumed? (More often is certainly better.)
There is also a method of "sandless" refinishing for hardwood floors. It's called RX for Wood Floors. It can only be used certain types of existing finishes, but it doesn't involve sanding. It may also be that all you need to do is have the dulled areas buffed-out, rather than actually refinishing them. This would save you time and money. There is a test you can perform yourself. Take ONE TEASPOON of water, pick the area of your floor which seems to be most worn, and put two or three drops of water on the floor. If it beads up and you can wipe it away without a trace, then your finish is in good shape and you just need to buff it out. If the water slowly soaks in and leaves a moderate "wet spot" after you wipe it away, then your finish is wearing but not gone. You could have it cleaned and another coat or two of finish applied. If the water soaks in right away, then you definitely need to have it refinished right away.
One website you may find useful is www.nofma.org/careguide.htm. The time it would take depends on the dimensions of the areas to be done. Send me the square footage and tell me what type of finish you have on there now and I'll give you the closest guestimate I can. Drying time depends on the type of finish being reapplied. What do you want on your floors?