Renovation question

[EuroSZabina]

So good that I'm back in the city and back to my little place. I needed to do some reno what I just finished around the holiday. New paint everywhere, I'm so bright now , and new kitchen, with less and different decorations in my living room. Means less dusting to do
What a crazy time, but it's done and over with.
Or at least thats what I thought
Oke, I just love it and can't get enough of reno work.
I have done two other homes before and in one of the house the powder room was featured in a home deco magazine.
Everything is so nice , but now I'm looking down and see my hardwood floor has more scratches then ever.
I also did some scrubbing on my hands and knees ,( this is the place for you to use your imagination )
Maybe the scratches will go away.
Nop :doh:
The color on my hardwood floor is really nice, easy to maintain it I wouldn't want to change it.
I heard that you can polish it for about 2-3 times. Mine was never done it before. Virgin floors.
That's right
So my question is, I would like to polish my hardwood. If I hire somebody is it very expensive to do, is it really worth it, does it look like brand new after? When should I do it, and where do I stack up my staff?
Looks like a huge job I want to do it badly but not looking forward to all that mess

Ps I love those electric screw drivers and drills, I need to get one.
Last time I was at Canadian tire or look at them, they had too many kinds, I was too confused which one to get so right now I'm just sticking to my battery operated dildo, lol

Thanks

 

[vancity_cowboy]

is this a true hardwood floor such as solid oak or maple? or a softwood floor such as solid douglas fir? or a wood laminate floor in which wooden laminate panels are snapped together to cover the floor surface?

it makes a difference how you maintain them so you have to provide that information when asking the question

 

[PuntMeister]

Assuming it is a fairly hard wood, the key is likely in doing a good sanding job, then re-finishing with same colour. Polishing likely won't get out all the deep scratches. I re-finished a 40 yr old hardwood floor with a rental industrial sander and re-finishing kit. It definately gave it new life, but I wish I had sanded it deeper. If I was to do it again, I would probably look for an independent handiman who has done floor refinishing a number of times and wouldn't charge me excessively, but had more knack to get the sanding and re-application done better than us weekend warriors.

Punts 2 cents.

 

[VanessaofBC]

I have gorgeous gymnasium finish floors, Szabina. I will see if I can get the contact info for you. Maybe he can stop by and do an estimate. I have been told he is a bit of a diva because his work is that good!!

 

[EuroSZabina]

It's real hardwood floor, not laminate .
Thank you Vanessa, pls pm me his info

 

[badbadboy]

So good that I'm back in the city and back to my little place. I needed to do some reno what I just finished around the holiday. New paint everywhere, I'm so bright now , and new kitchen, with less and different decorations in my living room. Means less dusting to do
What a crazy time, but it's done and over with.
Or at least thats what I thought
Oke, I just love it and can't get enough of reno work.
I have done two other homes before and in one of the house the powder room was featured in a home deco magazine.
Everything is so nice , but now I'm looking down and see my hardwood floor has more scratches then ever.
I also did some scrubbing on my hands and knees ,( this is the place for you to use your imagination )
Maybe the scratches will go away.
Nop :doh:
The color on my hardwood floor is really nice, easy to maintain it I wouldn't want to change it.
I heard that you can polish it for about 2-3 times. Mine was never done it before. Virgin floors.
That's right
So my question is, I would like to polish my hardwood. If I hire somebody is it very expensive to do, is it really worth it, does it look like brand new after? When should I do it, and where do I stack up my staff?
Looks like a huge job I want to do it badly but not looking forward to all that mess

Ps I love those electric screw drivers and drills, I need to get one.
Last time I was at Canadian tire or look at them, they had too many kinds, I was too confused which one to get so right now I'm just sticking to my battery operated dildo, lol

Thanks

I recommend getting a Pro to fix it for you. Sanding, dust removal and staining again is not for the novice and you may end up having someone fix a mistake or two. I know this from trying to fix 1400 sq ft of hardwood on my spare time.

Battery powered screw drivers - try to get one with Li Ion cells since they last longer than NiCd. Unfortunately NiCd provide more torque at the moment. Ridgid, Makita and Dewalt all make good products IMHO.

 

[1nitestan]

As a construction professional I say find a pro to refinish your floors. It takes years of experience to get a floor to look nice and most avg. homeowners simply haven't put in the time to develop the skills required. PM me for a contact.

Cordless tools: The torque gap between Li-Ion vs. NiCd has pretty much closed. NiCd powered tools are all but gone off the shelves unless you're buying cheap stuff from China at a discount tool place. Those will last you about a month before something breaks. For a homeowner, any brand will do- all depend on which colour you want. Pros swear by either Makita or Bosch.

 

[xraytext]

As a construction professional I say find a pro to refinish your floors. It takes years of experience to get a floor to look nice and most avg. homeowners simply haven't put in the time to develop the skills required. PM me for a contact.

Agreed. However you'll want to see the Pro's work and appreciate how they will contain dust and clean up (more for the an occupied home). Also a Contractor may use refinishing products that may require you to vacate for a period of time.

That's not to discount an enthusiasm for DIY. You might want to check with a big box building materials retailer (there's the blue one, the orange one and the Quebec one) - they rent the equipment and their flooring people often do "how to" sessions for civilians - at least you can get "hands on" with the equipment.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

So my question is, I would like to polish my hardwood. If I hire somebody is it very expensive to do, is it really worth it, does it look like brand new after? When should I do it, and where do I stack up my staff?
Looks like a huge job I want to do it badly but not looking forward to all that mess

I polish my hardwood myself all the time. Sometimes as often as twice a day! And yes it does look like a huge job sometimes but if you focus you can get it done in no time. Having a professional do it for me is always preferable but as you said is very costly and sometimes schedules just don't work out and you want the job done now. As for looking band new after, mine usually starts to fade quickly and needs polishing again and again. The mess can be troublesome and this is where having professional help comes in handy. I recommend a shower afterwards. There are lots of good professionals out there and I recommend reading a lot of reviews before choosing the right one for you. If you have the money it's even worth hiring two at the same time.

 

[xraytext]

To all: for light scratches, would a light sanding with higher grit number paper, then top coat suffice?

If possible, be sure to find out what type of top coat (and stain if you strip top coat off) is there now. Oil or water based? ie I'm about certain that water based won't adhere to oil based.

If you have time and don't mind creating noise and dust, renting a SB is an option and cost effective. Unlike a drum sander, a SB is much more user friendly.

I used water based stain and top coat. It didn't smell bad at all. Has held up well.

A lot of variables there ...

If the scratches are light (pet's, moving kitchen chairs, etc) and not gouges then consider a re-finisher.

Product is changing a lot synthetic and water-based (low VOC) are common through retailers. Some Contractors may still have access to oil based product.

[Aside] Sand-blasting (SB) is a wild suggestion, then I remembered a company (but not their name) when I was last in Las Vegas; they've developed a unit for that purpose. These guys have a van (think carpet cleaning) and they use a variety of media (glass pellets, sand, walnut shells) depending on the level of abrasion required. Currently being marketed to Restoration companies or as a franchise play.

 

[1nitestan]

RE: water based products - ie: finishes and glues.

I've used water based finishes and glues before and I can honestly say that 99% of them are crap.

- most of them are marketed as 'low odor' etc. Don't believe it. The chemicals they put in to mask the usual glue/paint smell are often more toxic than the product itself.
- warranty issues - water based glues simply do not have the bonding power of chemical based stuff. Too many unsatisfied customers and callbacks. I always tell my clients that as much as I appreciate their concern for being low-toxicity and environmental, they will not be happy with the results and I don't want unnecessary warranty claims due to their poor choice of products.
- less durability - waterbased finishes can't match the resistance to wear/tear as lacquer based finishes. Yes traditional finishes have fumes but once the coatings 'flash' the fumes are pretty much gone. Work in a well ventilated place and wear a mask and you'll be fine.

 

[sdw]

What I haven't seen mentioned is protecting the re-finished floor while moving the furniture back into place.

There is a very heavy paper that comes in rolls or 4X8 sheets that is designed to protect floors while stuff is being moved around. The installer I saw working used the 4X8 sheets because he said it was easier to place the furniture on the sheet knowing where the edges are than to try to cut through the very heavy paper when you are using the roll product. I can only find the roll stuff on Home Depot's site, but I saw the sheets in the Home Depot last time I was there. http://www.homedepot.ca/product/xmark-construction-board-38-in-x-100-ft/824803