Homeowners warned against refinishing floors
Refinishing a wood floor could prove to be more stressful than most people think and could even involve damage to your flooring.
Anyone thinking of refinishing floors should seriously consider hiring a professional to do it to avoid any costly errors as this is a task which is usually beyond all but the most experienced DIY enthusiasts.
Jonathan Hardy, who tried refinishing his own floors, said: “You think it will be easy enough if you follow instructions but it really is very difficult to avoid doing anything which might destroy the floors!”
Problems which are commonly encountered include ‘bumps’ in solid wood floors where the sander has paused for a fraction too long, or when the sander is pushed or pulled too hard.
These slight dips in the floor are unsightly and can even be dangerous if people are likely to trip on them.
Another common problem stems from someone with very little knowledge about wood flooring who could potentially attempt to sand down engineered flooring which is too thin for it.
Refinishing floors is also particularly time consuming, especially when you factor in the time which is spent in moving furniture and finding somewhere to rent a sander from.
Flooring expert, Steve Cooper, said: “There is one obvious conclusion: Hire a professional to refinish those floors. This is a job that is definitely tougher than it seems.”
Generally being misinformed is the biggest problem as it only takes a second to seriously damage your solid wood flooring with a sander, or confusion about the stains and finishes which can really ruin a floor.
It is generally agreed that it is worth hiring a professional – it will cost less than attempting it yourself and then having to hire someone to rectify your mistakes, or even paying out to replace the floor entirely.
