Common DIY Refinishing Mistakes & What a Bad Job Looks Like

Hey folks! This is Tim from A Team Hardwoods LLC.

Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from you all on the internet.

Today's question is:

"Common DIY Refinishing Mistakes & What a Bad Job Looks Like"

Summary:

Tim identifies several common pitfalls with DIY refinishing or hiring the wrong contractor. First, the equipment available to rent simply is not good equipment. Second, mistakes can become very costly: stop digs or sanding down too much of an area force a professional to come in and try to flatten it, and in the process the homeowner may have destroyed their hardwoods entirely. A bad sanding job is especially problematic on stained floors, where failing to get the surface completely flat and even allows old finish to shine through. Tim stresses that refinishing is a craft that takes many years to learn to do right. While it may look easy, it is definitely not something a homeowner should try to tackle over a single weekend, particularly on an expensive floor. These factors, he concludes, represent the biggest mistakes homeowners make in this area.

Answer:

The bad mistakes I'd point to: first, the equipment you're going to be able to rent just isn't good equipment. Next, it could end up costing you a lot more if you have stop digs, or you sand down too much of an area, and then we've got to come in and try to flatten it out. At that point you may have just destroyed your hardwoods. So I'd say a bad sanding job is the big one, especially if it's a stained job and they don't get it completely flat or even, because old finish can still shine through. It's a job that takes a lot of years to learn to do right. It may look easy, but it's definitely not something you just want to tackle on a weekend, especially if you have an expensive floor. So between the poor rental equipment, the risk of over-sanding and destroying the wood, and an uneven sanding job that lets old finish show through, those would be the biggest mistakes.