Refinished my own floors once. Never again. Harder work than I expected, results were just okay. But I learned a lot about what the job actually involves.
Can Your Floors Be Refinished?
Solid hardwood – yes, multiple times over its life. Check thickness by pulling a floor register and looking at the edge.
Engineered with thick veneer (2mm+) – maybe once. Thin veneer – don’t try it, you’ll sand through to plywood.
Laminate – no. It’s a photo on fiberboard. Can’t be sanded.
The Equipment
Drum sander for the main floor. Edger for walls. Random orbital for finishing passes. Rent them – nobody owns these for personal use.
Budget $60-100 per day, plus sandpaper in multiple grits. You’ll use more sandpaper than you think.
The Process
Sand with coarse grit to strip old finish. Medium grit to smooth. Fine grit before staining. Each pass with the grain.
Vacuum between grits. Any dust left behind shows up in your finish.
Edge work is tedious and awkward. This is where DIY jobs usually look amateur.
Finish Options
Oil-based poly is durable, adds warmth, takes forever to dry (24+ hours between coats). Water-based is clearer, dries faster, needs more coats.
Three coats minimum for durability. Sand lightly between coats.
Timeline Reality
Plan a full week. Sanding takes longer than expected. Drying can’t be rushed. You can’t walk on the floor between coats. Furniture stays out even longer.
DIY vs Pro
Pros do it faster and better. But they charge $3-6 per square foot. Small room might be worth DIY. Whole house? Probably pay someone.
