sanding and refinishing hardwood floors in entire house

My house was built sometime in the 50's, and then later wall to wall carpet was added on top of the hardwood floors. Now that my three kids have sufficiently ruined the carpet, I plan to pull up all the carpet and refinish the hardwood. Will there be any significant problems with doing the different rooms at different times? Otherwise I have to concern myself with moving all of the furniture out of the house at one time. My personal feeling is that if I do that, then I might as well move it into a new house.

Reply to
Doug1122
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If you have thresholds inbetween rooms it can be finished so you wont see a line. Sanding makes alot of dust, something you may not want to repeat after a few rooms.

Reply to
m Ransley

You might consider renting one or more storage lockers for your belongings and just move completetly out while sanding. Sanding is a gruesome task and yu don't want to do more than once. Put your family in a nice hotel and they wont' mind.

Reply to
Lawrence

you might do one floor at a time. to minimize disruption. depends on bathrooms etc...

I can remember when wall to wall was DELUXE and sign you were affluent...

The pendelum has swung, now its hardwood..

Frankly carpewt is warmer quieter and less hassle.

you might get a couple rooms refinished then decide if you want to do the entire house, it also gives you a place to store belongings from other rooms.

of course you could cover everything with pre finished fake hardwood, thats easy to do one room at a time.

you existing floors may not be in the best of shape:(

locally there are contractors who are low dust....havent tried them myself I like carpet....

Reply to
hallerb

Personally, I like carpet too. My wife on the other hand wants the hardwood. So alas...I am going to do it with the minimal expense.

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote:

Reply to
Doug1122

Doug, not to worry....go to Home Depot and rent one of their flat vibrating sanders . Follow the directions with the several grades of sandpaper. Then after a good vacuum and wipe of all the dust actually very little with the flat sander use a damp towel for the last wipe up. After that apply 4 or 5 coats of water based poly on top of a stain of your choice. The water based poly dries to the touch in an hour and second coat can be applied after only two hours and there are no fumes. One room can be done today and another tomorrow or next week. My 75 year old floors get some really great comments and the wife loves them too. Muff

Reply to
Muff

You will be renting the drum sander I presume? If you don't have a belt sander you need to rent it too. What I'll do if i have time, and summer is a good time to do it, is to do it in one shot. Equipment rental will run you about $100 each time. I did four rooms beginning of this summer. it is an empty apartment where the tenants just moved out. The size is about 600 to 700 square ft.. Rental runs about 1/3 of the total cost. But the cost consideration is far less important than the aggravation your family has to endure for the job. The dust, noise, and wet polyeurathane. I'd bite the bullet and do it in one shot.

Reply to
yaofeng

i suggest one room at a time. each room to be WELL sealed off from the other rooms. my sister has hardwood floors that require refinishing, what a mess!

i on the other hand have used PREFINISHED hardwoods in the past two houses and LOVE it!

Reply to
readandpostrosie

My preference would be to have a storage unit dropped off. Move out for a week. Have the floors done by a pro. Would give you a chance to paint at the same time. Thoroughly clean & then move back in. Major PITA yes, but it could all be done in a week.

One or two rooms at a time with sanding & dry times for the floors, moving back & forth, & you'll be sick of it before it's over. It will take longer than you think this way.

Reply to
Hugh Glass

"readandpostrosie" wrote in news:k9HCg.368$ snipped-for-privacy@tornado.rdc-kc.rr.com:

Without experience, you will probably put dents in the floor with a drum sander. You have to keep it mooving at a constant rate at all times, lowering the drum to the floor, going across and lifting off the floor. You should use at least 3 coats of a varnish such as polyurythane. Satin plyurethane is not as tough as gloss. Some old timers use tung oil, because it is "spot" repairable.

Take it from me... you should hire a professional, because it won't take long to find out you should have, especially when you find out how hard you sweat!

Reply to
Dave M.

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