Can You Sand and Refinish Hardwood Floors Yourself? (honest opinion)

[@jimjohnston1416]

Plenty of so called 'professionals' dont give a fig about the quality of work, have no attention to detail or care about the homeowners house. 'Pros' rushing from job to job or looking to finish at 2pm.

[@akieraaakieraa464]

Totally agree - the appalling workmanship and bad attitude of some so-called professionals is staggering.

[@jimmytheslacker]

+ 1. There are professionals and then there are 'professionals'. Part of the problem is that it's really difficult for homeowners to identify reputable, skilled pros. Online ratings might help, but if you live in a village like I do, you'll likely find 2-3 person reviews online that may well be from the pro's mates. "How to Sand a Floor' should do a video on how to identify a quality pro, what Qs to ask, etc.

[@ThesmartestTem]

Yup. One contractor was great for us. But he was also a long time family friend and did lots of work for my parents over the years. We had to hire a different one to repair damage from a roof leak. This company was a mess and did not care about the work they left behind. My 8 month pregnant self had to repaint their entire paint job. It was the worst I've ever seen.

[@HowToSandAFloor]

It does happen, a lot!

[@bigbadboogie6842]

EXACTLY LIKE THAT is how PROS in Sweden work. Now during covid its INSANE. Everyone works from home so they hire people to do their.homes while allready at home to keep track. Prices HIKE and QUALITY FALLS. Absurd

[@michaelbaca7093]

Yeah, you can sand floors by yourself. --It depends on how patient you are, what you want, how much time you have, and what tools have available. -- I've done floors in small rooms by hand, and it was back-breaking work. I wanted a 320 grit finish. I wanted a combination of stain, amber shellac, and water based polyurethane. I didn't have access to a drum sander, so I ended up doing it with a small sander and by hand. It took about a month, and it looks great. Chatoyant grain. Rich color. The work is forgotten, and nobody understands how much work it is, but it's there.

[@mikevidauri1773]

Lol no.. post a pic of that beauty

[@alannewman85]

What actual equipment did you have, and what tools (exactly) would you have preferred to have? What varnish/lacquer should I apply to an Oak floor?

[@michaelbaca7093]

adjn 1973, I'll make a suggestion for your oak floor in another comment. Conditions: --I achieved a full refinish on a 70 square foot area with a 3x18" ryobi belt sander, and a sanding block made by gluing 1" rigid foam insulation to a piece of plywood. Heart pine. The wood had turned dark brown since its last linseed oil finish was applied in 1910. It had partial water damage near the door and my family member attempted to fix the water damage by putting corn oil on the floor. Hence, why I was called in to fix things (Fix is an overstatement). The floor has some cupping, about 1/8" in 4" of board width. ---To blend what I did with the existing 120 square foot room, I had to apply provincial stain. Since the floor was heart pine, I had to sand the area to 320 grit or else the stain will aggressively display sanding scratches. To start the finishing process, I wiped on oil based polyurethane until there was less porosity, allowed 3 days of cure time, then scuffed the floor with scotch brite 7446. I added a coat of dewaxed shellac, then 3 coats of Varathane water based polyurethane as instructued. -- Preferred case: Rent a Bona drum sander and do the whole thing! 36 grit diagonal pass to remove the cupping. 80 grit reverse diagonal to remove 36 grit scratches. 80 grit with the grain, 120 grit with the grain. Come in with the hand pad and pass the area lightly with 220 and 320. Wet with 90% isopropyl to check for sanding scratches. Sand until scratches are gone. Stain with dark walnut. 2 coats of hand wiped Waterlox, 1 coat of oil based polyurethane.

[@michaelbaca7093]

@@alannewman85 For your oak floor: In my root comment, I said "you have to know what you want and what you have." 1: Is your floor stiff? If your floor is stiff/solid (wood floor on top of concrete slab), you can get a glass-smooth finish. Initial 2 coats of oil based polyurethane, allow it to cure until it doesn't smell like finish (1 week). Scuff and cap with a water based aluminum oxide polyurethane like Varathane. Other companies like Bona offer great products as well. 2: Does your floor flex? If your floor flexes, a glass smooth finish can chip at the edges of the boards, which becomes annoying over time. You will want a penetrating finish. 3: Do you want a slightly textured floor? You can use multiple coats of a penetrating finish to get a textured surface. Waterlox Tung oil, Minwax Tung oil, and Arm-R-Seal are products that will penetrate into the wood. If you continue coating, you can have a finish that is glass-like on the wood surface, but not at each wood joint. The floor will develop a "tiger's eye" shine to it. These finishes penetrate deep into the wood. If you re-finish the floor at a later time, the floor will fail to absorb stain. 4: Do not use "Lacquer" I.E. the nitrocellulose product that is dissolved in acetone. It's obsolete for floor applications and involves a tremendous amount of acetone vapor during application. 5: Do you want an amber finish? Amber shellac achieves this and is easy to repair. It is not as durable as the above finishes. Thick applications will clog sandpaper if you re-finish the floor. This product must be applied by hand.

[@dookies2332]

Lol brother !!!! Lmaooooo I hear you. You should be proud man I know this feeling too well. Nobody will know, but it's there. Put that on a t-shirt!

[@bradleyhewitt9999]

Painter here. Long time customer had her floors refinished by professionals about 18 months ago because she didn't know I did floors as well. Well I just redid them. Why? Because the pros job was garbage and this here painter just made them look absolutely amazing.

[@shizuokaBLUES]

You’re so right. I decide to do my own DIY because I have the time and my twenty year old home needed so much work. So in the past year I have done 1. Bathroom and toilet flooring 2. Carpets in entrance and hall 3. Sanding and refinishing kitchen counters 4. Sanding and refinishing floors upstairs and down. And you are so right. I know there are things I simply can’t do and will hire a pro for those jobs. And secondly, no one but me sees the mistakes. Guests and other family simply don’t care. They see whatever DIY I’ve done and say “wow nice job” and it’s forgotten about. The simply don’t see the mistakes. When I go to sell the house maybe I’ll have to have a couple of jobs redone. IF I sell it. The bottom line is, as you said, if you research the work, and don’t skimp on materials and don’t rush yourself, you can make a good enough job that saves money, looks good and you can be proud of. Mistakes? There will be mistakes. Will you be the only one who seems them? More than likely. 🍻

[@publicemail6518]

What did you use to sand down the floors in the smaller spaces? I want to redo my small powder room floor, it won't fit a large sander. I'd love to know what you used. Thank you!

[@shizuokaBLUES]

@@publicemail6518 smaller spaces yes, I have a ''powder room' type area with cedar floors and I used an orbital sander and a hand sander for the corners. I used three different sandpapers and then a damp cloth between sanding, then oil based stain. Not a high gloss stain which would show mistakes more.

[@LondonGooner]

20 year old mines a 100 and that ain't even old in England 🙈 I got so much work to do!

[@ourendtimewalk]

I removed and rebuilt my patio deck. I spent 12 hours watching KZbin videos about it. Ended up understanding who the very good workers were. I also grasped what the building code was, in other states, provinces, areas, and selected the most demanding criterias for my deck. It took me about 60-70 hours building it. It's built JUST AS GOOD as a professional would have done. I did a few things better, and a few details worse (still okay). I saved 10 000$ CAN, it looks good, its strong, it's probably according to code (I saw, afterwards, in my city, pros do what I did). Take your time. Gather all the information beforehand. Watch videos. Don't botch up because you're fed up. Try to be a perfectionist, it will make up for the lack of experience up to a certain point. Pros sometimes cut corners, that's where your perfectionism can catch up. IT'S POSSIBLE!

[@CalifOlivia]

This is the hype speech I needed before sanding my floor, thanks man

[@DeLaBree123]

Did you do it??

[@dw049]

Absolutely right. We bought a new house and the floor boards were in ok condition. The smallest bedroom was to be a home office so thought I would sand and oil them rather than carpet. Didn’t have all the appropriate equipment. It took days of hard work using a belt sander. They look nice but never going to be mistaken for a professional finish. I can live with that and I do get a sense of satisfaction every time I look at the floor.

[@MilesV8]

Thank you for a great and honest video. My wife and I were about to ask a carpenter to sand and refinish our parquet after the room has just been redecorated. But having seen your video, it's probably best if we do this ourselves as we don't have the budget for a flooring professional at this point. I'm just not looking forward to the dust as I'll be sneezing non-stop. But needs must.

[@HowToSandAFloor]

MilesV8 a decent dust mask and you will be fine. I fine even I. Large areas it only takes me an hour to vacuum every possible surface for the dust to land on. It’s not so bad!

[@kcjean827]

The advice and tips I've found on your channel (just recently I might add) have been helpful beyond compare. I'm no professional by any means but finding a great and professional teacher like you is paramount to the process 💜 thank you thank you 😊

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Awesome, thank you!

[@socialkruption]

Pretty much truth. I had to re shingle my home a few years back and the contractors I contacted seemed sketchy so I decided to just do it myself, in the heat of the sun. Did it take me longer vs a professional? Sure. Did it turn out as good? Debatable as it's roofing and people don't exactly zoom in on the roof like a floor but I can say 5 years on, had no problems. Will I try my hand on my hardwood flooring? Nah, I don't have a vehicle to move any rental equipment which is where I norm draw the line on diy vs hiring someone in most cases.

[@erickanorris567]

I refinished 2000 sf of oak flooring myself and refinished with a mix of BLO and Tung oil , extremely hard finish and can be touched up scratches can be buffed without refinishing everything like poly floors. Looks great 12 years later

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Great work Ericka

[@Lisa-dh5nw]

Thanks for this video. I’m in the position of not being able to afford for it to be professionally done but was getting a little discouraged about the comments the professionals have been putting up under DYI videos. It was starting to undermine my confidence in giving it a go. I have already set aside at least four days to work through it because it became apparent it will take forever! Thank you for the balanced opinion. I have watched a few of your videos and they are very informative and well put together.

[@CBROWNS826]

How did it go?

[@PeterParker-bc7mk]

Your videos are the best i saw. Also been doing wood floors for twenty years also redone old chriscraft boats. Ive won awards from historic commissions in boston and new orleans the oldest floors ive refinished are from 1791. I have a tip for you. My final sand or buff prior to poly. I use the fine dust. I mix mineral spirits 2/3 to 1/3 poly add stain if desired. Mop the mixture on then throw down fine saw dust . Work dust across floor direction with broom lightly then buff with fine steelwood pad. This evens everything out cracks knot hold etc and polishes out sanding marks and also really makes the gain diverse and pop. It does make a mess of the baseboards. Was looking for tips on how to apply the poly. I like the lambs wool the best and ive done both pouring poly and mopping it out even and dipping the applicator in a bucket. Both ways i end up with a ( tattoo) in a poor lit area either a run or a drip any advice "wood" help

[@July-A7]

It's not all about budget. I like doing things by myself. I research I learn and then do it. Whatever I've done on my house, which is building half the house from scratch, is done much better than any professional will ever achieve. I trust no tradespeople. As long as I'm fit and healthy, nobody comes in my house to build/fix.

[@terrythomas790]

I totally am like you!! ​ "Just hire a professional!" That doesnt necessarily mean that they know what they are doing. Maybe years ago, but todays world is different. Not many put the extra effort , and always wanting to do things fast ,but get good pay. Some show less pride in their work. Im in my early 60's, and learned quite a few things on my own with excellent results. And alot was from my father . After seeing and experiencing a few shit jobs from "professionals", I now will try just about anything before I hire someone for a project. When I first bought my older home there was carpet just in the living room. And theres hardwood throughout the house. We just wanted the entry and den refinished, so we hired "professionals" to do it. It looked fine until a few years later when we removed the living room carpet. The living room is off to the right of our entry. Where the the two different surfaces, carpet, and hardwood met, the floor isnt flat anymore. I know from seeing it that whoever used the belt sander must stopped at that edge without raising the drum and in the process of multiple back and forth passes,, the sander just dug deeper into the surface! It really wasnt noticeable until the 2 room surfaces of the hardwood was exposed next to each other.. Again, just because someone has a company, and calls themselves a professional doesnt mean that they "know" what they are doing. Im not saying everyones like this, but Id rather do things myself . I saved thou$ands" by doing things myself since buying my home. It also gives one a sense of pride when things get done. Ive done things from gutting and totally redoing my bathrooms, plumbing included to fabricating and installing my oak kitchen cabinets from scratch. I bought some good tools(table saw, raised panel door router bits, etc), and they are better than bought. ZERO particleboard ,which people pay out of their asses for today. Coming this year, Im doing a 50 ft long herringbone, paver sidewalk! Im so glad I grew up in a different era when there was more to living than just looking all day at an overpriced phone! LOL (it really isnt funny)

[@TheIdeanator]

Engineer here who budgeted 2 weeks and am definitely going to miss that target. Im in the process of redoing my own floors. All 1600sqft or so of em, stairs included. I think you can do nearly as good as the pros with some research (such as watching stuff from h2saf), but it will absolutely take you longer to do. But it suuuuuucks so much. Edge sanding ancient finish is a nightmare and ive gone and pulled something in my back. If i had the money i'd hire someone since the floors are all continuous and should be done all at once (that and im not moved in). If it were several rooms seperatedit wouldnt necessarily be such a pain. That and if there were newer varnish. I swear this stuff must be 40+ years old. Gummy as hell and yanks the sander. 36 grit pads last 10 feet with some careful technique and a bunch of luck.

[@Jules_Pew]

Last time I did a floor it took me 2 weeks from start to finish. One of the most relaxing holidays ever as I couldn't let my mind wander. Doing another one atm, but shouldn't take quite as long this time.

[@kidsschool2140]

I have done my bedroom and dining room and currently working on my living room. I definitely made mistakes but it saved me a ton of money. It’s just a pain in the butt.

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Yes it is. Even for the pro’s 😂

[@bryfromtheharbor7321]

He is right. I just did 1500 sq ft. from his videos. It takes days and the help I got was not good. The floors looks better, but nothing like he can do. This is tough. We had lots of edging 2 solid days on knees with an edging machine. If i did another one now it could look sweet, but I'd have to have the time and energy. Rental machines are far from dust free.

[@jdogmcnasty1980]

I did mine over the weekend. It hard, I’m sore, worked from the time I woke up till the time I went to bed, took a lot more time than I thought. But it looks miles better than before. Is it a pro job? No. Will anyone say “dude it looked better before”, nope! Time and patience goes along way on this job. Plus the right tools FIRST, saves you a lot of headache.

[@boudreux9318]

Depends on the person mate. I have found that I spend much more time on my floors (and other projects) than any professional ever would simply because of the time involved in doing it RIGHT is cost prohibitive to most companies. Unless a homeowner is prepared to pay top-dollar for a reputable contractor (that is probably booked up for months in advance) a person with decent understanding of carpentry and access to youtube can do quite fine on their own,.. if they take their time. Just my opinion.

[@LeftRightReviews]

I've had bad experiences with pros in the past but I feel that a true pro shouldn't have to spend a lot of time on a floor to do it right.

[@Dog_gone_it]

i like how brutally honest you are. sometimes we amatures need that. true friends stab you in the front, not in the back :)

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Kenneth Welch I wish my friends thought the same way, they can’t handle my brutal honesty 🤣

[@Z-Ack]

No true friends kick you in the nuts when you have a cup on.. you need new friends bud...

[@humbuckingstrat]

I agree with you all accounts! Couldn’t have said it better! I am a professional plumber, and know exactly where you’re coming from on everything. That being said, I am going to be doing my own hardwood floors, I’m gonna be watching all of your videos for sure before I tackle this job. What stain, lacquer, polyurethane, etc. , should I use on my 80 year old pine flooring ? Or should I use tung oil ?? Please tell me what you recommend, I will buy whatever you say. And thanks so much for the videos and knowledge!!

[@worldsails2000]

There is so much truth in this video. If I had unlimited money I would hire professionals for everything I fix around the house. I really enjoy learning how to do new things and doing things for myself.

[@theirmanager5204]

About to buy my first house and anticipating needing to do this. I don’t have a big budget, but I’m invested in researching and putting in the time.

[@terrythomas790]

Go for it. !

[@paulwellnitz5798]

I'm a carpenter who has never actually sanded an old wood floor before... until last week...he is exactly right...I was arrogant in thinking, "I work with wood every day, it's going to be easy"...how wrong I was. Dealing with stains, dips, and the DUST....!....The scratches, if you do not get them out by the time you stain, will greatly stand out. Do your research!

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Paul Wellnitz thank you Paul!

[@sandrakayd]

Thank you so much for all the information. I'm 69 a woman, and trying to refinish my floors. It's been a lot of back breaking work so far!! So I came back to do more research. So glad I found you!! I had watched some of the "fails".....well, I'm a perfectionist. I got the floor sanded, but was sure it wasn't going to finish well. So, after watching you, I will sand again, and get it right!! Especially love the video about the natural look, as that is what I am looking for!!

[@kenwaltson7113]

Try calling some professionals and getting a price on the ruff sanding your floors and possibly doing the final straight cut after that rent a buffer or a machine called a trio and finishing it yourself

[@FishfryOGMcTaco]

Something nobody talks about is expectations. You can do anything you try, just don’t expect gold on the first go. Be realistic and know you get what you pay for.

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Very well said

[@MtBArN]

I've met and worked with plenty tradesmen that have been working for 30-40 years and they are still shite at their job mate. I think everyone is different, some folk rush other skip processes and some just don't give a fuck because the clients don't know any better sadly.

[@HowToSandAFloor]

This is true, its frustrating that clients cant seem to discern between the guys who are committed to quality and those who don't give a damn. Typically the ones that dont give a damn are much more confident

[@krakenwoodfloorservicemcma5975]

Most clients don’t know shit and are arrogant a-holes.. I certainly don’t give a fuck anymore.

[@Geoduct123]

rent the right equip and i dont see the problem. found it pretty satisfying like pressure washing my driveway

[@thollis0514]

Nothing alike

[@ajormond8470]

Your bloody awesome 👌 you saved us thousands! Because our common sense was supported by your practical experience and common sense 👏!!!! Your awesome 👌 thousands of KZbin viewers share be watching this guy if they are renovating or a old hand at DIY...EVEN PROFESIONALS GET IT WRONG

[@nealklomp6778]

So, I'm the son of a carpenter and was raised and trained to do carpentry stuff, did it professionally briefly, worked as a skilled tradesman in another field, etc. Generally it seems like I can do as good a job as a pro, I just have to take my time and occasionally except the fact that I'm going to have to redo what I've done to make it perfect. And it even then, sometimes there might be a small imperfection here or there. Pros aren't perfect either. They just do it way fucking faster. Like I'm about to resurface about 1100 ft² of hardwood floor, it's going to take me 2 weeks, maybe three, and a pro would do it in a couple of days. I'm also not going to work full-time at it but you know, it's still a valid point.

[@stephanieanderson1650]

I am so glad I found your channel. I’m in the middle of doing my floors and got bad advice from the hardware store employee, I was told I could sand my floors with a little hand sander. Surprise! You can’t on 100 year old pine flooring

[@HowToSandAFloor]

stephanie anderson oh wow, yeah. Pine is actually quite tough to sand, even with the big machines. Hand sanders would be a nightmare!

[@tommytufguy3432]

Holy shit!

[@pound6599]

Sorry, Stephanie! Why would he tell you that? Crazy! Just out of curiosity, what model sander do you have and how many square feet is the room that needed sanding?

[@lb7325]

Great summary of the DIY process. A couple comments. Yep the budget is a big factor. My dilemma is I want to live in my house and do a room at a time. Even then there's barely room to store the room contents while doing the floor. Also DIYers, factor in the age of your oak flooring. 60 yr old oak is wicked hahd and goes through belts very quickly (tip:run a wire brush over the belt to remove the floor varnish and get a few more passes). But I save the cost of a gym membership while the belt sander gives me a workout. Keep smilin.

[@pound6599]

It is definitely possible for a DIYer to do a really good job on his/her floor. I just recommend watching plenty of videos, and I mean watch 15 or more videos ranging from the big companies, such as Bona, contractors, experienced DIYers, and those who have no clue as to what they are doing. The professionals make it look easy, so you need to see someone who is on your level, just to see how difficult it is and to learn from their mistakes. There are some very detailed videos online. It is also important to read up on how to properly prepare your floor for stain and/or oil- and water-based polyurethane. Well, I’m not going to write a book. If you do it yourself, don’t be lazy and say, I was going for the “rustic look.”

[@arpad9]

Good videos and I think what you're saying is right. However, the problem is that after many experiences with "professionals," it's hard to find ones that's care as much as the homeowner. They just want to come in, slap it together and leave. So yeah, It's going to take me longer and my skill level is much lower but I'm going to be much more of a perfectionist about it than many contractors I've met.

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Yes and this is why it is possible for some DIYers to do a better job than *some* pros. However, if you get 3 quotes and you pick the guy you’re most confident in. There is very little chance you will be able to do as good a job. Almost 0 chance

[@arpad9]

@@HowToSandAFloor Can't argue with you. Wish everyone worked like you do. Cheers.

[@MileHighRedoy]

You are spot on about builders and GC's thinking they can do it because "they know everything about construction." I've resanded a few floors that they absolutely butchered. I'm sure some do it yourselfers could take the time with a palm sander and go through 3-4 grits and get it to look good enough for natural floors with no stain but there is zero chance of making it look good enough for a dark stain without the right tools and the knowhow. It's definitely nothing like staining a peice of furniture.

[@toddbowman2243]

I love folks that try sand their own floors! They usually get a lot of the old finish off before calling me, it helps...... I totally agree with you. People that sand their own floors always show me how well they have done. I just go along with it and say yea it looks great. However, if I had given them that finish they would have never paid. Not only is the sanding hard but knowing which finish to use and how to apply it evenly is very important. It cracks me up to see people at the hardware store with their gallon of minwax and square paint pad. Thirty one years doing floors and I still learn things from time to time.

[@kenwaltson7113]

Do you buff your stain on using a fluffy toilet seat cover over a buffer wheel

[@zacharymilos392]

I refinished a floor of stairs (maybe 10 stairs) and it took me at least 5 hours. When I started out I thought I'd finish in 1-2 :D haha. However, local guys will charge $4-5 per square foot... That means to do my entire livable floor space, it's probably $6k. I can do it myself for $1,000 in rentals and material. It's tough to not DIY.

[@terrythomas790]

Right, you can screw up a few times and redo it yourself, and still be ahead !!

[@13612]

You got that right, I literally just wasted a week of my labor sanding myself the wrong sequence and wrong tools. I tstarted with an orbital thinking it would take on clean nicely milled unfinished red oak. It's much like machinework on metals...you can see the differences in sheens by the 100ths of an inch or even less on metals as I recollect when I worked for a couple months in a machineshop. Everything has a proper sequence and changing it up doesn't yield the end result that has been tried and proven. Thanks for the video and I am going to now take a break from my floor and take it on once more, but taking the right sequence of sanding with proper grits and with the proper machines in the proper sequence. I think failure is the best teacher sometimes.

[@Mrsnufleupagus]

I'm in Canada and it's the same here. Other trades have a fake sense of confidence and just have at it, making a crap job!! I need to pop over to that fail vid, I have a feeling I am going to giggle! I've been in flooring for 12 years and am trying to start a market garden, my back ain't what it used to be, lol:))

[@bartosullivan8050]

I've seen some "Professional" jobs in every aspect of construction and restoration. That's why as a guy approaching seventy, I do it all myself whether it's concrete, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, masonry, tiling, cabinet making, and excavation. I do wish I'd learned welding and I stay off the roofs. I don't bounce like I used to😊

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Why do you wish you’d learned welding?

[@bartosullivan8050]

@@HowToSandAFloor I just think I would enjoy fabricating steel. Just never took the time.

[@wolfofoptions12]

Agreed, youtube is absolutely LITTERED with flooring "how to's" that are absolutely horrific. This is followed by people in the comments saying its the best video they have ever seen. Be careful out there folks, leave it to the professionals.

[@bullgamer7343]

I did mine and treated it like I was prepping a car. Came out really good.

[@carlnikolov]

I watched your other videos. Beautiful job. I dont have the budget. I learned from your videos to take your time sanding... its the worst...most time consuming part but you have to take your time....take your time! It can take over a week easily

[@sstritmatter2158]

You're a really nice guy for posting these videos. Thorough and honest.

[@brettheath3182]

My diy tip is hiring equipment puts pressure on when running out of time and rushing the job. Had previously put too big of area and not fully going up the grades of paper. Plus bieng buggered by it. Also be fully prepared before you hire. This means nails punched, curtains and tv's covered. Use a drum sander with slide on paper. Much tuffer than the flat paper that screws down on the drum.

[@gabriellekelly3462]

I don't know anyone who would do that, if they had the money! Lol. My hubby & I have a fixer upper. Hardwood floors were under the carpet we pulled up. 👌 Needless to say, we don't have alot of money. 5k to redo the floors would be about 1/10 the cost of the whole house. We don't care about perfection, just hopefully better than what we have now. Which is hard wood floors with a ton of imperfections and no finish, that have been under carpet for the last 50 years. We're hoping to this ourselves and we'd be okay with just doing an okay (not awful) job of it lol 💪

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Gabrielle Kelly I hope it goes well Gabrielle!

[@nickd4093]

Take the time to get to know your sanding machine by using a lighter grit, 36 instead of 20. If you are prepared to invest the extra time, and have basic skills and the determination to do the job.. You really can sand floors, make sure your wearing appropriate PPE. Dust is really nasty..

[@oldspice0104]

You are right about people (like me) who are confident and think they know wood end up redoing the job. I have drum sander marks evident after fine orbital sanding. Please advise shall I re-sand with drum sander with finer (60 and then 100) grit which I skipped earlier. Do you think going at an angle will help?

[@Jayjayuk12345]

I put my hand to most DIY. Sure 20 years in the business does help making that extra special, but mostly having the right equipment is key. If i had 20k of Lagler floor sanding equipment, i reckon i could do a decent job. Sadly i don't

[@Yoman5318]

So glad to find your videos, I saw some of the fail vids and thought "oh ok so I can try!" "oh we have an orbital sander" LOL but luckily your videos popped up and we will not be attempting any of that jazz!! We also now know what to look for in a pro.

[@Alphaproximita]

Dude touring the plant, your awesome and committed to your craft, an expert. Thanks for all the help!

[@gregO00O]

I like to learn how to do new things. Working on my house has been fun.

[@jameswilliams663]

Wise words of encouragement and empowerment for the Diyer. One might say that he states the obvious, perhaps true, but he states it clearly and informatively. However the question still remains. Well I.am still undecided. I found a ‘good guy’. I’ll get an estimate and delve into it some more. Thanks

[@mike85180]

maybe it's your british accent, maybe it's your experience,,maybe it's both, but you seem like an authority on the subject and I trust your wisdom.

[@motsigman]

I assume you are American Mike, so gullible

[@mike85180]

Are you ok blue?

[@ktruong111]

If you have the right tools for the job, you’ll get a job well done with the right tools.

[@projectmanagement2356]

I know plenty of men with tools that can't do s***

[@krakenwoodfloorservicemcma5975]

It’s not the tools you use, it’s the fools you use that make all the difference.

[@Flytieco]

I watched a lot of videos before finding yours and I was like yup this is the guy.

[@HowToSandAFloor]

jushix85 I’m surprised I didn’t come up sooner!

[@tipr8739]

2:47 you hit the nail on the head here. 3 kids and a wife at home and i would LOVE an extra $10k to hire a professional. But by the time I fetch that money, the floor will be too far gone that it will have to be replaced.

[@cr-ew8od]

Thanks for saying this we're not saying we don't want a professional we just can't afford one!

[@HowToSandAFloor]

I need to change the thumbnail, people are getting upset because they think I’m really saying that and it’s not just clickbait!

[@daw162]

my wife just got a quote to do two rooms in our house (they're not small rooms, though). I've refinished some of the floors in the house to a professional level, but I do instrument and cabinetmaking work and have sat on the floor to do it. Doing a wide open area over a period of some days is unattractive. The first section of floor that I did with solvent finish is spectacular looking still (12 years later, bedroom, so lower traffic). I did a second section of the floor in the house and a mislabeled (evasively labeled, we'll see) WB finish is what I used. 5 years ago. The WB finish still pales compared to solvent finish. Here's where the quote went wrong - the guy offering to do our floors claimed it would take his crew 3-5 days and the two rooms would be $3k. If they have a crew of two to three guys, they're not spending that long - I think they are counting light sanding between coats and applying an extra coat as a "day". It all sounded good to my wife - solvent finish isn't in short supply here, one just has to be careful with the labeling because the retailers handling the finish will first tell you that the WB finish is just as good (it isn't) and the cans often label the finishes evasively. how many people will do as good of a job as a pro? I will. I will probably do a better job. But it will take me a lot longer and I will resent it while doing it. There aren't many real cabinetmaker's left (I don't mean employees, I mean like master cabinetmakers), but the floors that those folks do (along with instrument makers) will probably all look very good and they might get carried away with color uniformity and repair and finish redoing a floor. The contractor mentioning WB above suggested the expected life of the floor will be 5 years and then they will need to be addressed. One might as well do floors with buttonlac if that's the expectation - it will be far easier to refresh every several years and buttonlac isn't likely to disappear from the market.

[@mcg6762]

I've found that I can often do a BETTER job than a professional. The trades people I've dealt with always cut corners to save time and it shows in the end result. Not talking about sanding floors. Mostly plumbers, electricians and carpenters.

[@gaidhliglass]

In process of sanding/ polying my floors; going room by room. Floors had a black stain with a plastic coating that started peeling off a month after we moved in. The dark colour in the rainy PNW isn't a good combo. I discovered these are red oak floors and beautiful after sanding the hallway closet. All BRs and hallway are complete. LR next.

[@Alloy7]

There's only one rental agency in the San Francisco area that rents Hummels and Bona ProSand machines, and that's what I tell homeowners to use. No one rents Trios, so they're out of luck, there. And a rental company is not going to have a Hydra buffer attachment for the buffer. So, yeah, there's only so much I can advise a homeowner to do on their own. If they have access to professional machinery, then some of them can turn out a great product. The one thing I recommend, for anyone, is to use light bulbs to monitor your work. I have a hard time getting my crews to use them, but they're vital. A light bulb will show up all kinds of problems with your sanding job: divots, scratches, and edger swirls all show up BEFORE you apply the stain. With a natural finish, it's not so important. With a stain of any kind, use lightbulbs!

[@HowToSandAFloor]

I always advise DIYers don’t stain too, so difficult for someone without experience to do a good job with it. Almost impossible

[@tanner4828]

I learned to fix my own car because the 'professionals' kept wrecking it.

[@kidneycarecoaching3766]

Nice accent, ur skills are off the charts…super neat.

[@richardwillmon9581]

OK, Ben, I wish you were here in the U.S. instead of so far away across the pond! I refinished (as a DIY'er) a full set of Oak stairs without seeing any of your video's! I got lucky! Your ability to go into such great detail separates you from most of the others!! I sincerely appreciate your honest approach, talking to Neophytes like myself, to improve our woodworking skills beyond the "beginners stage" whether floors or stairs or whatever wood refinishing projects we might have. Thank you! Again, your detail is terrific! One quick question: Laminate floors here are very thin, maybe 2 millimeters max! Most video's do not go into much detail about refinishing this type of floor. However, one did tell us that it probably could be a one time project, high grit sandpaper, and ever so carefully! Do you have any thoughts on this process? Thank you, buddy! See you again soon! P.S. Now I'm whispering in your ear. Did I count at least 7 or 8 times the scratching of the nose in one of your videos? LOL! Your new friend, Terry!

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Richard Willmon I don’t know why I do that, I have always been like that. I think it’s exaggerated in my videos because I’m nervous. I hate it!! And contrary to what some think. I have never taken cocaine in my life! I do have very sensitive skin

[@geneliasmith1070]

Someone lazy like me can't do it! I would definitely hire any historic hardwood floor restoration company who could do this task for me. There are so many, one of them I know is Wayne Maher Hardwood Flooring. He has one best thing, he provides free in-home estimates for flooring installation, repair, or restoration.

[@darrinblitch4912]

Just wanted to say great job on you're floors. Plus I absolutely loved you're advice you was saying in you're video.

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Cheers🍻

[@billfred666]

This is the exact opposite of my experience gained through renovating a house. Every single time that I've got a professional in to do anything including plumbing, plastering, etc, etc, they have always done terrible work. I've had tradespeople lie to me about what needed to be done in order to charge more. I've had 'work' done that has taken me longer to fix than it would have taken for it to do properly myself. Additionally, I've been uncovering and correcting mistakes made by the original builders as well. Mistakes that would have been easy to do right initially but are a real nightmare to fix after the fact. Every time I've done something myself, it's been far less expensive and ended in a far better result. What I have learned is to avoid 'professionals' wherever and whenever possible when it comes to these kinds of trades. The standards right across the board are extremely low in the UK at least.

[@Raven.flight]

Just found your channel, and it looks like just the ticket. My floors are currently lacquered, but really needs to be looked at. The previous owners didn't do a great job. However, I don't mind having a go at it myself, and am doing research. My question is, how do you 'join rooms'? I know it would be better to do the whole house in one hit, but that's just not going to happen, so I want to do the best possible job 'room by room'. Once I've completed one room, and then go to the next (adjoining) room, how to I prepare the joint area (under the door) to minimize the lap?

[@LeftRightReviews]

Such a great question!

[@paulphillips3707]

Great video, thanks.

[@Maxid1]

First time I did it? Longest 20 hours of my life. 10ft x10ft floor. It turned out nice, but I started out with the wrong equipment. Also finished with the wrong equipment. (I rented a floor buffer (square buff floor sander) when what I really needed was a drum sander. Nightmare!). But I did spend the time setting all the nails in the floor before I started to sand.

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Maxid1 I did it wrong for 3 years! Was taught by an amateur 😬

[@Frank2889]

@@HowToSandAFloor Same thing happened to me for 2 years.. i had to relearn almost everything from a guy in his 60's with well over 40 years of experience... and after 10 years i'm still learning new things alsmost everyday...

[@TheMijman]

Speaks volumes that he only likes and replies to comments agreeing with him, and doesn't to those who disagree, even with evidence.

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Lol, I’ll reply to anyone. I spend too much time replying to negative comments/negative people

[@s_lauren]

My family does not have the money to hire a professional. I am trying to help my mom out with redoing the hardwood flooring. Is there any way you could make one video with everything you may need, and a start to finish video? I am so thankful for your videos, I have watched many of them! Just trying to save money as my mother doesn’t have a job right now, just trying to help her out! Thanks!

[@JanoyCresva66]

lol this guy is so much into his job that he thinks everyone sees all the little mistakes. I will probably be doing this myself and i dont care if it doesnt look perfect. Btw doing something by yourself instead of hiring another person to do it is much more fun.

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Janoy Cresva come back and tell us of your experience once you’ve done it

[@JanoyCresva66]

@@HowToSandAFloor i will! Your videos will help me out though hehe

[@jmack619]

@@JanoyCresva66 WELL????

[@JanoyCresva66]

@@jmack619 havent done it yet, i dont know if im going to

[@jmack619]

@@JanoyCresva66 Maybe I can out procrastinate you!

[@madelinebutler2389]

Thanks for the tip! My husband wants to put down new flooring in our small 900 sq ft home, but I would like to refinish the wood floors...they have been badly abused and had two different types of floor covering (laminate & carpet) our budget is tight and I think redoing the original floors is a better option. Cheers! From TEXAS

[@krakenwoodfloorservicemcma5975]

I rework old floors that have been covered in glue all the time.. usually they are worth saving.

[@pound6599]

What did you decide? I hope you refinished them.

[@madelinebutler2389]

@@pound6599 unfortunately we did not refinish the floors 😔. After pulling up all the carpet there were unrepairable areas, so we put down new flooring. We just finished the house this week and I couldn't be happier with the results. Thanks for asking 😊

[@jacquelinewilliams2740]

Come to LA for a fantastic stay in our pool house. Free car, room, and board while you stay on our property in the heart of Los Angeles and redo our floors! We will cover the costs of all materials and tools! I love your work!

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Jacqueline Sharp this sounds too good to be true! How many square feet do you have? Is it oak?

[@multiplemaniacs-hj8or]

Of course I can do it myself. I'm no professional, but I've done about 10 of them over the years. Not as hard as you commercial guys want us to believe. I realize you're trying to convince people they can't do it and NEED YOU, that's just not the case. This is how I would do it. :)

[@HowToSandAFloor]

OK

[@davidwoody4040]

Im a pro floor man in kentucky and just wanted to say hey and love the videos to everyone in you tube land listen hire a pro u will be happy and the floor will be to trust me

[@lupdomnitor6192]

Sure thing do it for $500 and Im sure most ppl will hire a pro!

[@tomfedor401]

I watched your video on applying stain with a roller on a pine floor looked great what I do is I use bona quick dry stain and apply it to a carpet pad on my buffer and one pad to put on stain and switch out to another carpet pad to get rid of excess stain no lap marks at all bona is all I use stain and finish wise

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Are you in the states? I hear the bona stain is good there. It’s a different formula here no one uses it

[@RNicolasRuvalcaba]

I have 32 years experience sanding and finishing hardwood floors in Hawaii and southern California. I'm certified by Bona, DuraSeal and Lagler and I've never had a single negative review since I've had my flooring license, which is 17 years. In my opinion it's a complete waste of time and money to try and do it yourself because I guarantee that you will still go over budget in trial and error, in other words wasting supplies. Also, nowadays engineered wood floors are very common and the wear layer is so thin that you probably only have one shot at getting it right, so you couldn't even hire a pro to fix it because there won't be enough there left to sand. Not to mention that rental equipment is so inferior that it would even be difficult for an experienced professional to do a decent job with machines from a rental yard. So what should you do ? You could install some type of cheap carpet or flooring over your wood floors temporarily, then when you've saved enough to do your wood floors right then hire a professional. This way your floors are actually being preserved rather than possibly doing irreversible damage to them.

[@7colliemac]

I understand what your saying & I partly agree.. we renovated my daughters house, kitchen, bathroom, stairs, deck.. ok the cabinet maker stuffed up twice, before we sacked him, bathroom tiler slipped & smashed our new white bath tub, then the carpenter got CREAM bath tub that was 25mm smaller that meant the floor tiles didn’t meet the tub & he had to cut a 25mm strip to make it fit, it looks dodgy, then charged us $1300 more than our nearest quote, because the “builder” wanted to go with this idiot 😡.. the only thing the didn’t go belly up was MY work, painting all the interior & installing laminated flooring which I have never done, I reckon I did a pretty good job, so did others. So “professional’s” don’t always do a good job, but want top money for it. We had a pro sand & paint our kitchen floor, didn’t do a great job, had bubbles in it here & there.. if you can find a tradesman who takes pride in his work, good luck. I’m seriously thinking of sanding & painting my daughters hardwood floor.. why half the guys we called didn’t even turn up, the others cant come for months.. I know it will be a challenge & if I stuff up.. it’ll be MY stuff up.

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Sounds about right 😂 I havent had great experiences either

[@hvitlotus712]

Hello Benjamin, I was told that if you are polishing the floor, it is very harmful to health, a lot of wood dust will blow into the lungs and eyes. What precautions do you use? I want to learn how to do it and I want to buy a training course for beginners from you. What can you advise me?

[@leonardusl5141]

Wear a respirator

[@dmmusicmusic]

I dependson the existing condition of the floors your learning aptitude, skill and stamina, as well as how many other things you've got to do. If you're swamped otherwise and have the money, no matter how good you are pay a professional because it's definitely not easy even though it's possible to do a good job.

[@Akdave2020]

Im a flooring technician and i cant even tell you how many people have screwed themselves over by watching videos on youtube on “how to refinish hardwood floors” and they always make it sound so easy and not a big deal then the customer goes and pays a good amount of money on renting 3 different sanders all the sand paper for the 3 machines dont even have a clue about the specialty tools we use so they dont get those but then buy the stain and the polyurethane and start the process and usually find out really quick that they bite off more than they can chew or they bought too course of sand paper and go too slow with the machines and then finally after all of that call us to come “take a look” just for us to tell them they used too course of sand paper and that their floor had actually been sanded 3-4 times prior to them doing it and now they have sanded the tongue and groove out of the floor and all the rows are gapping up and becoming loose and we have to now explain to them that to fix this they need a new floor well how much does this cost you ask…..🤔 well usually for a normal sized house youre looking at 20,000$ for a new 3/4 inch thick solid hardwood floor and thats just for the wood not the labor to install it so yeah keep on watching them diy videos on the web youll figure out how to actually do it after spending 50,000 and sanding for 5 years

[@HowToSandAFloor]

You simply cant do as good as a pro (a good pro of course 😂) Unless you have lots of experience sanding. However. The amateur can hopefully go from something that is a total abomination and regret, so something that they can live with.

[@justalittletoointrusive]

So, I'm in a fairly unique situation. I used to lay Vinyl and sand floors but 14 yrs ago, so well out of practice (I'm watching your vids to try and remember the process). Great chanel btw I have gotten a lot of great info from your vids, thank you. I got a quote to do my floors (Tasmanian Oak layed in the 50s) and the quote was higher than buying 2nd hand machines. So could i ask for a vid where you go through the tools, brands, styles and what pit falls could end up costing us more if we try to buy 2nd hand tools?

[@maries2313]

Just found your videos. The first question: Is it possible to break the job up, as not do all 900 square feet of floors in one shot? Could you "blend" / transition nicely say the living room to the next area if refinished at a separate time? I have only seen some vids where they completed the entire floor at same time. Thank you!!

[@arthurmomo4406]

No you can’t. You have to send the whole house in one shot.

[@bombusaffinis]

@@arthurmomo4406 If the rooms have a threshold between them though it may not be noticeable

[@allaboutroofing2]

@@bombusaffinis only if separate areas, but why? Just get it done and move on.

[@brilopez8623]

Came for the info (top notch), stayed for the drinking game (also top notch).

[@DanielWSonntag]

I don't mind having our amazing local floor guy sand my hallway floor, but should I remove the linoleum tiles and glue for him?

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Definitely the tiles maybe the glue if it comes off ok. I’d say take the tiles off then call him for a quote and get his thoughts

[@cbrummettful]

Great vids with great info! I am a carpenter and now you have me rethinking my ability to refinish my floors! 🤔

[@HowToSandAFloor]

But you’re doing what most carpenters don’t, and looking it up online, so you’re ahead of the curve

[@miguelcortes7132]

Well getting a pro was my intention but in my local area there are no pros, so I have 3 options: get a professional from other city and pay for commodities (expensive), contract a handyman or a carpenter (not recommended) or do it myself.

[@HowToSandAFloor]

Miguel Cortés check out my video course and do it yourself!

[@tanenbenkavod1519]

MOST professionals do a "quick sh*tty job". If you try to do things yourself...hmmm, at worst case scenario you will do exactly that a "quick sh*tty job". Except you won't have to pay for it (i mean... professional price ;) for a "quick sh*tty job). And you'll learn something new. So if you've got time, do it yourself. It is for you a win-win situation 90% of the time.

[@dyanasabet9782]

Please help. I just got my floors redone but I painted the walls and kind of got paint everywhere. Should I spot sand the paint?

[@Mike-tf7wb]

I did. Super easy when dealing with real wood and not pergo garbage.

[@LeftRightReviews]

I hired a pro who did a crap job! The pro I hired had someone else do it so that he could take another job. He told this guy...basically warned him about my expectations and that I was knowledgeable about the process. Well he screwed it up. The stain is blotchy is some areas, there are sweat marks in several areas, swirl marks and he gouged the floor where he used the scraper in between stair spindles. Also, I think he laid ONE coat of Bona Traffic HD 🤬 As a novice/DIYer, I would have never done that. It's so bad that the pro I originally hired offered to do another room for free.

[@tomcrosby8534]

Kind of a knotty floor--is that the style or what's available on the UK?

[@jasonrobertson1284]

Every mistake or issue in my home was a 20+ year professional. I am now replacing tons and my 9 year old did better pex crimps than the "professional"

[@jyang0431]

I love hardwood floors but have seen tons of diys of people "painting" there floors. What are your opinions on this and can you make a video on it? Is it a good idea? Thanks!

[@jeckelcode]

Jack of all trades, whenever I hear that my confidence in that individual; is not as high as a professional. A professional studies the craft and tries to push boundaries. Anyone in the flooring industry should know about the history of floor prep and coatings. I think there should be a history of floor coatings on the youtube.

[@pukesmells]

Specialisation is for insects!

[@jeckelcode]

Good at one trade, or suck at all trades. Your choice

[@pukesmells]

​@@jeckelcode or be good in many things and perfect in nothing.

[@jeckelcode]

Yeah that doesn't make sense.

[@pukesmells]

@@jeckelcode guess you've not heard of the learning curve and the rule of diminishing returns.

[@alexl932]

How do you sand cupped (water damaged) floor that's under carpet 20+ yrs? I 1st use 36 grit cut 45 degrees (diagonally) to the left, then I cut again 45 degrees to the right, then finally cut straight all using 36 grit - the cupped floor is bend over so badly like 1/8" beveled; then I wood fill the gaps/imperfections and cut straight use 60 grit, then once again cut straight with 80 grit, and 100 grit then square buffed it 120 grit, then pour polyutherane 1st coat, wait 4 hr then (buff again with 120 or 150 grit) put on 2 coat, and 4+ hrs later 3rd coat, that's what I plan to do, right I doing right?! Hire prof cost $3-4k for this 750 sf 4 bedroom 100+ yrs old floor. Right now I'm in the middle of 1st step of cut with 36 grit, I see the floor was cupped too badly, shine a flash light can see so uneven like 1/8" to 1/4" beveled, that's why I stop by ask your guys pro advise. This is my 1st time. I'm a bit not so confident continue on... hmm... Any input. Thx.

[@C_Burnz]

I would argue if your just doing clear finish and you want to do it yourself go for it, research online and have at it, you can get away with a good bit with clear finish but if your staining hire somebody especially if its dark. The amount of extra detailing takes as long as the main sanding and stain is tedious if your to slow or not putting enough down you'll get lines, if your not wiping the stain up enough it'll be blotchy. If you didn't buff enough or go fine enough with grits you'll get swirls and big machine lines and the list goes on.

[@callumetelaaho4945]

As a carpenter in the middle of doing my own floor I feel personally attacked 😂but can’t help agree😢