Has anyone refinished hardwood floors? We’re probably going to do it ourselves. I know it’s going to be a pain in the ass though, so I also want to get an estimate from a company. Anyone know of a good one? Also, opinions on finishes? We plan on staining a medium-dark color, but not sure whether to use an oil or water based polyurethane or something else. I would like a satin or semi gloss finish that will not scratch easily. I read somewhere that dark and glossy=more noticeable scratches. Would a dark stain with a satin or semi gloss be ok or should I stick with a medium tone stain?
Dark floors are like a black car they will show everything, dirt, scratches, dings, and dents. IMO I would satin them light colored it hides more.
I’d go with a medium tone and oil based poly. And rent one of the big sanders if you do it yourself - my b-in-law did all of his with one and it saved a lot of time.
I don’t want to do them a light color because the rest of the woodwork in the house (it’s an old house with a lot of molding and woodwork) is stained dark. I don’t think light floors would look right. I guess a medium color with a satin finish would be the next best choice.
Why do you suggest an oil based poly? I’m concerned with dry time and odor. If we use an oil based, can we stay in the house after applying it? How long does it need to dry before it can be recoated and until it’s dry enough to walk on?
My understanding is that the oil based polys are more durable, require less coats, and give a little bit of a warmer, amber look. But you’re right, the dry time is longer and they have a strong odor. Sounds like both of those are a concern, so water based may be a reasonable tradeoff. Oil based will probably put the room out of commission for a few days and you might not want to stay there without opening windows.
I think oil based can be recoated in 4-6 hours. It’s usually a good idea to sand between coats too.
I’ve only used oil based for our trim and interior doors, so my water based comments are all from reading, not experience.
I’d check out the Minwax site to see what all is available.
I think water based is probably the way to go for us considering it’s not just one room, but almost the entire house (the bathrooms are the only rooms without wooden floors).
I’m looking at these two finishes:
http://www.vermontnaturalcoatings.com/VNCFloor.html
The second one you listed contains aluminum oxide. That’s what a lot of the engineered hardware floors use to increase abrasion resistance.
The PolyWhey sounds like a protein drink. 
Exactly what I was thinking, but water based will be better. You can walk on it within hours but I wouldn’t move furniture into it for about 48 hours with good ventilation.
i am assuming you are renting the sander, if it is a drum type make sure you start and stop in different places and dont let it sit for any amount of time you will have dents, we sealed ours will gymseal…http://www.valsparglobal.com/val/resident/gymseal.jsp its expensive but good
have fun with that
Carpet
I’m going to be doing the same here to my house OP so your thread helps me out too. Keep this thread updated as to how it goes.
I just happened to be in the middle of staining some trim & plywood, and since you brought it up, I decided to skip the usual oil based poly and tried a waterborne oil modified poly. I used Zar Ultra Max floor finish (satin). Pretty happy with it. It’s thinner and seems to go on a little smoother, don’t get the initial brush strokes as much. Dries quick and almost no odor at all. Cleans up with soap & water. Got it at Sherwin Williams.
On a side note, I found out that gallon containers of oil based poly may not be the same as the quarts, due to the limit on the amount of VOCs a product can have. So if you want the “good stuff”, you have to buy quarts. At least according to the Sherwin Williams guy.
Interesting. The floors in the house I just rented are all wood except the kitchen and bath. Was thinking about refinishing them, but they’re not in horrible shape. Is there a product out there that brings out a decent shine but does not require the stripping/sanding/restaining? I don’t want to invest any more than I have to in a rental but I’d like it to look nice.
get a Bona System.
http://floorcleaners.net/Bona-Ultimate-Hardwood-Floor-Care-System-P457C14.aspx
a friend of mine used it in his house and Im using it in mine. once you get a good clean/shine on the floors they look clean for 5-6 months. You can pick this up in home depot or loews usually.
do you use the high gloss or low gloss polish?
Right now we have the high gloss, but next time around I might go with the low gloss. The high gloss is definitely a HIGH gloss and I think it could be toned down a bit. But its held up great and considering we have two golden retreivers it definitely gets put to the test.
:bowdown:
thanks for the tip might buy some tonight.
edit: after talking to the fiance, she said it was purchased at bed bath and beyond… so try there.
definitely give it a shot. let me know how it turns out for you if you try it.
The one with Aluminum Oxide requires 4 coats and covers 400-500 sq. ft. Lowe’s has it for $46 a gallon. The PolyWhey requires 3 coats and covers 500-600 sq. ft. but doesn’t have the Aluminum Oxide and is more expensive per gallon ($74 a gallon plus shipping since I don’t think I will find it around here). I need to measure the rooms that need refinished. Allegheny county tax assessment site says our house is 1500 sq ft, but I don’t trust that to be accurate.
I read about Gymseal, but where did you find it? It seemed to me that no where has it anymore.
I know what you mean about the drum sander. There is another brand of sander that is easier to use, works faster and collects most of the dust. Lowe’s rents it. Here’s a link
I hate carpet. We have it now and I absolutely despise it. I have bad allergies and removing the carpet should help since I’m allergic to dust mites plus three dogs+carpet=:puke: Not to mention, Dom and I are clumsy and spill stuff so the carpet gets stained.
You can just buff the floors and recoat with polyurethane or another finish.
I’m still looking for a recommendation for a good company to get an estimate. I would like to see what it would cost before we decide to do it ourselves.