Affordable Wood Floor Refinishing, Orange County, CA
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Hardwood floors, a mainstay in new construction and home remodels, can be stunning when kept up. Due to traffic, staining and simply age, the finish on wood floors can wear down, causing discoloration, fading and an unpleasant appearance. Hardwood floor refinishing is labor intensive and therefore rather costly. Despite this, there are ways to save money depending on your skill level and the extent of the needed work.
Always Seek Recommendations
Hiring anyone to do anything can be stressful. This is especially true with home improvement projects. While cost is a huge factor for most people, be aware that going with the cheapest person won’t save you money in the end if he does a bad job. Therefore, ask around for recommendations before you go out looking for a good deal. This can make it easier to narrow your list of possible contractors and give you more time to find the best price.
Look for Coupons or Local Deals
Home improvement contractors and floor refinishers often offer coupons or deals to new customers. Check local company websites for any specials they might offer, and look in the back of your phone book or on the Internet for service coupons. Your local paper may also have information on hardwood floor refinishing deals, saving you a significant amount of money. With the flood of websites dedicated to daily deals, it is easier than ever to find a good price for hardwood floor refinishing. Check these sites several times a week for new offers in your area, or request notification from each website when they post new home improvement or services coupons. If you wait a bit and look for deals, you might save upwards of 40 percent on the project.
Screen Instead of Refinish
Most experts recommend against novices attempting a traditional refinishing on their own. However, you can update your floors and recoat them by simply screening them. This process removes the top layer of polyurethane and much of the discoloration of the wood. To do this yourself, you can rent a floor polisher and purchase 60, 80, 100, and 120 grit sanding discs for the machine. Working from 60 to 120, use the buffer to screen the entire floor, and vacuum the room thoroughly to remove dust. Then, put on one to three coats of polyurethane, letting each one dry before applying the next. This alternative to a traditional refinishing can save you significant money if you do it yourself. However, professional floor refinishers also charge much less for this job than for stripping the wood and refinishing it from scratch. If you don’t know if your floors are a candidate for screening, seek an estimate from a local contractor. In general, if there is no wax on the floor and the top finish is polyurethane rather than a non-penetrating topcoat, screening may be the ideal solution.
Do Some (Or All) of the Work Yourself
Unless you have experience, don’t try to refinish your floors beyond basic screening. The risk of damaging the wood is too great. There are several other ways to make hiring a professional cheaper. In most cases, the cost of hardwood floor refinishing is high because of the labor involved. By removing furniture from the room yourself, prepping the area by covering vents, and cleaning up after the sanding, you might knock a couple hundred dollars off your bill. If capable of doing the job yourself, you can get everything you need from your local hardware store, including rental equipment, stains, and protective finishes. Before starting this type of project, research it thoroughly. Having a plan of action before beginning can save you money later on costly repairs or changes.
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