Cheapest Way to Refinish Hardwood Floors
A number of factors influence the cost of refinishing hardwood floors. Consider doing the job yourself vs. hiring a contractor, equipment and materials, and also consider whether you want a complete refinish or just a buff and coat of the flooring. Insomuch as time becomes a cost, determine how long you can allow the affected room to be unusable as well as your personal time commitment.
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Do It Yourself or Contract the Work
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The first cost to analyze when planning to refinish your hardwood floors is labor, deciding to do the job yourself or to hire a contractor. If you have the equipment and skill to do the job yourself, you can eliminate the cost of the contractor, which will make the job considerably less expensive. Time factors, equipment rentals and quality of work also have to be balanced. Get a few bids from contractors for comparison. Also evaluate equipment, including what you have and what you would need to rent. A factor that will drive up the cost of either hiring a contractor or doing the job yourself is the use of a dust extraction system. Refinishing hardwood floors can create a tremendous amount of dust, and more expensive contractors put a dust extraction system in place. You can go the less expensive route and not use a dust extraction system, but it will take time to prepare the room and then clean out the dust, which may, more or less, even out the cost of using or not using a dust extraction system. Also get specific time estimates from contractors, and then compare them with how long you estimate it will take you to do a professional-level job. Ensure that the do-it-yourself option won't end up costing more when equipment, time and quality factors are put into place.
Types of Wood Floor Finishes
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You can lower costs when finishing your hardwood floors by using less expensive types of finish. Paste-wax finishes are the lowest in cost and also easy to apply. Avoid water-based urethane finishes, which are generally more expensive.
Level of Refinish
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Consider a buff and coat job as a less expensive option for revitalizing dull and worn-out floors. It can still leave you with a satisfactory refinish job, and it saves on time and materials. The process involves preparing the floors for a layer of new finish but leaves out the costly and messy job of sanding the floor. This is the least expensive way to do refinish work on hardwood floors. Don't expect all scratches and defects to be removed, however. Doing a buff and coat job regularly can avoid costly total refinish jobs altogether.
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