I am moving into a house. The wood floors show signs of wear and tear. The varnish has worn away in places and the bare wood is showing. But refinishing will cost $3,000 for some 1,100 sq.ft. That is a lot of money for me right now. To help me decide what to do, let me ask, what are the downsides of waiting a year or two before refinishing the floors? (I can cover the floor with some inexpensive carpeting.)
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The $3,000 for 1,100 sq.ft. sounds about right for sanding + 2 coats poly (if you're in NYC...I'm on LI). However, a few yrs. ago; after watching a few YouTube videos, I gave it a DIY try in our laundry. Afterward, seeing it looked okay, I did a couple more public rooms. That reduced the sq. ft. for a professional to do. Given your situation, you might consider seeing if a DIY results in something that will further extend when/if a pro needs to be hired.– James OlsonDec 29, 2016 at 15:15
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The obvious downside is that after you move in, all your stuff will be sitting on the floor, so you'll have to put it somewhere else before refinishing the floor. And if money is a problem, then the obvious answer is to do it yourself. This is the DIY forum, after all.– Mike BaranczakDec 29, 2016 at 15:34
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2 Answers
It really depends on how tough you will be on the floors. Big difference between a man living alone vs. a family of 8 with two dogs. Note that the areas that are worn are probably the high traffic areas, so you will probably be hitting those the most too.
The issue is that if there isn't any sort of protective layer, the wood will wear substantially quicker. Meaning if you just leave the floors and you really abuse the already worn layers, they may have to be sanded further down and therefor the rest of the floor has to be sanded further down.
My suggestion is, before you move in put a couple of quick coats of poly down on the floor. This is about $100-150 and a DIY job. Since you are planning on having them refinished in a couple of years you can use this as a barometer if you can do it yourself in a few years (it is easier than you think as most wood is very forgiving).
If you prevent stains from spills, there really isn't a downside. It isn't going to ruin your floor to leave it as is if you use rugs and keep it dry.
That said, look into doing the floor refinish yourself. Rental for plate sanders (which are pretty easy to use) isn't very expensive, and applicator pads make urethane application fairly foolproof. Do some reading and give it a go. You'd probably spend $300 rather than $3000, and you could do one room at a time.
answered Dec 29, 2016 at 2:50
