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On another thread someone mentioned that refinishing a hardwood floor is pricey.
Well, that's a bummer. We have a floor that is faded in places from the sun and once we move the carpets we're going to have to do something about that. Is refinishing the only way to fix that or is there a better less expensive solution?
Also, we'll need to replace one piece of wood that had some water damage. Hoping this is an easy fix.
Why are you moving carpets? Are you selling the house or just redecorating or what?
If you're redecorating, this has been my experience with hardwood floors (and I have a lot of experience): Once you put everything in place, any "damage" or fading or whatever tends not to be that noticeable. Not nearly as noticeable as when you are looking at an expanse of wood floor with nothing in the room.
If you're redecorating, it's up to you but if it was me, I wouldn't worry about fading. I'd just put everything new in the room and THEN take a look at it and see if it was worth the trouble. Oh, and while the room was empty I'd really clean and wax the floors.
If I was selling it, I'd let the new owners do what they wanted. I wouldn't go through the hassle and cost of refinishing.
As for the one piece, yes, that should be a relatively inexpensive fix.
Bruce engineered hardwood flooring can be "refinished".
Though, it takes someone with really good skills to do it. Suffice it to say, that to do a "re-coat" is a much easier solution. However, if the flooring is actually bleached out from the sun it's going to need refinishing. Or, just replace it since it engineered flooring anyway.
If you were close to me, I could recommend a GOOD flooring guy. He has redone hardwood floors in two of our houses and has repaired areas where old heating vents used to be. He is excellent and I HIGHLY recommend him. But, I don't think you are close to me.
We have a floor that is faded in places from the sun and once we move the carpets we're going to have to do something about that. Is refinishing the only way to fix that or is there a better less expensive solution?
Labor cost can vary greatly between regions. I had a guy give me an estimate that came out to be about $4-5/sf to refinish the floors in our last house. The house had floor-to-ceiling windows on the west, so you can guess how the floors (and furniture) did with the sun exposure. The problem with refinishing just the faded sections (according to the flooring person) is that it could be difficult to match the sections that aren't refinished. To achieve a uniform look you basically have to refinish the entire room.
I would get an estimate from a few flooring people in your area and see if the cost is acceptable.
Thanks for all the suggestions. Hopefully our realtor will have some ideas of a skilled local contractor.
I'm tempted by the thought of buying a few large carpets to cover it. If I was staying in the house I'd probably try that but we're selling it. I suspect the buyer would get ticked off that we did that. And I wouldn't blame them. Also, the floors have scratches and mars. It's time.
Thanks for all the suggestions. Hopefully our realtor will have some ideas of a skilled local contractor.
I'm tempted by the thought of buying a few large carpets to cover it. If I was staying in the house I'd probably try that but we're selling it. I suspect the buyer would get ticked off that we did that. And I wouldn't blame them. Also, the floors have scratches and mars. It's time.
Yup, if I were the buyer I would be heartily cheesed off if I found a faded spot under a large area carpet. In fact, I'd probably wonder what else the seller was "hiding" in the house. However, as far as the floors go, for getting rid of mars and scratches, a good flooring person can do a "screening" of the floor with a recoating of the polyurethane finish to follow. That will fill and even out the scratches and they will be invisible. Screening is a lot less expensive than a full refinish, and also takes less time. Unfortunately, you also have the problem of the faded places. I would certainly check with the flooring person to see if they could strip and re-stain just those parts to match the rest of the flooring, and then screen and poly the entire floor. It couldn't hurt to ask!
Thanks for all the suggestions. Hopefully our realtor will have some ideas of a skilled local contractor.
I'm tempted by the thought of buying a few large carpets to cover it. If I was staying in the house I'd probably try that but we're selling it. I suspect the buyer would get ticked off that we did that. And I wouldn't blame them. Also, the floors have scratches and mars. It's time.
Depending on how hot your local real estate market is, this may not be a big issue at all. Our local real estate market is experiencing the same wacky growth as San Francisco's did back in the late 90s/2000s, and we didn't even bother refinishing the floors when we sold the house last year. The competition is so fierce in our market the young family was just thankful they were able to purchase a house to start their family.
You should ask your realtor for advice on whether refinishing is a good idea as far as selling the house. I would include this issue in the disclosure if you choose not to refinish, but your realtor might think differently. Whatever you do, absolutely do not hide it with rugs. An alternative to refinishing yourself might be to offer credit off the purchase price during negotiations and let the buyer refinish to his satisfaction. This might be more enticing for the buyer and less work for you. Definitely ask your realtor, these matters can be tricky without someone knowledgeable seeing the actual condition of your home in the context of your local real estate market.
Even if the buyer doesn't wonder what the carpets are hiding, more than likely the inspector will find it. Do you want a sale to go south because of conditions that turned up during inspection, or would you rather be honest from the start? Believe me, when sellers feel they've been misled, they are generally more nitpicky about other things.
Unfortunately, Bruce floors are cheap. They are 'engineered' and so only have a thin veneer of real wood. They can be refinished, but usually only once, and then they have to be replaced. So whether you do it or the buyers do it, there's not much life left in them.
Personally I would leave them and let the buyers decide if they want to refinish or replace (your sale price will have to adjust accordingly, of course). The buyers may want to lay out their rugs just like you, or they may like the patina that comes with wood floors as they age and change color naturally.
Bruce does make solid, pre-finished hardwood floors, not just engineered floors. I have no idea what the OP has, but they could be solid.
But personally, I think that the OP is being guided far too much by a real estate agent who seemingly wants them to do the next closest thing to a gut rehab before listing their home.
However, hiding floor damage under a rug would be unwise, and many buyers and inspectors will pull up a rug to see what is under it specifically to see if you are trying to hide something.
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In fact, I'd probably wonder what else the seller was "hiding" in the house. However, as far as the floors go, for getting rid of mars and scratches, a good flooring person can do a "screening" of the floor with a recoating of the polyurethane finish to follow. That will fill and even out the scratches and they will be invisible. Screening is a lot less expensive than a full refinish, and also takes less time. Unfortunately, you also have the problem of the faded places. I would certainly check with the flooring person to see if they could strip and re-stain just those parts to match the rest of the flooring, and then screen and poly the entire floor. It couldn't hurt to ask!
