Why Refinishing Your Own Hardwood Floor Is A Bad Idea

Al Havner & Sons Hardwood Flooring |

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DIY activities or do-it-yourselfers are a great test of creativity and an excellent opportunity to overcome economic constraints. They can also be therapeutic or a fun leisure activity for the whole family. However, as the DIY craze catches on and with more information about different technical jobs readily available on the internet, many believe almost any home improvement project can be completed swiftly and economically as a DIY.

If you think your floors could use a quick refinish and have decided to refinish your hardwood floors yourself, you have a lot to consider before renting equipment and getting yourself into an irreversible mess. To give you an idea of what could go wrong without proper training or complete knowledge of the job, the experts at Al Havner & Sons Hardwood Flooring have put together three reasons to showcase why refinishing your own hardwood floor is a bad idea.

1. Fire hazards.

The biggest safety hazard you could experience when refinishing your hardwood floors is a fire. That’s right, slight negligence while refinishing your floors could lead to an outcome as bad as burning your house to the ground. Carelessly leaving used stain rags in your home could lead to spontaneous combustion. The dust accumulated from floor sanding can spontaneously combust as well. For this reason, empty all dust collection containers and wet the dust in a garbage bag and keep it outside the house.

2. Additional expenses and delays.

As professionals in floor refinishing, on average, we can refinish one floor a week. However, a couple of years ago, we met with a homeowner who wasted a large sum of money trying to do our job, before the estimated timeline. By the time they rented the equipment required and paid for all the sundries, they could have hired a specialist and completed their floor work at no extra cost.

3. Negligible experience equals poor-quality work.

In our opinion, it should be illegal to rent equipment to a DIY of this type, as you need sufficient training and skill when using machinery like a floor sander. Insufficient knowledge of how to handle this equipment, could cause you injury, leave bad sander marks, gouges, and trenches that make resurrecting your floor twice as hard. A bare minimum of two years on the job training in hardwood refinishing is required, but unfortunately, as private homeowners do not need any kind of license or certification to refinish their floors, it’s presumed that refinishing flooring is simple and easy to do all by yourself.

Do things right the first time by hiring a true professional.

While DIY could lead to a major issue, hiring the wrong professional will completely ruin your hardwood floors. We’ve had many people try out for our company in the last thirty-five years who claim to have twelve to twenty years of experience in flooring, but it only takes us thirty seconds of watching them run a machine to see if they possess the right kind of experience.

To avoid the tragedy of hideous floors, safety hazards, and overspending, get things done right on the first attempt by calling in the experts. When seeking professional help, consider someone with several years of experience as it will guarantee quality services. At the same time, you’ll need to verify their qualification.

Another yardstick to follow is to avoid hiring someone who promises the lowest price in town. Low prices usually translate to low-quality materials and mediocre results.

For a reliable hardwood floor installation and refinishing company based in Dearborn Heights, serving clients across the Detroit Metro Area, Michigan, reach out to Al Havner & Sons Hardwood Flooring. Over the last thirty-five years, we have refinished numerous floors and maintained strong connections with our clients to ensure their flooring remains stunning for years to come.

To learn all about our services, visit our website, or get in touch with our team here.

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