Yesterday the HH rented a floor sander.
His plan is to sand the floors on one side of the house {3 times, with different grits!}, fill the nail holes and then stain the floor. And then do it all over again on the other side of the house.
I wanted to move the entire contents of our house to the garage and PAY someone to sand and stain the floors and be done with the whole project in 3 days.
But ohhhhh no. My husband is convinced that not only can he do this himself and save us a boatload of money, but that living in total chaos for a few weeks {or longer?} will be totally worth it in the end.
Plus this way, we won’t have to try and move the giant couch, or the canning cupboard or the kitchen table out to the garage by ourselves. Because really, what’s the big deal with having all your stuff piled on couches and tables and in every nook and cranny?
What’s the big deal about living without a stove or having the fridge in the garage for a week or so?
Note: I want to be sedated.
He also decided to buy a fancy sander to get around the edges of hard to reach places and the baseboards. Lucy gave it her approval. đ
The test run.
Holy cannolis!
What a difference a lighter floor makes. Seriously, I am LOVING the lighter tones. I think a lighter floor would be a much better fit for this coastal home than a darker stained one, what do you think?
I have absolutely no idea how long this is going to take him… but I do know one thing is for sure, I’ll be happy when this is all over with.
Here’s to another productive day at Camp Butterfield,
~Mavis
P.S. If you have any floor sanding/refinishing tips, I’d love to hear about them. Anything to make this project go a little faster would be great! đ
Hannah F says
We just had our maple floors redone professionally and they did something to fill in all gaps after sanding and it looks so much nicer than gaps between the boards. It was applied on the entire floor and then the excess on top got smoothed out/removed by another layer of sanding – a lot like doing grout I suppose,
I didnât know that was done in the refinishing process until we had it done!
Erin says
Hi! My pine floors were their natural color. We âstainedâ them clear, but they still darken a bit over time. It looks to me like your original floors were also âstainedâ with just a clear coat. I think youâd have to actually stain them with a color if you want them to be lighter than what they were. And our (admittedly small) house didnât take weeks – we sanded for two nights after dealing with thousands of staples that the old carpet had been attached with. We then stained two nights, one coat each (applied with a paint brush along the edges, and a paint roller on the floors that made super quick work of it!) The stain we used STINKS until it cures, so we vacated the house. Ours was a single story & we emptied the place. Itâs worth the effort!!
Wendy says
This is true, even if you stain them clear, the sun/daylight will darken the wood again a bit. Still beautiful though.
Katherine says
We had our floors refinished several years ago didn’t stain the floor and used a water-based poly acrylic instead of polyurethane because it yellows so much. The poly acrylic doesn’t stink nearly as much and it dries faster.
Ric says
Congratulations! My pine floors had 8 inches of Hurricane IAN flood water 5 months ago. Will make an effort to reclaim my pine floors luster.
Julie says
I like the lighter floors too. I think you and your husband are a great team together to do these projects instead of hiring out. It’s always so lovely when you are finished too.
Susan says
I was going to refinish my hardwood floors (oak) by myself after watching a million YouTube videos, but then my Dad convinced me to hire someone (he has no faith in me, haha — probably for the best in this situation). It was a bit of a pain taking everything out (piano in my bedroom for 2 weeks, anyone?, eating on the stairs) and we couldn’t walk on the floors for several days and couldn’t return furniture for a week or so, but life went on and then it was over.
Re, your question, we have the floors sealed with a water-based poly with no stain. Again, this is an oak floor, but then you don’t get the orange undertones and I also like the light color.
Jamie says
Pine is pretty but such a soft wood for floors! That is a huge project!
Connie says
My husband is like yours and can do anything. A few projects were like this and horrible to live through.
Go visit your daughter while he sands !
It will all be good in the end but I feel for you in the meantime.
Meg C says
I agree with Connie re: visiting your daughter! Our friends had their floors refinished and my kids and I couldn’t go inside their house for weeks after because the chemical smell/off gassing made us cough uncontrollably!
Our floors need redone too but based on our physical reaction to our friends floors, I’m very hesitant to get it done as we’re not independently wealthy and can’t just move to another location for a month! LOL
Elle says
Love the lighter floor coloring. I hope it stays this way đ
I’m with you on the hiring though.
Lillian says
Yes
Lighter floors go With the coastal vibe
Christie says
They will be beautiful! Just keep thinking about the finished product and not the chaos you are living in right now. We’ve done several home projects and my biggest complaint is always the dust. We had the kitchen floor tile removed and replaced and I had to wash every.single.dish. in the kitchen. That was a fun weekend! đ
Janet says
Remodeling projects are almost always inconvenient but worth it in the end. I am sure your husband did many, many hours of research and feels confident in this project. Appreciate all he does and tries to do.
I try not to complain during the project because I know another project will be done and it will look so much better. Keep that thought in your mind and then heap on the compliments when finished.
Melonie K. says
One more vote here for YES – lighter floor! That’s lovely. đ
Unfortunately I have no tips, but am amazed at your fortitude. What a project!
Cindi says
We had our floors redone a decade ago. We left town for a long weekend and the workers did it then. One thing I didn’t expect was the strong smell of the stain when we returned, which took a couple of weeks to fade.
Your floors will look beautiful.
Diana says
About 20 years ago, I sanded the 100 year old pine floor in my bedroom. I initially put a dark stain on it and then ended up sanding it back off (it looked terrible). I then put a clear coat of finish on it and all of the GORGEOUS variations of the wood came shining through. I LOVE it now. (Back in the day, all of the floors were painted around the edges and I’m guessing some sort of linoleum ‘carpet’ was put in center. All of my floors have that feature.)
Stay with the natural and really research your finish. Some will turn it orange or yellow, some will keep it natural. Waxing it is a natural option. And, since you have Lucy, you also have the option of getting the finish used on basketball courts to give it a harder finish (that’s what I’m moving to now.)
Can’t wait to see them finished!
Barbara says
I love the lighter floor. It will make your kitchen even brighter. I admire your effort to do it yourself! Canât wait to see the finished project.
Kim says
Mavis, I need sedation just reading about this.
CHinVA says
Pine is a soft wood and should be sanded with a drum sander rather than an orbital sander to prevent cross grain gouges. And be sure to keep moving so the sander doesnât dig itself in. Weâve refinished many floors in the past (both pine and hardwood) but moved last year and opted to hire someone this time. The 40 year old varnish had turned dark orange (ew) but the floors are now light and bright! For 1100 sq. feet, it took a 4 person team 5 total days for sanding, a coat of hardener and 4 coats of finish with 24 hours of curing time between each. Good luck itâs a big job and also a smelly job so be sure to open all the windows!
Lori says
Hey Mavis,
Just one word of advice, when you stain and polyurethane the floors
Make sure all dogs are out of the house. A plastic sheeting hanging in the doorway will not keep a dog out and you will end up with footprints everywhere and will have to let it dry then resend! Total pain. Donât ask me how I know. Oh mineral spirts is what took it of the dogs paws.
Ramona says
My friend wanted to peak at the newly finished floors in her house. She opened the front door a little and in ran the cat!!
LindaT says
Your hubby has had a lot of experience with most everything and always(?) does it well. Heâll get it done ok.
Because pine is so soft, I would opt for the hardest finish you can get. I love my natural floors, though they do darken some over the years. Iâm with those who think a trip to anywhere else is a good idea. And take Lucy. If you stay, ask your doc for mild tranquilizers. Youâll want them for the dust, too.
Dianne says
Hi Mavis.
I think the lighter floors would actually look fantastic and lighten the kitchen well.
Is “I Want to be Sedated” a nod to the Ramones?
Good luck with the project. With the research your husband does, I wouldn’t worry about his capability of producing a grand finish! I hate the dust as well, it does get all over everything regardless! But, it sure will be worth it as you are baking away in your new stove and beautiful floor!
Susie says
I immediately “heard” the Ramones, too! đ
Heidi says
Huge fan of the light floors – very natural and “scandi/farmhouse” looking. We just installed new flooring in our farmhouse and used Bona Nordic Seal – it’s supposed to protect the floor from light and prevent the ageing but doesn’t add any color with a Bona HD finish on top. Floors look just like the original “raw” wood but with a durable finish.
Patti says
When we had our floors sanded and stained (in two houses so far), we could not walk on them for several days. Just a heads up that you may have to move out somewhere. We stayed at a State Park cabin because it was a cheap option.
GrannyB says
Do not use the orbital sander on the floor or you will have circular sand marks left in the wood. You want something that sands in a straight line like a belt sander. Yes, Iâm married to a retired high school wood shop teacher!!
Louise says
Good luck! I definitely think lighter is the way to go.
Just a word of caution to your husband … after a couple of days, with the sander constantly vibrating and him trying to keep the machine âsteadyâ while it rotates, he might start feeling a bit sore.
Gigi says
We had our floors redone before moving in. Make sure to read up on the proper way to dispose of the polyurethane rags. I think it is a single rag per tightly sealed bag. Do not store those in the house. The guys that did ours threw a bunch in a bag and then tossed it in the dumpster that was in the driveway when they left at the end of the day. It wasnât a hot or terribly sunny that evening, but it was enough to cause the rags to self-ignite in the early morning. The firefighter said the flames were licking at our shingles. Fortunately, nothing was damaged.
Alecia L. says
Both times I have finished 120 year old floors I have used commercial grade gymnasium floor finish from a specialty store in Springfield Massachusetts. I couldnât have been happier with the finish although it did give a nice rich golden finish to the wood both times. The homes were âsummer cottagesâ in Northern New Hampshire and the floors were a mixture of different hard woods so it took several coats to get the finish to dry evenly. They were used as bed and breakfasts and had lots of wear on them and the finish held up to as many as 1500 guests a year, the first is still looking great after 25 years and the second has 15 years on it.
I definitely wouldnât stain yours unless you use a product like the gymnasium finish that naturally colors if a bit.
Diana says
Do you have the brand name of the finish that you can share? I would prefer to use something that’s recommended.