floor sanding

[Battis]

We installed new cabinets in the kitchen, had a soapstone countertop installed, then it was time to refinish the oak floor. I started calling contractors but with the good economy they're pretty busy to the point that most didn't return calls. Then my wife said, "I found a guy to do the floor for $500." A few people she knows recommended him. She said he'd do two coats of oil based polyurethane. I've always done at least 3 coats and just about everyone I talked to also did three coats. Anyways, we had a pretty good battle over it and I finally said, "Go ahead, hire him."
They did a pretty decent job sanding. They put a 1st coat on and said it had to set for 3 days. 3 days later the boss showed up, speaking some English. He scruffed up the finish and applied the 2nd coat with a roller, while talking on the phone and giving prices to customers. He was done in 20 minutes, and he left.
I know that after you roll polyurethane on, you have to brush out the bubbles. Well, he didn't and sure enough it bubbled, everywhere. I was very pissed. I waited a day and called him. He explained about humidity and other ****, and he'd put another coat on...for a price.
Anyways, I used my orbital sander, on my hands and knees, and removed the bubbles, then applied two more coats with a brush. Now it looks great, but my back is proportionally worse.

I checked the guy out online (as I should have before hiring him) and he went by two different names - his "American" name and his Cambodian name. Under his American name he had great reviews, but judging by the sentence structure and wording of the reviews, I think they were written by the same person. Under his Cambodian name, he had terrible reviews - really bad.
I'm still thinking about small claims court.
Reminds me of that commercial:
Cost to refinish floor - $500
Cost to re-refinish floor due to bad contractor - $50 plus a lot of pain.
Being able to say to wife, "I told you so"...PRICELESS.

[osteodoc08]

At least its done and done to your satisfaction.

If going through small claims court, I hope that you documented everything.

Best of luck.

[Adam20]

T- bar applicator for poly on floors. Very little brushing, not many roll anymore

Using professional floor polyurethane (not minwax) saves a lot of aggervation. It is made to level out and no bubbles

[Kraschenbirn]

Our hardwood kitchen floor is about due for sand & recoat, too. Last time I did it, I used a 'gym floor' poly; kind of a PITA to prep but the job has lasted almost twenty years. Yeah, we're 'empty nesters' but we've always had dogs and cats and it's a high-traffic area with both our 'backdoor' from the garage and the patio doors from the backyard deck opening into the kitchen. I may just hire someone to do the sanding and do the application myself.

Bill

[jonp]

I've done a couple of floors my self. My last house had maple floors and were put down in 1930, maybe, and not touched since. When I bought it I got a belt sander and went to work. To my surprise they were not just maple, they were curly maple and when I was done I've never seen a more beautiful floor in my life. It's worth the little extra work to do it yourself.

As an aside, my father bought an old house in Vermont where we are from years ago and the kitchen was painted a hideous color. The cabinets were the old 4ft tall ones from the ceiling to near the counter and handmade. Well, we stripped them down and would you believe someone had painted cherry cabinets??????? Almost as bad as the 3ft DBA cherry tree out to camp that I was waiting to fall down in a storm as we could cut it up if it was dead and down and I had plans for that cherry because there were at least 2 maybe 3 logs in the bottom of it of straight wood. Well, it fell down one fall when I wasn't home and could you believe the guys from a camp a mile away or so cut up that veneer grade cherry for firewood? I almost cried.

[CastingFool]

I refinished the hardwood floor in our family room a few years ago. Sanded it down to bare wood, stained it, and applied 3 coats of varathane floor finish. Used an applicator pad, stuff goes on milky, clear when it dries. Wait 24 hrs before sanding lightly by hand, vacuum and re apply the floor finish. After re applying the 3rd coat, just wait 24 hrs before walking on it. Still looks great.

[Freightman]

I did the whole house 16 years back(never again) I used a lambs wool pad and did six coats of poly sold house last year floors still looked good.

[shooter93]

The low bidder syndrome strikes again but at least you got things fixed. I have always had my floors done by a subcontractor here who I've dealt with for 50 years. He does a great job and uses a 3 coat oil based system and then lightly scuffs the final coat and paste waxes it.

[dragon813gt]

Your story makes my knees and back hurt. Out of high school I had a job w/ a friends Uncle and he had us doing most of the flooring jobs he got. Laying flooring day in and day out made me find a technically skilled job rather quickly. My knees are still paying the price from that job. About the only thing I hate more than flooring is painting. I will gladly pay someone to do both even though I can do it myself and the results will be to my satisfaction.

[Battis]

I've refinished at least 10 floors over the years - hardwood and softwood. I wanted to do the kitchen floor but it looks like I'm heading for back surgery this summer (#4). It's the edger that kills me. That's why I hired someone to do it, so I wouldn't have to get on my hands and knees and sand. Well, that didn't work out very well...

Years ago I was sanding the front hallway and I left the front door open to air it out as I put down the last coat. A guy was walking his little dog down the sidewalk and the dog decided to come in and visit me. Son of a *****. The owner chuckled and said, "Oh, come on, Eddie, that's not your house." (I'll never forget that dog's name)
I told him to check Eddie's feet since the finish was still wet. I had to let it dry, then sand out the paw prints and recoat it.
I never saw that man or little Eddie again.

[am44mag]

We installed new cabinets in the kitchen, had a soapstone countertop installed, then it was time to refinish the oak floor. I started calling contractors but with the good economy they're pretty busy to the point that most didn't return calls. Then my wife said, "I found a guy to do the floor for $500." A few people she knows recommended him. She said he'd do two coats of oil based polyurethane. I've always done at least 3 coats and just about everyone I talked to also did three coats. Anyways, we had a pretty good battle over it and I finally said, "Go ahead, hire him."
They did a pretty decent job sanding. They put a 1st coat on and said it had to set for 3 days. 3 days later the boss showed up, speaking some English. He scruffed up the finish and applied the 2nd coat with a roller, while talking on the phone and giving prices to customers. He was done in 20 minutes, and he left.
I know that after you roll polyurethane on, you have to brush out the bubbles. Well, he didn't and sure enough it bubbled, everywhere. I was very pissed. I waited a day and called him. He explained about humidity and other ****, and he'd put another coat on...for a price.
Anyways, I used my orbital sander, on my hands and knees, and removed the bubbles, then applied two more coats with a brush. Now it looks great, but my back is proportionally worse.

I checked the guy out online (as I should have before hiring him) and he went by two different names - his "American" name and his Cambodian name. Under his American name he had great reviews, but judging by the sentence structure and wording of the reviews, I think they were written by the same person. Under his Cambodian name, he had terrible reviews - really bad.
I'm still thinking about small claims court.
Reminds me of that commercial:
Cost to refinish floor - $500
Cost to re-refinish floor due to bad contractor - $50 plus a lot of pain.
Being able to say to wife, "I told you so"...PRICELESS.

If you have documentation and proof that the contractor did not finish the job to a satisfactory level, you should definitely take him to small claims court. Without that evidence, it's a he said she said sort of deal.

Always pay more for a professional, it'll save you money!

[samari46]

Redid one of the bedroom floors in my folks house after the so called contractor messed it up. Old vibrating sander and you cut the sheets yourself for such a big job. Took about a week just the sanding as the machine the idiot used left circular marks in the wood. Vacuumed twice, and used the bowling alley varnish 3 coats. When the house was sold years later still looked good. Old oak flooring heck of a sanding job. Suprisingly still have that old sander, still works but the rubber backing pad has crumbled off on the edges. Found some cheap pieces of peel and stick and that was the new backing. Some things you never throw out and have a bunch of older made in the USA tools. Frank

[Battis]

Supposedly, he was a professional. His family has been in business for 25 years (he claims). He was recommended to my wife by 2 or 3 people that he did work for. He had several good reviews online (under his American name. I didn't learn his Cambodian name until he gave me a card. Reviews online for that name were terrible). I was totally against him from the beginning due to bad vibes. But...
I'm thinking that the people that liked his work either knew nothing about bubbles, didn't care about bubbles, didn't see the bubbles, or maybe someone else put the last coat down.
Anyways, I brushed the last two coats on and it looks good. And, in the never ending husband/wife power battle, I notched some points. I'm gaining...

[shaper]

Our house was built in 1930, knotty pine cut off the property. There is a portion I need to replace in the living room. Couple years ago I put down a piece of carpet but it didn't go away. I'm dreading it.

[Battis]

My house was built in 1892. The bedrooms upstairs had pine floors, the downstairs has birch floors that were milled from trees on the property. The woodwork is ash milled from local trees. I finally replaced the pine floors with newer pine floors. I've been here since 1983 and the projects never stop.