Blog by Carol Vogt, B & R Hardwood and Tile, Inc ( Chanhassen, MN)

Hardwood floors are a major investment and they need to be maintained with a refinish about every ten years to keep them in good condition.  Preparing for having your hardwood refinished can be daunting because of the amount of furniture and personal items that must be moved or put away.  To ensure a good project we recommend the following:

  1. Move all furniture off the area that is being refinished. Most companies will want to sand and finish all the area at the same time.  Plan on having the furniture off of the area for at least 3- 10 days depending square footage, staining, humidity levels in the house and unforeseen things like bad weather.
  2. Take down all pictures, wall art, and items that are hanging on walls. Remove items from any floating shelves.  The vibrations from the sanders can rattle breakables.    We recommend removing window treatments as well when possible.
  3. Empty your coat closet and move the items to an area where they will not get dusty.
  4. When flooring is being refinished in your pantry, linen closet or other storage areas, please make sure the items are removed from the floor. Any items left on shelves will more than likely experience some dust from the sanders.
  5. Clear counter tops to make it easier for workmen to plastic the area off. You will not be able to access your coffee maker or other items on your counter tops once work has begun.
  6. Have a plan for where you will spend your days and nights during the process. It is best for you leave the house while the work is being done.  This way the doors and windows are not being opened and closed creating conditions that make it more difficult to refinish your floors.   Most of our customers leave the house the day after sanding occurs and go on vacation, to a friends, or to a hotel.
  7. We recommend that you remove your toilet and pedestal sink if you are having the powder room refinished. When the pedestal sink or toilet is left in place, remnants of the old finish can be seen in a ring around the toilet base.    B & R used our licensed plumber to install items that involve plumbing.
  8. Removing base shoe/quarter round before the refinish results in the best results especially if stain is being applied to the floor. Typically the flooring company will remove and reinstall this for a fee.  If you do not have the base shoe/ quarter round removed, the sanders can damage your quarter round.   If you are applying stain, you should have your quarter round/ base shoe removed to avoid the bleed up into the base shoe.
  9. Purchase new felt pads for your furniture and remove any plastic sliders from all furniture
  10. Do NOT drag anything on the floors, they will get scratched. AVOID products like magic sliders.  They destroy the floor.
  11. Purchase a dry floor care product like Bona. Do not use steam products, water and vinegar or too much moisture on your floor.  Moisture will warp the wood and products like vinegar and water will break down the finish.
  12. Plan on leaving rugs off your floors for two weeks until they are fully cured.