Wondering if you should refinish your hardwood flooring yourself or bring in flooring professionals to fix scratches and more is not an uncommon situation to be in. Contrary to what a quick Google search may tell you, the pros of a self-refinish do not outweigh the cons of hiring a professional. We’ve compiled a quick list of problems our clients have run into when they’ve attempted a DIY (Do-it-yourself) refinish for their hardwood flooring.

Lower Quality Finished Product

You gather all the materials needed, watch hours of tutorials on fixing scratches in your hardwood flooring on YouTube, maybe ask a couple of friends to tag along, and now you are finally ready to get started. Unless one of your buddies is a professional carpenter, you’re already at a disadvantage. Just watching a few hours of videos doesn’t make you a professional. You are bound to run into problems, especially if this is your first time refinishing hardwood. These problems, however minor they may seem, tend to stack up.

The machine experts use to refinish floors can cost upwards of $20,000. Even a higher end machine, rented from a hardware store such as Home Depot, can’t measure up to what a professional would bring to the job. Calculate the cost of all equipment you may need, including goggles, masks, gloves, and knee pads, and you may already be better off hiring flooring professionals. Keep in mind that any mistakes made by a hired professional be corrected at no extra cost to you, while any damage you cause yourself will come right out of your pocket.

The Finish Will Not Last as Long

 Sanding scratches out of your floor is a delicate art. If any error occurs during the process, the stain and polyurethane may not adhere properly. This could put the longevity of your finish at risk, limiting its lifespan to only two to four years. Using a professional service, you can expect your finish to last seven to ten years. Any cost saving you thought you had, could be lost.

It Will Take Longer

Someone with experience will obviously complete a task faster than someone without it. Flooring professionals typically take around a day to sand and refinish 1,000 square feet of hardwood. Homeowners attempting to do it on their own could take three to five times longer. After adding in the cost of renting equipment, you may start to wish you had put that money toward hiring professionals.

Verdict: Hire a Professional

We get it. The cost of refinishing and fixing scratches in your floor can be daunting and it is natural to have a DIY, cost-saving mindset. But the truth is, we’ve heard one too many horror stories from clients who initially tried to do it themselves. Give us a call for a completely free consultation at (202) 872-9860. Classic Floor Designs has over 40 years experience in the DC metro area and would love to put that experience to work for your next hardwood flooring project.