DIY Refinished Floors: Before and After

When I told people that I was going to sand and refinish the floors in our new house on my own, I got some looks of, “You’re crazy.”  But also, I have received so many questions because it seems like a job that you need to hire out for.  Sometimes it is, but sometimes…you can DIY refinish your own floors.  I won’t beat around the bush: it is a physically exhausting task.  But, if you want to accomplish this project on a budget, this is the way to go.  {Click HERE for the one week progress.}

I plan to do a step-by-step tutorial in the future, but today I want to share some before and after photos.  It has been such a blessing to have this time to refinish floors prior to us moving in.  I’m not sure when the last time they were done, but I can guarantee that it’s been way too many years {my guess is 50+}.  There were so many very worn spots and black water spot damage.  Are they perfect and award-winning now?  No.  But refinished floors don’t have to be perfect.  Character is charming.

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Let’s take a peek at some before photos:

It’s hard to capture the true condition of hardwood floors in a whole room photo, but this should give you a little perspective.

Which rooms did I end up sanding and refinishing?  The entire first floor.  Yikes!  That includes the living room, dining room, future half bath/laundry room, kitchen, and entryway.  While I was making a mess, I decided to do the staircase and the upstairs hallway as well.

Now for what you’ve been waiting for…the after!

Are you wondering what finish I decided on?  Let’s just say that “Plan A” included the Natural Stain and then polyurethane.  {Click HERE for the choices.}  Within minutes of applying the stain, I immediately knew it wasn’t the right decision .  Orange is not a favorite floor tint of mine and the stain accentuated the Redwood Oak in our flooring.  I abandoned the stain and simply applied the oil-based polyurethane directly to the unfinished hardwood floors.  And in the end, “Plan B” was a blessing as it saved me hours {or days} of additional work.

Remember that photo earlier with my feet and the damaged/stained wood?  That was taken right here:

I’ve been asked how much it would have cost to hire a company to refinish our floors.  Honestly, I don’t know.  For our budget, I knew it wouldn’t be possible to have someone else do it, so I didn’t even request any estimates.  So, how much did it cost us?  $719.81  That includes the sander rental and other supplies needed from The Home Depot.  How long did it take me?  Around 60-70 hours over a 7 day time period.

The best part of the entire DIY refinished floors: finally walking around our house in my socks!

Have I convinced you to tackle your floors?  Or have I scared you?  It can be a really big job and I don’t want to make this project sound all fluffy and easy.  Because it wasn’t.  But I hope that you are inspired to try your hand at a DIY refinished floor.  And maybe, start with one room…no one says you have to tackle an entire house.  Go for it…you may be surprised by how awesome you are…and then send me before and after photos!

♥ Leigh