One of the major benefits of choosing to sand your hardwood floors yourself is the price. Professional installation will require more of a financial commitment, which for some homeowners may be too expensive. However, we only recommend choosing this option and attempting this type of project if you have some experience with floor sanding. Even then, conducting some basic research would go a long way towards ensuring a quality finish.
In order to help make this decision, whether or not to sand your floors yourself, we’ve put together a quick list of the risks involved in refinishing your hardwood floors yourself.
Risks of refinishing your hardwood floors yourself:
While most people agree that professionals will sand the floors better than a DIYer or amateur, please bear in mind that there are some real risks and downsides if you attempt to refinish your own floors.
1. You may permanently damage or even ruin your hardwood floors
It takes a lot of skill to control a sander efficiently; you could be creating hills and valleys as you go along and not even know it. Even if you hire a professional later, the weight from the machine will follow the profile of the floor.This is even more likely to happen if you have pine and/or older or softer wood floors.
These wooden floors are more susceptible to sloppy sanding, so be extra careful if you have these, or if your home is from the 1920s or earlier.
2. You may potentially start a fire
Yes, while this is rare, it has been known to happen, especially if you aren’t careful. And, of course you need to be sure to throw away all the materials safely. If they are sitting at your house, be sure the bags of sawdust are at least 12 ft away from the house. The sawdust can spontaneously combust, especially in hot weather.
3. You will likely shorten the lifespan of your hardwood floors
Most novices sand the floors too deep and therefore shorten the life of their hardwood floors. Skilled professionals know how to avoid this.
