Kitchen + Dining
Refinishing Hardwoods


BLACK+DECKER B+D Contributor 121 Projects
Making worn and dull hardwood floors look new again dramatically improves the appearance of a home. And the fact that very old hardwood floors can be completely restored to showroom condition is one of their real advantages over other types of flooring. Refinishing floors is time-consuming, messy, and disruptive to your household routine. Depending on the size of the room, be prepared to devote at least a weekend to this project. If you don’t want to complete the entire job yourself, you can still save money by doing some of the prep work yourself. Professionals often add on additional fees for removing and replacing shoe molding, nailing or gluing down loose boards, filling gouges and dents with wood putty, setting protruding nails, putting up plastic, cleaning the floor, and even moving furniture. Note: If your floors are less than 1⁄2-inch thick, you should consult a floor contractor to see if the floors can withstand the refinishing process.