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Non-traditional Sanding

Any home built before 1950 has a wood floor with limited options remaining to get it looking better. We understand the consequences of excessive sanding. That’s why we take a non-traditional approach to sanding old finishes off your floors. No more coarse, heavy handed sanding. We remove a fraction of the wood that other contractors typically grind off. You get beautiful wood floors with minimal loss of wood. It is a good use of our experience and a wise investment on your part.

Frequently Asked Questions

So why, all of a sudden do we need to be concerned about whether it is traditional or non-traditional sanding?
Why the big deal. As with anything concerning home improvement and maintenance, it is about the cost and expense you incur. If your home was built before 1950 you may not have enough wood left to sand. A mistake now could mean having to replace the entire floor, and replacing a wood floor in an existing house can get much pricier and disruptive than a new floor in a new home. There is a lot of money involved here and you want to make an informed decision, not a mistake.

Explain the difference between a non traditional sanding approach and the normal or traditional sanding approach.
Traditional sanding equipment is built for speed and power, period. They get the job done quickly but at the expense of the floors. Non traditional sanding equipment will do the same thing but takes longer and uses much more sand paper and materials. This difference in time and materials is reflected in the price and you need to be aware of why there is a difference. Even if the price of the refinishing doubles, it is still much less than it would be to demo the existing floor, install a new floor and then have it sanded and finished.

Why is replacing a wood floor in an old house more expensive?
It’s not like having the wide open spaces you do with a new home or a remodeling project. You start by tearing out the old floor. This can be a challenge because it is often under walls, door trim, stairs, cabinets and a host of other pre-existing structures. Getting it out without damaging walls and other surfaces requires a different skill set a lot of installers simply don’t have. Once it is removed, you now have to cut and fit the new wood. Again, this isn’t like a new installation and requires extra time, effort and expense. Once this is completed, you can sand and finish it like any other new floor. What most people don’t factor into this is the additional time, chaos, collateral damage and need for a more experienced installer. Installation costs on a project like this are usually doubled.

How do I know if the contractor is going to use the right sanding equipment and methods?
In my opinion, the litmus test is to ask if they work on old houses. The contractors who work on new construction, remodeling projects or for the “box stores” (that sell carpet, tile and other flooring materials) rarely have the level of experience you need. You also need to see if they use secondary sanders (see photos for these). If you live in an older neighborhood, or know someone who does, you can usually check with them to find someone with the track record you need. And finally, ask for and check the references you get with the estimates. We can be talking big money here so do your homework!