Checking back in after being MIA for a few months.
- Thread starter steve
- Start date
Good luck with your new home. There is nothing like being a homeowner.
So i got a call from a hardwood floor guy, $2.50 sq ft, includes sanding and 3 coats of varnish. Does that sound about right?
I asked just about screening and he was saying without knowing the history of the floors, and if the current owners used Murphy's oil etc the varnish may not adherer properly so he prefers just to sand them.
I asked just about screening and he was saying without knowing the history of the floors, and if the current owners used Murphy's oil etc the varnish may not adherer properly so he prefers just to sand them.
$2.50/ sq foot was about what I was seeing. I had three different folks give me quotes. one professional company, one guy who does it himself full time, and the guy I hired, who does it on the side. All three were $2 and change. I hired the last one, because he could work with my schedule.
the floor in the master bedroom closet had never been resurfaced, and had the original wax-based finish on it. When I stopped in that day, he must have had fifteen used-up sanding discs in a pile behind him. He definitely earned his money that day.
edit: I only got two coats of polyurethane at that price. Three seems like a deal. Do you know if he is using oil based? or water? what I learned is that the oil based is more durable. (retains some elasticity) but takes longer to dry and smells worse. The water based solution dries fast, and stink-free, but is more apt to chip if you drop a pot on it.
A contractor friend of mine strongly advised using "The Bona system." which I believe to be one of the water based options. I guess if you hear that mentioned, it's a good thing.
Regardless, I am quite happy with the results. Also of note, is that I had him apply a "natural" finish. Right now, yours appeared to be a bit darker. you may want to keep that in mind if you like the color.
the floor in the master bedroom closet had never been resurfaced, and had the original wax-based finish on it. When I stopped in that day, he must have had fifteen used-up sanding discs in a pile behind him. He definitely earned his money that day.
edit: I only got two coats of polyurethane at that price. Three seems like a deal. Do you know if he is using oil based? or water? what I learned is that the oil based is more durable. (retains some elasticity) but takes longer to dry and smells worse. The water based solution dries fast, and stink-free, but is more apt to chip if you drop a pot on it.
A contractor friend of mine strongly advised using "The Bona system." which I believe to be one of the water based options. I guess if you hear that mentioned, it's a good thing.
Regardless, I am quite happy with the results. Also of note, is that I had him apply a "natural" finish. Right now, yours appeared to be a bit darker. you may want to keep that in mind if you like the color.
Last edited:
Mike, thanks for the info. Given that i am still only an hour outside of NYC then his price is good. Things cost more around here including the very high property taxes. If it was not for family i would look to move out of NJ due to the high cost of living as long as i could transfer my job or get a good job.
Now my problem is i estimated my sq ft of wood flooring to be about 1600 then there are the stairs. So with that and the painting there goes my $8k tax credit. No money left for my hot tub this year.
I don't plan on moving if i can help it so it will be worth it.
that was my problem too. no deck, no hot tub, no electrical upgrades, no insulation in the attic, no second bathroom... but at least I could move in, and live in the house. The other stuff can wait.
I think the total that I had refinished was about 1,540 square feet. I opted to skip the stairs, and the two upstairs bedrooms for another time. they weren't in nearly as bad of shape as the rest of the house.
I think the total that I had refinished was about 1,540 square feet. I opted to skip the stairs, and the two upstairs bedrooms for another time. they weren't in nearly as bad of shape as the rest of the house.
Last edited:
Pfft, we've been here like 13 years and are finally getting upgrades to the house done.
When some people saw my kitchen remodel, they couldn't believe we still had the switches without that kill thing in them.My next priority will be to replace the two entry doors and two large windows in the living room and dining room. The other windows have all been replaced with newer vinyl double pane ones. The two sliding doors are Anderson double pane.
The entry doors and two large windows are the originals from 1967, non-insulated wood doors and single pane glass.
The front door and two large windows also face in the north west direction. So i am sure replacing them will help in the winter and cut down on the gas bill.
Also i my wish list is getting insulated garage doors since the garage is under the living space and also some water pipes go into it.
Pfft, we've been here like 13 years and are finally getting upgrades to the house done.
My current kitchen is 44 years old with original cabinets, stove top and oven
My house was build in 1962. Still have original cabinets (but I sanded and stained them) and original counter-tops. All the appliances have been replaced...some of them twice! I still have the original wiring WITHOUT the GFCI (Ground-Fault) outlets....same in the bathrooms, no GFCI's. In fact, house has original aluminum wiring.
Steve, I noticed those pipes in the garage photo. that's one of those love/hate things with the tuckunder garage. the cars stay warmer, but I would live in fear of pipes freezing. new doors should go a long way to fixing that. Is it possible to simply add insulation to the existing ones?
As for your Anderson sliding doors, they're made about 15 miles from here in Bayport, MN. You can thank your builder for keeping a number of my friends employed.
One of the things I was happy to find with my house is that all of the windows have been replaced with modern, double-pane units. And they still have the storm windows outside of that, so I feel pretty good there.
I was just really disappointed to find that there is absolutely *no* insulation above the ceiling upstairs. And since it's a 1.5 story, there really is no attic space.. just the width of the 2x4s that make up the roof trusses. I need to consult an expert on what to do there. (proper air flow/vapor barrier/etc) My gas bill alone was $200/mo in Jan and Feb.
The house was built in 1924. Don't get me started on the electrical.
As for your Anderson sliding doors, they're made about 15 miles from here in Bayport, MN. You can thank your builder for keeping a number of my friends employed.
One of the things I was happy to find with my house is that all of the windows have been replaced with modern, double-pane units. And they still have the storm windows outside of that, so I feel pretty good there.
I was just really disappointed to find that there is absolutely *no* insulation above the ceiling upstairs. And since it's a 1.5 story, there really is no attic space.. just the width of the 2x4s that make up the roof trusses. I need to consult an expert on what to do there. (proper air flow/vapor barrier/etc) My gas bill alone was $200/mo in Jan and Feb.
The house was built in 1924. Don't get me started on the electrical.
From what saw in the garage there is a small electric heater hug from the celling.
The celling is sheet rock. I did see that circles were cut out at one time, the speculation from the inspector was that they filled in the voids with insulation. The pipes i saw going to the bathroom that is over the garage run along the top of the foundation wall along the sill. So insulating them is possible. I have to get a better look once i close on the house.
This was the current owners attempt to insulate the garage doors, taping that sliver bubble insulation to the door panels, i think that pipe showing on the celling is a gas pipe:
The celling is sheet rock. I did see that circles were cut out at one time, the speculation from the inspector was that they filled in the voids with insulation. The pipes i saw going to the bathroom that is over the garage run along the top of the foundation wall along the sill. So insulating them is possible. I have to get a better look once i close on the house.
This was the current owners attempt to insulate the garage doors, taping that sliver bubble insulation to the door panels, i think that pipe showing on the celling is a gas pipe:
Well, that's better than nothing I suppose. I sure hope that ductwork is a return?
I guess I'd shoot to insulate the ductwork, water pipes, and doors, but have the garage as a "cool" space rather than a cold one. keep the electric heater set to 40 degrees or something, just to be sure. It will still make for toasty-warm cars, and minimize chances of frozen pipes. hopefully the bedrooms above aren't too chilly.. working on the cars will be nice though!
I guess I'd shoot to insulate the ductwork, water pipes, and doors, but have the garage as a "cool" space rather than a cold one. keep the electric heater set to 40 degrees or something, just to be sure. It will still make for toasty-warm cars, and minimize chances of frozen pipes. hopefully the bedrooms above aren't too chilly.. working on the cars will be nice though!
All the mod money is spent to, the 8k tax credit will go to the floor guy and the painter