Consider These Before Starting The Floor Renovation Project
Since this is a weighty task, you want to ensure that you’re off on the right footing. The costs involved, as well as the disruption to the activities in your home or commercial space, make it vital to have the right plan in place to get the desired result. Here are aspects you should factor in:
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The purpose of the renovation project.
Is it to deal with worn out or damaged surfaces, or do you want to customise the floor? Are you after a completely new look? Fortunately, with the wide range of wood stains and lacquers available, you can achieve the desired effect when treating the floor without having to pull out the boards and install new ones. However, if it is for a case of changing the actual layout of the boards, then this will call for an overhaul of the existing floor.
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The impact of the renovation project to the premises
It’s not just about the aesthetics or functionality of the floor. The impact of the process can have ripple effects that last for long. Take the dust for instance. Lots of it is generated during the floor sanding – both coarse and fine particles that get on all the surfaces – from the open areas, on sockets and appliances, and even into the vents. This will require heavy cleaning to be done. The particularly light particles can remain airborne for long, becoming a threat to the body once inhaled. However, in a bid to minimise these effects, professional contractors use dustless floor sanding systems. These machines suction up the dust immediately it is grinded off the floor, and redirect it through a series of pipes into waste containment units.
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Who will handle the process?
Will you go the DIY route, or hire a professional for the task? The DIY process is fraught with risk. Without the adequate skillset or high-powered machinery required for the task, it can end up taking way much longer than expected, and mistakes can be easily made, which will ruin the floor. It may have started as a way to save on costs, but things can quickly spiral out of control, and fixing damages will be much more costly than if you had simply brought in a professional contractor to take care of the task – and saved yourself a lot of time and frustrations in the process.
8 Questions To Ask The Floor Sanding And Refinishing Contractor
As you evaluate the different potential contractors, these questions will help you narrow down to who is the right fit for the floor restoration project:
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How long have you been in business?
This looks into the kind of experience that the company has. A longer track record will enable you to gauge their level of service delivery more accurately. While on this, ask about any certifications that the personnel have. Take the extra step to find the business social media handles and business directory listings to see reviews left behind by other clients who had hired their services.
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Do you use your own employees?
Does the company have an in-house crew that carries out the floor sanding and refinishing, or does it subcontract to third-party business? Not that there is anything illegal with subcontracting, but it does come with extra levels of risk, especially with regard to the qualification levels of the different company that is given the task. In addition, you will need to know about the identities of the personnel who will be tasked with working on your house.
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Do you have pictures of your work?
Some “Before/After” pictures of projects they have handled will be beneficial to see the kind of quality of results from their projects. These pictures are usually in an online portfolio that you can access, such as a gallery on the company’s website.
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Will you move my furniture, carpeting, etc…and do you charge for it?
When preparing for the floor sanding and restoration, the heavy appliances need to be moved, as well as the carpeting that has been fixed to the ground. Find out from the company if they will do this, and if it will cost you extra.
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Do you set any plastic to protect the rest of the house?
One of the measures of dealing with the dust generated is putting up plastic that isolates the work area from the rest of the premises – especially over sensitive appliances. Will you need to do this yourself, or does the company take care of it? If they do, what will they charge?
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Do you use dustless equipment?
Dustless floor sanding systems are increasingly becoming predominant during restoration projects in both residential and commercial setups. These systems are designed to remove 99% of the dust, and it is also beneficial in reducing the time taken up by the entire project since the amount of cleaning required is greatly reduced.
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Is there a warranty/guarantee in place?
This looks at the steps to take should you not be satisfied with the results of the services provided. Having this cleared up before the project starts will make the process of addressing any subsequent issues smoother.
Getting an estimated timeline for the entire project will enable you to be able to plan yourself. After all, the floor restoration is a destructive project, whether it is being done in a single room or the entire house. Depending on the size of the task, it can take a retake day or two, or even over a week. Factors that affect this are the size of the area being worked on, the types of treatments being applied, and the number of coats to be applied on the floor, since they will each have some drying time needed. As a general practice, however short or long the period given by the contractor, add yourself a day or two as you make your arrangements. This is to provide leeway for any unexpected incidences that pop up along the way. However, with a professional contractor that has a proven track record, risks of such incidents are minimised.
