Staining original hardwood?
by
Patricia M
+8
We are selling our 43 yr. old home, the hardwood floors are that old and survived our three sons growing up years. My husband was planning to scuff and re poly. However, the couple wrote the contract with the request that he put darker stain? Is it possible todo this without taking the floors down to bare wood? He doesn't think so nor did the worker at Home Despot. Any suggestions?
10 answers
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Patricia, if the buyer is paying the full asking price and any other costs you had in the original asking price I would counter offer with an allowance for just the stain and poly for them to do the job. You could figure that out by checking the backs of stain and poly cans for their coverage compared to the total square footage of your wood floors. Changing the color properly would mean a total refinish. Thought there are products out there with a stain and poly mix (Polyshades by Minwax) that could be used to darken prefinished floors, your 43 year old floors were very possibly finished with a lacquer or shellac. In that case you can not use Polyshades. Even if you could use use it, it's a lot of work and doesn't always give the best results. In order to get a dark color, one has to use many very light coats. Too much at one time and it streaks something terrible. So with that said, I agree with the man at HoDe and would go with a counter offer of a stain and poly allowance.
Z
on Sep 20, 2015
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Wow I wouldn't think that you would be responsible for redoing the Floors beyond what your husband Had said he would do... any thing extra would be for them to pay for... , I would have sold the house as is and then he wouldn't have this headache now.. I would deny the Request unless you would present them the Full Bill of what it would cost a professional to do- Yes sanding the Floors, new stain and poly the surface... Time and Cost... I helped my brother redo the floor in my mom's bedroom and its not easy.. it takes a big floor sander, then getting all the dust wiped up and yes it does get on the walls too..I had the pleasure of cleaning the Floor then staining it ... and you have to do it evenly or the streaks show.., letting it dry over night then wiping the floor then adding a other coat of stain, letting it dry then wiping again and then the poly coat.or 2...Have your Husband Think twice before committing to the contract request..????
Jean Thompson
on Sep 21, 2015
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I agree with everyone else on this. The buyer should not be asking you to restain a darker color. If anything I would let your Lawyer advise on this. Personally I do not agree with there demand. Refinishing wood floors is a very long process.In my past experience of refinishing floors, sections had to be replaced.the floors totally stripped stained and polyurethaned.All said and done it was not only costly but we also could not walk on the floors for quite a while.
Janet Pizaro
on Sep 21, 2015
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Have you checked out NHance.com? This might be a possibility. I am planning on redoing my floors next year, and this company has a great idea regarding redoing wood floors at an affordable price. I will do further research before I start but it is worth checking into. I also agree with the other posters, that the buyer should be responsible for this.
Kathy
on Sep 21, 2015
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Thank you, everyone. We totally agree with you. But they will pay full price so we will have the extra money to do this....unless they find anything that doesn't pass inspection. My husband and sons are handy so we don't think this should happen. The house has a new architectural roof (hail storm a month ago), newer AC, furnace, hot water heater, etc. so I hope nothing else is found? You never know though. Lol, thankfully it will be all under contract before floors are finished. I really love coming to Hometalk for advice. Everyone is so helpful! 😊
Patricia M
on Sep 21, 2015
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You'll find a lot of useful wood floor refinishing information here: http://goo.gl/ubBJKw Let us know if you have any questions.
HouseLogic.com
on Sep 21, 2015
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If the contract isn't already signed, I wouldn't do it. If you do decide to tackle the request, make sure you get it in writing that they understand you are refinishing the floors yourselves and not hiring it out to be professionally done. Being "handy" is great when you're doing for yourself, but for others, especially house buyers, they will be pretty critical when it comes to the floors being "just right". With that said, I would use a stain color called "Gunstock" it is a darker color without being as dark as walnut (VERY dark) or hickory, which is also pretty dark. Gunstock is a good middle of the road stain. You will also have to think about a top finish... polyurethane (oil or water base), varnish, wax......what do they expect?
Bonnie
on Sep 21, 2015
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Patricia, I'm so happy I, and others, were abe to help you. I was afraid you'd have more questions about what I wrote and I wasn't available because I was on the road for six hours today. I came "home" to surprise my cousin on her birthday. She's been fighting cancer for the last two years and went on Hospice last Tuesday. We had an awesome visit, and her son and his wife took us all out to dinner on the river. I will add that I would get a second estimate from someone not recommended by your realtor. Sometimes you can find just as high quality work for less money by finding them on your own.
Z
on Sep 21, 2015
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God bless you Becky, and may He bless your cousin during this difficult time. So nice of you to visit her! We did price another and to our surprise it was the same cost, without the guarantee. Yay, pending inspections...home SOLD! However, silly as it seems...I'm a bit nostalgic after 43 yrs, raising our three sons there, etc. precious memories but time to build new ones in a house without steps! My doctors insisted no steps because frequent falls. We have plenty of jobs here so I'll be back!
Patricia M
on Sep 21, 2015
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Thank you so much Patricia. This is her second fight. She was 4.5 years cancer free when it recurred. Same happened to a male cousin, only 47, but we lost him in just 4 months the second time around. A third, female, cousin just lost a breast to cancer. It's an evil disease. The cousin I came home to visit is such a strong faithful woman. She has her moments, we cry and laugh together. The surprise was awesome. No one knew but her son, his wife and today her husband found out. I called when I parked in front of their home to wish her a happy birthday, telling her I'd love to see her. As I knew she would, she said that she'd love to see me too. By then I was on her porch and could see her sitting in her chair so I told her to look to her left. I wish I had a picture of the joy in her smile. Her hubby had to tell us to hang up and for me to come inside. It was awesome! I can understand your being nastalgic after 43 years in one home. It was very hard for me to leave our last home since our children grew up there and it was the last place my folks had been to. Daddy and I built the kids a club house the year Mom passed suddenly. A couple years later he helped build a garage out back. So yes, I understand how hard it is for you. The memories are always with you though and you'll make many new ones in your new home that's safer for you. I'll add you to my prayer list that all goes well with the floors, the sell, and most of all, your health.
Z
on Sep 22, 2015
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