Preparing Your Home For Hardwood Floors Refinishing
You need to heed the advice given to you by the flooring consultant.
Their recommendation is often based on the volume and areas in the home that are to be refinished making them no go areas until the refinishing process is complete.
Anyone who has allergies or respiratory problems that may have an adverse reaction to the fumes and odors emitted from the products being used should definitely move out for the duration of the work.
Others such as young babies, toddlers and the elderly are groups that have the potential to be at risk of ill effects from breathing in fumes emitted from the products used in the process.
Although every effort is made to reduce odors and fumes by using low solvent products, doors and windows may need to be left open to aid ventilation.
Heating systems may have to be switched off and that in its self can cause problems for those living in the house.
The most important part of hardwood floor refinishing is choosing your floors finish.
Many people prefer the water-based finishes that emit very little odor compared to their oil-based alternative.
The former is easier to dry and provides a good quality durable finish.
Oil based finish products also produce a good-quality finish.
However, you need to take into account that they do emit an odor that is often described as being the same as an oil-based paint smell.
Both types of finishes require a reasonable level of ventilation.
The ventilation is to assist the drying process and helps eliminate fumes quickly.
However, oil-based hardwood floor finishes will require as much additional ventilation as possible to help accelerate the curing process.
Clearing the room or area of all moveable items is your responsibility.
The flooring consultant may be able to provide you with general advice on what has to be moved, but they are not insured for their employees to move your furniture.
They can at the consultation stage provide with a list of reliable contractors you can hire for storage and removal in your local area.
Removing carpets or other types of floor covering from hardwood floors needs to be completed before the refinishing process can start.
You can carry out that task yourself, taking advantage of the helpful advice you will find on the internet.
Alternatively, you can ask the finishers to remove and dispose of carpets, etc.
, but you should expect the cost to be included in your final bill.
If you intend to lay rugs on your hardwood, you will probably be advised to wait between 2-4 weeks to ensure the drying process is finished.
It is important not to ignore the hardwood finishers advice, even if the hardwood floor looks and feels dry, it can still be easily damaged if the curing process has not finished.
More importantly, you will have breached the conditions of any guarantee and will have to either live with the damage or pay to have it repaired out of your own pocket.