Just for everyone watching, his video course and ebook he is selling is totally worth it. I bought it a few days ago and am almost finish going thru it all. Really cleared a lot of questions up for me. This guy knows his shit. I was very confused and the home depot employees, along with various sources online, were giving me conflicting information. Thanks m8! I'm not affiliated at all just wanted to support this guy and his stuff because I found it so genuinely helpful.
I'm fixing to refinish my reclaim oak floors with all the tips and tricks I've learned from you! My total cost for about 600sf: including purchase, rentals, stain, poly will come out to $700. It's 1000 times the work to DIY, and I'm nervous, but I think it will be worth it in the end!
I’ve DIYd it. It doesn’t cost a lot to do it yourself at all. Doing it right on your own is just time consuming. Like with any job it takes like 3-5 times doing something for the first time than with practice. The only sane way I could get it done was to buy the tools and do it right, a room at a time. With a family, it’s the only way to go, unless you wanna pay for a hotel. I picked a throw away room to make all my mistakes in…and it took a while. Great results. But there’s a lot of reasons to hire someone to get it done quick and right.
Good vid. Calculated ive been qouted £90 a sq mt to sand solid oak floor. Just to to remove coloured laquer and finish in a clear satin. Its 5.5sq meter job which your vid touched on
I know it’s mundane but a video on DIY clean up would be great. What to clean, what to throw away. How to clean tools. How to clean self. I just got done staining the first floor of my house…looks great. Me, a first timer? Not so much…
Im doing it for my home, the floors had multiple layers done by previous owners: it had carpets, tiles, then below all that old vintage tar glued tiles, its easily a 5k job if you pay someone and i say it is worth that much, The man hours spent were crazy!
I don't give the option. if im sanding it, im finishing it, way to many scenarios I've had to resand a floor do to negligent owners insisting to coat themselves. in my area i charge $5-$5.75/sq foot depending whats on the floors, I do small discounts for larger project. make the number a bit more appealing
But if the home owner screws it’s up it’s their fault. It’s the finishing that can go wrong. I always tell clients that but if they insist, I’m cool with it!
@@HowToSandAFloor that's absolutely correct, it is their fault for sure. however, i have the market cornered. As i've bought out my other 2 competitors. so when i say im not resanding. the slander begins all over the internet. it's such a lovely part of business. when that happens. they pay for the new sanding materials and a base hourly rate to have 2 guy back on the job site. either way, the business itself doesn't lose money. but we lose the valuable time we could be allocating to other projects.
@@BelleHakusalemBoone my prices includes everything, without putting you to sleep, it pays to own/operate and pay a modest wage to employees working their tales off.
I use Bona traffic as standard unless otherwise specified. I do get customers requesting I leave them to finish the floor themselves (usually because some decorator has told them Osmo is all things to all men - and they've already purchased it). My conditions for them finishing their own floors are: I shall not guarantee the floor for any length of time beyond what it takes me to reach my van. I am paid immediately on completion!! Non negotiable. I try to dissuade customers from finishing their floors for various reasons. The main one is lack of expertise... but they're usually holding off applying the sealants, because they have other work to carry out in the room and don't want the finish damaged. Once I've explained that footprints will require the floor be sanded again if the floor isn't protected. Most see sense... but those who don't, are probably irritated daily, by the preservation of size 9 Adidas gazelle prints, highlited beautifully behind the orange tinted pine, surrounded by clumps of fossilised cat hair 🤷♂️
I love your content but not so much this video sorry to say. Please don’t take this personally but I strongly recommend you go on the KHR course that covers pricing, I think you’ll be surprised and end up upping your rates. I know several other guys from all over the nation that sand floors and they, and myself, all charge considerably more than 30-40 sqm. And you’re definitely not getting Traffic HD for that. I’m sure you’ve noticed abrasives and lacquers have gone up in price recently too, along with everything else. Keep up the good work though mate.
Prices are determined by supply and demand. We can all pontificate about how much prices should be but the right price is the price at which you get the job. I’m just being realistic about what most people charge.
Hello friend, I admire your work and your videos inspired me to do some videos of my own, but mostly focusing on the aspect of the satisfying part watching someone work and sand a floor. Kind of relaxed and chill watching. Do you have any tips you can give to a newbie in the youtube scene? I would appreciate it so much!
Is acrylic finish okay or good? I have 2 bigger dogs. 2 rooms. 520 sqft. 60s era wood floors in USA. Baseboard water heat around the edges. Price ish estimate that would be acceptable? Floors are in good condition not stained currently
Hello, I have a question on sequenceing. We are doing a DIY project on a newly bought apartment. We plan to sand the floors and varnish it. But we also plan on painting. There is this fear that the dust made by sanding might affect our newly painted walls. So, is there any basis for this fear?
And the time! DYI guys never really understand the time they may need to dedicate. A day off or two or three or four may not even be enough. I quoted 7-8 days on a project but the homeowner instead decided to try himself. For him I bet he took a month to do it all between work, housework, marriage, kids, and the occasional day or two off!
Are you familiar with NWFA in the U.S. was wondering if that is an accreditation body that you recommend as I am looking for a good flooring contractor.
Hi, I have just laid down some new spruce tongue and groove and am planning on renting a drum sander to level it out. (diagonally starting out and then with grain as you recommend) It looks like most of the floors you do are hardwood but should I take anything into consideration when sanding a softwood such as spruce? Thanks in advance!
yes, be carful with the tilt sanders, (if that's what is available to you) get comfortable in a corner with the machine. soft woods will leave large groves from the machine bouncing, before you know it, its all over the floor. otherwise, get your heart rate down. toss some music in the ears and just enjoy the transformation for what it is :D
Have you ever had any experience with removing carpet that was over hardwood floors and then refinishing? I have hardwood floors beneath carpet in a house I just bought and the carpet cushion was stapled down and I'm trying to find the best way to fill in all the small holes from the staples.
If you are doing floor in Manhathan in luxury building you have to have as a must: 6 to 9 million insurance (license,insurance:umbrella,workers comp,additional insurers), Parking:$100 a day Traffic, Building restrictions So it is not same doing floor in private house and luxury building In house you can do for $3 to$5 and you still make good profits If you do a floor with $4 in Manhattan Luxury building you can’t survive you have to file bankruptcy after expenses I’m GC and won’t touch a floor for $3 $6 and up
I have a void that's probably a foot in diameter under my hardwood floor, is there a safe way to fix that without redoing the subfloor? (The floor is only about 3 years old and has been this way the whole time)
when sanding a beveled floor, are you able to sand the bevel out or do you have to fill them? i am going to lace in a new room with unfinished non-beveled floor and want it to look the same.
I have an 1830 home made out of virgin heart pine in the south. All the walls, floor and ceilings. I planned to do my floors but don't know what to do with the walls. Any suggestions. They are 14 foot ceilings. 2,200 sq foot home.
Hope this worked out for you. I just bought an 1880 in the high. North. Just pulled the wallpaper and some of the plaster to repair. Gorgeous wood behind it. Enough so, I really don’t want to mud back over it. I wondering about the same things.
I like to make floors look perfect. I realize this isn't reality working on a crew with a couple other people. All our jobs turn out great but could be at a higher level if we just took our time. It's a double edge sword. The people who take the time probably add more labor into price but homeowners usually like quick in and out and of coarse, quality.
How do you final sand on maple to prevent blotching? I’ve had problems with it before when it’s not going natural and staining it dark. However, I’ve reduced blotching a lot with 120-220 screening and water popping 🤷♂️ maple is tricky
I sand and refinish maple fairly often. I 40/80 with the drum then finish with 100 grit for the edging. I personally like to fine up with the edger after all big machine is finished. Vacuuming everything before running the buffer is important also. Finally I really like using 100 grit Norton red heat screens, or 100 grit mesh power (both great products) and understanding how to buff so your machining blends well. A LED light on your buffer can help highlight any imperfections too. You can do super clean maple with 100 grit, I think going up to 120 is overkill but still okay, but 100 seems to blend the machining better. Anyways if your sanding is done well, a nice water pop and dark stain should look really nice. I only run into problems when staining maple really light colors. Always have to stain twice for some reason but it fixes the problem every time. I really enjoy sanding and refinishing hardwood floors for some reason 😅 Have a good one 😎
@@HowToSandAFloor thank-you so much for taking the time to reply! I live in a rented house, the quote I was given is about half the mone I have in the bank. NO way can I pay, THe total area is about 65 square metres. It's not in very good condition and the gaps need filling. (I'm in Portugal if you want to come and stay in exchange for doing the floor...... :-D ).... I first though of renting a machine, but now I have found your videos, I don't think I could use all those machines. Maybe do it by hand slowly?.....
@@HowToSandAFloor I watched a lady do it with a hand held sander, but then I found yours, which are FANTASTIC, and I doscovered what real professionals do thanks for sharing with us!!! Could there be a solution? I DO NOT have 4000 euros to pay! 😞
For the price I really like the Lagler abrasives zirc. Never really used ceramic belts if I’m honest, they’re just too expensive. They don’t seem to be much better to me. 3m cubitron 2’s were absolutely incredible when they came out, then all of a sudden they were terrible. I’ve got boxes of it I won’t even use they’re so bad. I specifically remember when I first touched cubitron 2s it was so sharp it felt like I could cut myself, now they feel smooth. Lots of abrasives seem to not be what they were 3 years ago, strange phenomenon.
@@HowToSandAFloor I have bought many boxes of cubitron 2 the quality between boxes changes drastically(sharpness and how long they last) I just tend to use trend zirconium disks in my sanders now as I can get them for 1/3rd the cost of cubitron and they last almost as long
Just for everyone watching, his video course and ebook he is selling is totally worth it. I bought it a few days ago and am almost finish going thru it all. Really cleared a lot of questions up for me. This guy knows his shit. I was very confused and the home depot employees, along with various sources online, were giving me conflicting information. Thanks m8! I'm not affiliated at all just wanted to support this guy and his stuff because I found it so genuinely helpful.
I bought it too. Even sent Ben some pics of my very challenging floor and he shot back a few bits of advice.
Did my appartment floors about 2 years ago, watching your videos and with the guide. Best money spent!
Thank you Henry, glad it went well!
I'm fixing to refinish my reclaim oak floors with all the tips and tricks I've learned from you!
My total cost for about 600sf: including purchase, rentals, stain, poly will come out to $700. It's 1000 times the work to DIY, and I'm nervous, but I think it will be worth it in the end!
How did you get to $700? My refinishing calculator, calculated your project at $1100
@@HowToSandAFloor I bought a big lot of flooring with the nails still in it. I only used about half and sold the rest!
I’ve DIYd it. It doesn’t cost a lot to do it yourself at all. Doing it right on your own is just time consuming. Like with any job it takes like 3-5 times doing something for the first time than with practice. The only sane way I could get it done was to buy the tools and do it right, a room at a time. With a family, it’s the only way to go, unless you wanna pay for a hotel. I picked a throw away room to make all my mistakes in…and it took a while. Great results. But there’s a lot of reasons to hire someone to get it done quick and right.
Good vid. Calculated ive been qouted £90 a sq mt to sand solid oak floor. Just to to remove coloured laquer and finish in a clear satin. Its 5.5sq meter job which your vid touched on
This video is incredibly spot on. 100% correct
I know it’s mundane but a video on DIY clean up would be great. What to clean, what to throw away. How to clean tools. How to clean self. I just got done staining the first floor of my house…looks great. Me, a first timer? Not so much…
What products do you reccomend for finishing? I've just sanded and unsure where to go next. Priming? Varnish? Oil? Wax? It's a minefield lol
Im doing it for my home, the floors had multiple layers done by previous owners: it had carpets, tiles, then below all that old vintage tar glued tiles, its easily a 5k job if you pay someone and i say it is worth that much, The man hours spent were crazy!
Labor jobs be crazy sometimes, I once sanded a house to paint for a whole week just because it was in bad condition 💀
I don't give the option. if im sanding it, im finishing it, way to many scenarios I've had to resand a floor do to negligent owners insisting to coat themselves. in my area i charge $5-$5.75/sq foot depending whats on the floors, I do small discounts for larger project. make the number a bit more appealing
But if the home owner screws it’s up it’s their fault. It’s the finishing that can go wrong. I always tell clients that but if they insist, I’m cool with it!
@@HowToSandAFloor that's absolutely correct, it is their fault for sure. however, i have the market cornered. As i've bought out my other 2 competitors. so when i say im not resanding. the slander begins all over the internet. it's such a lovely part of business. when that happens. they pay for the new sanding materials and a base hourly rate to have 2 guy back on the job site. either way, the business itself doesn't lose money. but we lose the valuable time we could be allocating to other projects.
Is that included labor?
@@BelleHakusalemBoone my prices includes everything, without putting you to sleep, it pays to own/operate and pay a modest wage to employees working their tales off.
Your videos are very helpful
I brought your video course, very informative
Hi Ben, could You do a video about different finishes on floor. oil vs water based, satin vs matte etc. What would be your take on it?
I use Bona traffic as standard unless otherwise specified.
I do get customers requesting I leave them to finish the floor themselves (usually because some decorator has told them Osmo is all things to all men - and they've already purchased it).
My conditions for them finishing their own floors are: I shall not guarantee the floor for any length of time beyond what it takes me to reach my van. I am paid immediately on completion!! Non negotiable.
I try to dissuade customers from finishing their floors for various reasons. The main one is lack of expertise... but they're usually holding off applying the sealants, because they have other work to carry out in the room and don't want the finish damaged. Once I've explained that footprints will require the floor be sanded again if the floor isn't protected. Most see sense... but those who don't, are probably irritated daily, by the preservation of size 9 Adidas gazelle prints, highlited beautifully behind the orange tinted pine, surrounded by clumps of fossilised cat hair 🤷♂️
I love your content but not so much this video sorry to say. Please don’t take this personally but I strongly recommend you go on the KHR course that covers pricing, I think you’ll be surprised and end up upping your rates. I know several other guys from all over the nation that sand floors and they, and myself, all charge considerably more than 30-40 sqm. And you’re definitely not getting Traffic HD for that. I’m sure you’ve noticed abrasives and lacquers have gone up in price recently too, along with everything else.
Keep up the good work though mate.
Prices are determined by supply and demand. We can all pontificate about how much prices should be but the right price is the price at which you get the job. I’m just being realistic about what most people charge.
This guy is a spot on!
Hello friend, I admire your work and your videos inspired me to do some videos of my own, but mostly focusing on the aspect of the satisfying part watching someone work and sand a floor. Kind of relaxed and chill watching.
Do you have any tips you can give to a newbie in the youtube scene?
I would appreciate it so much!
Is acrylic finish okay or good? I have 2 bigger dogs. 2 rooms. 520 sqft. 60s era wood floors in USA. Baseboard water heat around the edges. Price ish estimate that would be acceptable? Floors are in good condition not stained currently
Ive been watching diy videos in the hopes of finding business ideas. Not sure if its the quakity of these vids. But it seems doable
Hello, I have a question on sequenceing. We are doing a DIY project on a newly bought apartment. We plan to sand the floors and varnish it. But we also plan on painting. There is this fear that the dust made by sanding might affect our newly painted walls. So, is there any basis for this fear?
We need another floor sanding fails video !
I just did one!
What do you think about Bona One applying without prime classic?
How do you feel about belt sanders? And if they are ok to use if a bit time consuming do you use the same methods or different from the bigger ones
And the time! DYI guys never really understand the time they may need to dedicate. A day off or two or three or four may not even be enough.
I quoted 7-8 days on a project but the homeowner instead decided to try himself. For him I bet he took a month to do it all between work, housework, marriage, kids, and the occasional day or two off!
I hear the 1 month figure all the time
Are you familiar with NWFA in the U.S. was wondering if that is an accreditation body that you recommend as I am looking for a good flooring contractor.
Hi,
I have just laid down some new spruce tongue and groove and am planning on renting a drum sander to level it out. (diagonally starting out and then with grain as you recommend) It looks like most of the floors you do are hardwood but should I take anything into consideration when sanding a softwood such as spruce? Thanks in advance!
yes, be carful with the tilt sanders, (if that's what is available to you) get comfortable in a corner with the machine. soft woods will leave large groves from the machine bouncing, before you know it, its all over the floor. otherwise, get your heart rate down. toss some music in the ears and just enjoy the transformation for what it is :D
Have you ever had any experience with removing carpet that was over hardwood floors and then refinishing? I have hardwood floors beneath carpet in a house I just bought and the carpet cushion was stapled down and I'm trying to find the best way to fill in all the small holes from the staples.
you’re going to want to remove all of the staples, sand the floor down. then fill the floor with a wood filler, and then sand it, buff it, finish it.
How about laying and retreating a reclaimed timber floor? Do you do that?
I do, usually the purchase cost is similar to new flooring but the fitting and sanding and finishing is significantly more.
If you are doing floor in Manhathan in luxury building you have to have as a must:
6 to 9 million insurance (license,insurance:umbrella,workers comp,additional insurers),
Parking:$100 a day
Traffic,
Building restrictions
So it is not same doing floor in private house and luxury building
In house you can do for $3 to$5 and you still make good profits
If you do a floor with $4 in Manhattan Luxury building you can’t survive you have to file bankruptcy after expenses
I’m GC and won’t touch a floor for $3
$6 and up
I have a void that's probably a foot in diameter under my hardwood floor, is there a safe way to fix that without redoing the subfloor? (The floor is only about 3 years old and has been this way the whole time)
when sanding a beveled floor, are you able to sand the bevel out or do you have to fill them? i am going to lace in a new room with unfinished non-beveled floor and want it to look the same.
If it’s a small bevel it’s easier to sand it out. Filling bevels isnt a great idea
@@HowToSandAFloor so better off trying to fine an unfinished with a bevel?
I have an 1830 home made out of virgin heart pine in the south. All the walls, floor and ceilings. I planned to do my floors but don't know what to do with the walls. Any suggestions. They are 14 foot ceilings. 2,200 sq foot home.
Hope this worked out for you. I just bought an 1880 in the high. North. Just pulled the wallpaper and some of the plaster to repair. Gorgeous wood behind it. Enough so, I really don’t want to mud back over it. I wondering about the same things.
I like to make floors look perfect. I realize this isn't reality working on a crew with a couple other people. All our jobs turn out great but could be at a higher level if we just took our time. It's a double edge sword. The people who take the time probably add more labor into price but homeowners usually like quick in and out and of coarse, quality.
To run crews and do very high quality is very rare in my opinion.
How do you final sand on maple to prevent blotching? I’ve had problems with it before when it’s not going natural and staining it dark. However, I’ve reduced blotching a lot with 120-220 screening and water popping 🤷♂️ maple is tricky
I can’t say I’m an expert with this tbh. I would try silicon carbide abrasives at 120 for the final sand.
I sand and refinish maple fairly often. I 40/80 with the drum then finish with 100 grit for the edging. I personally like to fine up with the edger after all big machine is finished. Vacuuming everything before running the buffer is important also. Finally I really like using 100 grit Norton red heat screens, or 100 grit mesh power (both great products) and understanding how to buff so your machining blends well. A LED light on your buffer can help highlight any imperfections too. You can do super clean maple with 100 grit, I think going up to 120 is overkill but still okay, but 100 seems to blend the machining better. Anyways if your sanding is done well, a nice water pop and dark stain should look really nice.
I only run into problems when staining maple really light colors. Always have to stain twice for some reason but it fixes the problem every time.
I really enjoy sanding and refinishing hardwood floors for some reason 😅
Have a good one 😎
amazon links dont work
Where are you located six?
Any possibilities doing an European tour :) ?
so could I do it myself with my dads hand held sander?
@@elismycat it’s possible, but depends on the size and condition of the floor, unless you’re happy to spend months on it. How big is your floor?
@@HowToSandAFloor thank-you so much for taking the time to reply! I live in a rented house, the quote I was given is about half the mone I have in the bank. NO way can I pay, THe total area is about 65 square metres. It's not in very good condition and the gaps need filling. (I'm in Portugal if you want to come and stay in exchange for doing the floor...... :-D ).... I first though of renting a machine, but now I have found your videos, I don't think I could use all those machines. Maybe do it by hand slowly?.....
@@elismycat I’d really recommend against that!
@@HowToSandAFloor its not just one space, its a bedroom, a corridor and living room....
@@HowToSandAFloor I watched a lady do it with a hand held sander, but then I found yours, which are FANTASTIC, and I doscovered what real professionals do thanks for sharing with us!!! Could there be a solution? I DO NOT have 4000 euros to pay! 😞
My quote was for $17.00/sq foot. Not in a city.
Best Zirc or Ceramic belts you’ve used bro?
Bona grey ceramic. No better
the bona grey are pretty nice, personally i run bluefire or blaze on real bad stuff
For the price I really like the Lagler abrasives zirc.
Never really used ceramic belts if I’m honest, they’re just too expensive. They don’t seem to be much better to me.
3m cubitron 2’s were absolutely incredible when they came out, then all of a sudden they were terrible. I’ve got boxes of it I won’t even use they’re so bad. I specifically remember when I first touched cubitron 2s it was so sharp it felt like I could cut myself, now they feel smooth. Lots of abrasives seem to not be what they were 3 years ago, strange phenomenon.
Neither. Silicon carbide.
@@HowToSandAFloor I have bought many boxes of cubitron 2 the quality between boxes changes drastically(sharpness and how long they last) I just tend to use trend zirconium disks in my sanders now as I can get them for 1/3rd the cost of cubitron and they last almost as long
We use square feet in Canada
Im watching a british video and i still cant escape ft and USD on a diy instruction video
It’s a bigger market!
Is epoxy applied to parquet
don't do it. Epoxy is VERY expensive, and if not experienced (very). You will be doing new floors
Please serbish title
What does that mean?
Serbish the title. I mean what don't you get?? Lol
too much, lol
Where are you based?
North herts, uk