Do you want to refinish your floors? Are you curious what to expect? At San Jose Hardwood Floors, we pride ourselves on exceptional customer service; a big part of that is keeping you well informed throughout your flooring project. Here’s what you can expect the process to look like.
Step 1: Initial Contact
The first step is getting in touch. You can submit a form through our website, give us a call or stop by the showroom to get started. We always suggest you come into the store if you can; we want you to meet us and see what we are all about for yourself. By visiting our showroom, you’ll be able to see we’re a start to finish turnkey solution and we never rely on subcontractors.
Once you contact us:
- We’ll schedule an appointment so we can come out and assess if your floors can be refinished. Some can’t be refinished, such as certain types of engineered flooring (which can have a very thin layer of hardwood on top) or a very old hardwood floor that has already been refinished many times. If this is the case, we’ll happily discuss replacement options with you.
- While at your home, we’ll measure the space and discuss color and finish options. In addition to the wide variety of colors we have available, we’re able to do custom-mixes so you can have just the right shade of stain and dye for your home.
- Following our appointment, we’ll send an estimate as well as a copy of our liability and workers’ compensation insurance the following day by 9am (if not sooner). Our estimates are very detailed and include specifics like:
- Type and color of stain/dye
- Finish type
- Baseboards
- Once you receive your estimate, we’ll give you a call to walk you through the project, estimate and logistics of the job. We’ll also recommend professional services to assist with:
- Moving/storage of your furniture
- Area rug cleaning (if your floors are getting a facelift your rugs should, too)
- Painting
- Cleaning
Step 2: Scheduling the Project
Once you decide to move forward with the project, we schedule the job by taking the following factors into account:
- How long you’ll need to be out of your home, if at all
- What schedule is convenient for you (we do work Saturdays, but Sunday is traditionally our day off – if it turns out the only way your floors can be refinished is by us coming on a Sunday, we may be able to do that)
- If you’re also currently remodeling, any other contractors that may be working on your home; we can work with them as well as we have a lot of experience working with a wide range of home improvement professionals
Step 3: Implementing the Project
As we begin work on your floors, you can expect the following:
- You’ll need to have all your furniture removed when we arrive to begin (remember, we can recommend great movers and storage companies that can handle this for you).
- We’ll put up plastic in some parts of your house to protect the rest of your home from dust. Our dust containment system is top of the line, although there’s no truly “dustless” refinishing, we create a minimum amount of dust.
- We’ll start by making any necessary repairs to the floors.
- We’ll fill/trowel the floor with putty where needed.
- We use different grits of sandpaper depending on your floors’ condition.
- Next we open mesh screen the floors, which is a type of sand paper.
- Then we clean the floors so they’re perfect for the lovely new finish.
- After we tap the floors with mineral spirits, we apply the new stain or dye (or a combination of the two) by hand. This is the only way to ensure a consistent finish; we never use mops to apply the floor dye or stain.
- Whether you opt for water- or oil-based finish (we’ll help with the decision so you get the best finish), we always apply three coats.
- For oil-based finishes we apply one coat a day, so it takes three days.
- For water-based finishes we can apply the first two coats in one day, so it takes two days.
Step 4: Baseboards
What about your baseboards? If they’re in good condition, we can edge right up to them. We may need to add a base shoe by filling in the little gap under the baseboard that appears when the floors are sanded (the floor becomes lower so the baseboard doesn’t go all the way down to the floor anymore).
If you need new baseboards you have two options:
- Paint-grade baseboard (you’ll need to provide the painter, but we’re happy to make recommendations). We suggest you get them painted before they’re installed.
- Stain-grade baseboard (we’ll finish these for you).
And, of course, we’re happy to install your baseboards for you!
Step 5: Enjoy!
After the project is complete, you can move your furniture back in and enjoy your beautiful refinished floors!
Are you ready to get started? Come visit our showroom and/or contact us to schedule your initial appointment!