Should i refinish old hardwood floors myself or hire a pro?

[OliverM]

I’ve just moved into an older house and I’m trying to figure out the best way to handle the old hardwood floors in the living room. They’re covered in this dark, sticky varnish and I’m not sure if I should attempt to sand them myself or just call a professional refinisher.

[Zachary.P]

We moved into an old house with a dark sticky varnish on the living room floors too. We started with a chemical stripper in a small corner, it loosened a bit but smelled brutal and took forever. Then we rented a drum sander and the finish peeled in sheets, which made the job bigger than we expected. We ended up calling a refinisher after a few days of watching dust rise with every pass. They ground it, re-stained it, and sealed it. It was expensive, but the room felt different after.

[Gary.R]

Are you sure the problem is the varnish and not a spill or something that soaked into the wood? If the boards are soft or badly stained, sanding might not fix it.

[KennethSW]

I tried DIY once and quit halfway. The dust got into the HVAC, and every surface felt gritty for days. It cooled my enthusiasm, honestly.

[EmmaRT]

Maybe you’ll be fine with a quick quote from a pro first, and you can compare to a full DIY plan, but the fumes and dust aren’t nothing. We talked about it and still found ourselves saying yes to a pro after a visit.