1. I SHOULD HAVE… Chosen the better quality finish system

Regret
“On the quote to have our floors restored they offered us three finish options. We went for the best price which of course was the first option. Time has flown by and five years later we are seeing areas where the finish has worn through. At this point we see that we would have saved money by choosing the highest quality finish in the first place. Now I cannot simply think of moving out again and having the floors done properly. It's not about the money anymore, it's about the inconvenience.”

Lesson: Higher quality finish systems are where the real value resides.

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2. I SHOULD HAVE… Not accepted the lowest quote.

Regret
“The quality of repairs and refinishing was lacking, and unfortunately in that we were rushed, we did not notice the many imperfections left behind as a result of the finishing process. When we notified our floor refinisher of the issues we received no response to our grievances.”

Lesson: Seriously consider the higher priced quotes. We often get what we pay for.

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3. I SHOULD HAVE… insisted on a detailed, written and signed estimate.

Regret
“Not everything was in writing and we had nothing to go on when things went wrong. We were being billed for additional work we thought or just assumed were included in the original estimate. The floor refinisher thought otherwise. In the end we were so upset that we hired another contractor to come in and complete the project. What is worse is that we are still wrangling with the first contractor.”

Lesson: A very detailed and well written estimate is often a sign of a competent contractor.

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4. I SHOULD HAVE… repaired and replaced the damaged areas, rather than hope they would sand out.

Regret
“We thought that the cost of the proposed repairs for our project was high. I asked my father-in-law (who is a tradesman) to come and look at the damaged areas of the floor and he thought that they would most likely sand out and not be that evident once all was refinished. The hardwood floor contractor insisted otherwise, but we didn't listen to him. He reluctantly went ahead with the refinishing. The floor guy was right - now the damaged areas seem even more visible compared to the newly refinished hardwood surrounding it.

When we asked the refinisher if he could now go back, repair and refinish only the damaged areas, he said that the whole job would virtually have to be redone, thus doubling our cost! We should have trusted him. He was right and not my father-in-law who is a plumber.”

Lesson: The finished result justifies the cost of repairs.

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5. I SHOULD HAVE… Refinished the entire floor, not just a portion

Regret
“My wife thought that the living room didn't need refinishing, that only the dining room and hallways did. Well that was a mistake. It became quite obvious now that the hall and dining areas are beautiful – like new, and the living room is old and yellowed.

Not only that but we had no where to put our furniture other than in two of the bedrooms. Another big mistake! We should have availed ourselves of the services of “StorKit” or “PODS” (storage systems precisely for these types of situations). We should have had all our hardwood done. Now who knows when we will have the rest done? Probably never.”

Lesson: Better to have the complete area done if at all possible all at the same time.

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6. I SHOULD HAVE… Asked for the dustless system.

Regret
“I didn’t think it would be as bad as it was. What a mess! It took weeks to get rid of all the dust—it was everywhere and in everything. A couple of hundred dollars would have saved me all that work and washing.”

Lesson: Pay for dustless.

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7. I SHOULD HAVE… Had professionals move the fridge back in place

Regret
“We thought that putting cardboard down and rolling the fridge from the back deck to the kitchen would work OK. Were we wrong! It cost us nearly as much to refinish the floor area that was damaged when the fridge was moved in as it did the entire job. Besides, now that portion of the floor is thinner and that worries us.”

Lesson: Virtually all fridges if rolled on unprotected hardwood will make an impression in the wood.

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8. I SHOULD HAVE… Had more coats of finish applied.

Regret
“Budget restraints and the belief that only two coats of finish would be sufficient held us back from doing more. It has now been four years and the finish has worn through right down the wood in the high traffic areas. I don't know, maybe it was the quality of the finish.

Anyway we had another hardwood floor expert look at it and he said that we would have to re-sand the entire area before applying more finish. This would cost as much as the first job! On the original ‘Estimate’ we were quoted $475.00 for an additional coat of finish. And it would have easily added another 5 years of wear life to the floor.”

Lesson: A minimum of four coats should be applied to any floor for long life.

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9. I SHOULD HAVE… Had my floors restored sooner!

Regret
“We put off the refinishing or our hardwood floors for several years. They really needed a restoration. We wrongly thought that we would do so when the kids left home. The reason being that the new finish would wear out when our hardwood floor contractor assured us that we could apply a high quality long lasting finish, one that can stand up to an active family and pets, we jumped at the chance.”

Lesson: Industrial quality floor finishes can and do stand up to an active lifestyle for many years.

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10. I SHOULD HAVE… Allowed more time for the repair and refinishing process.

Regret
“Our time line was so tight that we only had a 48 hour window allotted for all the hardwood work. We had extensive repairs and a lot square footage to refinish. The moving van was due to arrive Thursday and the hardwood floor contractor was forced to begin Tuesday morning.”

“He did his best. We can now see how things were done far too hastily. We assured him that it was not his fault and he was good about it. We were not able to apply the proper number of coats and now the finish is showing signs of failure in some areas. Due to time constraints too we were not able to have all the repairs done. Now we have carpets strategically placed to hide the areas that were refinished but not repaired.”

Lesson: Allot sufficient time for the restoration of your floors.

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11. I SHOULD HAVE… listened to the hardwood floor contractor when he suggested the optimal time to refinish the floors in relation to the other trades and work.

Regret
“The newly finished floors were damaged by successive tradesmen. We warned all of them to be careful but there were a couple of ‘accidents’.

The real problem was that we didn't listen to the hardwood floor specialist despite the fact that he suggested that we shouldn’t refinish the floors before the dry-walling and painting was completed. We tried to protect the floors but the dry-wall guys damaged the floor with their ladders and some paint spilled on the floor. Not only that, but the electrician also damaged the floor in areas.

We had to call the hardwood floor contractor back to repair the damage. It was expensive and we can still see some of the deep scratches left by the other tradesmen. Next time we would definitely wait and have the floors done last.”

Lesson: There is an ideal time to have your hardwood floors refinished in relation to other renovations.

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12. I SHOULD HAVE… protected our floors after they were beautifully done.

Regret
“We neglected to protect our floors after they were beautifully done. We should have put felt pads on the bottom of the chairs and furnishings. Now we see that the dining room floor is all dimpled.”

Lesson: Protecting your floors with either felt or Teflon pads applied to the legs of all furnishings is a must.

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CONCLUSION

We hope this has been of some assistance to you. As you can see “hindsight is truly 20/20” These homeowners have learned valuable lessons. Sadly many have had to pay dearly to acquire such experience, you shouldn't have to..

A competent refinisher will address the following concerns in detail in the initial written estimate even before you raise them.

Timing and budget constraints can negatively impact the work of flooring professional. Granting sufficient time and resources to the hardwood floor project is a must for a job well done. Professionals will insist on this. In the end, it's usually best to listen to the advice of your chosen professional floor refinisher.

One of the sure signs that you are close to finding that 'ideal' floor refinisher is that he will address all of these issues described above well in advance and explain and offer proper direction. This is a sure sign of competence. This will enable you to make confident, educated decisions so you don’t have to have your own list of “Should Haves”.

So now…why not consider the article “Why Choose Us?”