Undoubtedly, wood floors add an ambiance of elegance to any house. It doesn’t matter whether you prefer a more rustic or polished look; you’ll certainly find a style that caters to your needs.
Even though wood floors look great, they’re not exactly easy to clean, not to mention, they need to be refinished every couple of years. That’s why you may be thinking about turning seasonal floor cleanup into a DIY project instead of seeking the help of professional cleaners.
PS. If you have hardwood floors, check out our guide for Rug Pads for Hardwood Floors here.
However, most homeowners find that easier said than done, prompting them to take the easy way out and hire an expert. If you’re still on the fence about resorting to that option, though, keep on reading to know exactly why you should hire a commercial wood floor cleaner instead of doing it yourself.
1. Costs
Let’s start with an aspect that worries most homeowners when hiring professional wood floor cleaners – costs. It goes without saying that you probably want to save as much money as you can and not turn a quick touch-up floor maintenance session into a full-blown face-lift, but is it worth doing it yourself?
Well, not really. Most people think that paying an expert to clean their hardwood floors will cost them an arm and a leg, but this can’t be further from the truth! On average, professionals charge between $3 and $8 per square foot to clean/refinish wood floors.
So, you’re looking at a total cost of $600-$1600 if you have 200 square feet of hardwood floors. It may sound expensive, but it pales in comparison to how much DIY projects cost.
If you take up seasonal floor cleaning as a fixer-upper type of project, you’ll need to rent a sander, which most suppliers do for $80 a day. You’ll also need to purchase varnish, a nail set, safety garments (goggles and a respirator), sandpaper, and a hand scraper. Overall, you’ll pay around $500-$1000.
Not only is that a small difference that just isn’t worth the effort and time, but you’ll also risk ruining your floors and paying even more money to replace them if you don’t know your way around a sander. That’s why most homeowners prefer to leave these complex tasks to experts.
2. Time
We all know that time is money, and while the idea of starting a new DIY project usually sounds exciting at first, it might end up taking more time than you’ve anticipated.
Generally speaking, a full cleanup/refinishing job can take up to 15 days, depending on your floors’ state. First, you’ll need to vacuum, sand/scrub, and buff your floors before applying fresh coats of both varnish and sealant.
Moreover, if you have hardwood flooring installed across a large area, you’ll need at least a week to get the job done, especially if you’re a one-person team.
Depending on how many coats you plan to apply, you may also need to wait a few days between coats to allow them to dry before proceeding.
On the other hand, professional cleaning teams usually take only 2-5 days to get the job done, so you can enjoy shiny, good-as-new floors without putting the rest of your responsibilities on the back burner.
3. Safety
Just vacuuming or mopping wood floors isn’t inherently dangerous, but if you’re going for a complete maintenance job, there’s no way around sanding and recoating your floorings. These tasks can be hazardous, particularly if you don’t have the right tools or don’t take the necessary safety measures.
You’ll need to learn to use a sander to avoid severe injuries and buy safety goggles to protect your eyes from errant wood shavings. In some cases, you may also have to purchase a respirator, especially if you have engineered wood floors.
When it comes to glued engineered floors, the cleaning/refinishing process may trigger the previously used chemicals to install them to be rereleased, which poses a great danger for asthmatics and allergy patients.
Even if you don’t suffer from any adverse side effects yourself, the rest of your family might. You definitely don’t want to risk that if you have young kids or older people in your household.
On the contrary, expert cleaners come equipped with state-of-the-art tools that ensure your family stays in good health by eliminating all the germs that may be lurking under your floors.
They also know how to use dangerous chemicals without endangering you or your loved ones, thanks to years of experience in the field.
4. Effectiveness
Of course, you don’t want to spend money, time, and effort on a botched job that’ll only cause you more trouble in the future. However, that’s, unfortunately, a hallmark of most DIY floor cleanup projects.
Unless you’ve already tried your hand at this sort of thing before, your efforts may end up significantly decreasing the lifespan of your floors. All it takes is misapplying your sealant or using a cheap brand coat of varnish, and it’s game over for your floors.
Even worse, you may not even realize that something has gone wrong until it’s too late. On the other hand, hiring expert cleaning services can improve your floors’ longevity, expanding their lifespan by up to 20 years!
Final Words
Your planned DIY floor cleaning project doesn’t necessarily have to end up with a disaster, but some things may admittedly go south if you aren’t careful. Saving costs, time, and effort and ensuring effectiveness are just some of the reasons why you should hire a commercial wood floor cleaner instead of doing it yourself.
However, make sure that you’re dealing with a seasoned service provider to get more bang for your buck!
Undoubtedly, wood floors add an ambiance of elegance to any house. It doesn’t matter whether you prefer a more rustic or polished look; you’ll certainly find a style that caters to your needs.
Even though wood floors look great, they’re not exactly easy to clean, not to mention, they need to be refinished every couple of years. That’s why you may be thinking about turning seasonal floor cleanup into a DIY project instead of seeking the help of professional cleaners.
PS. If you have hardwood floors, check out our guide for Rug Pads for Hardwood Floors here.
However, most homeowners find that easier said than done, prompting them to take the easy way out and hire an expert. If you’re still on the fence about resorting to that option, though, keep on reading to know exactly why you should hire a commercial wood floor cleaner instead of doing it yourself.
1. Costs
Let’s start with an aspect that worries most homeowners when hiring professional wood floor cleaners – costs. It goes without saying that you probably want to save as much money as you can and not turn a quick touch-up floor maintenance session into a full-blown face-lift, but is it worth doing it yourself?
Well, not really. Most people think that paying an expert to clean their hardwood floors will cost them an arm and a leg, but this can’t be further from the truth! On average, professionals charge between $3 and $8 per square foot to clean/refinish wood floors.
So, you’re looking at a total cost of $600-$1600 if you have 200 square feet of hardwood floors. It may sound expensive, but it pales in comparison to how much DIY projects cost.
If you take up seasonal floor cleaning as a fixer-upper type of project, you’ll need to rent a sander, which most suppliers do for $80 a day. You’ll also need to purchase varnish, a nail set, safety garments (goggles and a respirator), sandpaper, and a hand scraper. Overall, you’ll pay around $500-$1000.
Not only is that a small difference that just isn’t worth the effort and time, but you’ll also risk ruining your floors and paying even more money to replace them if you don’t know your way around a sander. That’s why most homeowners prefer to leave these complex tasks to experts.
2. Time
We all know that time is money, and while the idea of starting a new DIY project usually sounds exciting at first, it might end up taking more time than you’ve anticipated.
Generally speaking, a full cleanup/refinishing job can take up to 15 days, depending on your floors’ state. First, you’ll need to vacuum, sand/scrub, and buff your floors before applying fresh coats of both varnish and sealant.
Moreover, if you have hardwood flooring installed across a large area, you’ll need at least a week to get the job done, especially if you’re a one-person team.
Depending on how many coats you plan to apply, you may also need to wait a few days between coats to allow them to dry before proceeding.
On the other hand, professional cleaning teams usually take only 2-5 days to get the job done, so you can enjoy shiny, good-as-new floors without putting the rest of your responsibilities on the back burner.
3. Safety
Just vacuuming or mopping wood floors isn’t inherently dangerous, but if you’re going for a complete maintenance job, there’s no way around sanding and recoating your floorings. These tasks can be hazardous, particularly if you don’t have the right tools or don’t take the necessary safety measures.
You’ll need to learn to use a sander to avoid severe injuries and buy safety goggles to protect your eyes from errant wood shavings. In some cases, you may also have to purchase a respirator, especially if you have engineered wood floors.
When it comes to glued engineered floors, the cleaning/refinishing process may trigger the previously used chemicals to install them to be rereleased, which poses a great danger for asthmatics and allergy patients.
Even if you don’t suffer from any adverse side effects yourself, the rest of your family might. You definitely don’t want to risk that if you have young kids or older people in your household.
On the contrary, expert cleaners come equipped with state-of-the-art tools that ensure your family stays in good health by eliminating all the germs that may be lurking under your floors.
They also know how to use dangerous chemicals without endangering you or your loved ones, thanks to years of experience in the field.
4. Effectiveness
Of course, you don’t want to spend money, time, and effort on a botched job that’ll only cause you more trouble in the future. However, that’s, unfortunately, a hallmark of most DIY floor cleanup projects.
Unless you’ve already tried your hand at this sort of thing before, your efforts may end up significantly decreasing the lifespan of your floors. All it takes is misapplying your sealant or using a cheap brand coat of varnish, and it’s game over for your floors.
Even worse, you may not even realize that something has gone wrong until it’s too late. On the other hand, hiring expert cleaning services can improve your floors’ longevity, expanding their lifespan by up to 20 years!
Final Words
Your planned DIY floor cleaning project doesn’t necessarily have to end up with a disaster, but some things may admittedly go south if you aren’t careful. Saving costs, time, and effort and ensuring effectiveness are just some of the reasons why you should hire a commercial wood floor cleaner instead of doing it yourself.
However, make sure that you’re dealing with a seasoned service provider to get more bang for your buck!