Hi, all: I'm new to this board, and I'm hoping for your candid input.

I have a kitchen remodel underway that I'm GCing. It is a gut job, and we are contracted to refinish the hardwood flooring as part of the job. However, now that the demo is accomplished, the homeowners have noticed that there is enough existing, prefinished hardwood in areas that will be covered by the new cabinetry to use as a possible patch in the newly exposed areas where return walls have been removed. They have asked us to attempt removing these prefinished pieces and re-installing them so that they might avoid the cost of completely sanding and refinishing their flooring. The two areas in question are only two or three staves wide, and approximately 30" long. Additionally, there is a section of the island that has original hardwood underneath that was covered by cabinets (and therefore not ever stained), but will now be exposed beneath an eating bar. They've proposed staining this area and then screening and reapplying the top coat only across the entire floor. They had their floors refinished a few years back and are really hoping to avoid the mess and expense if it is possible.

I would like to hear opinions from independant flooring specialists. What do you all think? Should we be able to accomplish this type of repair? If not, what are the limitations? If so, what are your best tips and recommended methods?

Thanks!

-Kathie

Only you can determine if your skills and resources are up to the task requested.

Hey ther, floorguy

Thanks for your reply. Actually, I am looking for something a little more concrete. I am a GC not a craftsman, so it is not my own skills I am evaluating but those of my sub. And although I do respect my floor guy, he has a very clear interest in declining an attempt like this. It would earn him considerably less profit, and he already has our PO for doing the whole job. I believe it's my job on the other hand to put my clients' interests front & center while pursuing this answer. I've been a GC for eleven years, and I've not been asked about this type of repair. I have my own opinion, but I'm seeking unbiased input from the pros who do this every day.

Do you have anything that might help? It would be appreciated.

Kathie

Let's put it this way, if I understand the situation correctly, the type of "repair" the owner would like done would most likely NOT turn out as nicely as a complete refinish. You're asking the floor person to attempt to blend new and old together and make it look imperceivable. If money is more important than appearances to the customer, then this maybe fine. However, if they want a top flight job, the floors should be refinished so they look all the same. If I were asked to do this type of "repair", I would probably decline.

Update:

Thanks to your help, we've got a good resolution here for all. After sharing Jerry's comment with her over the phone, the homeowner now accepts the value of re-finishing her kitchen floors, so we're going ahead with that plan. We're also writing her a change order to exclude re-finishing the adjacent dining room, and instead adding a perpendicular transition in the 36" doorway. All of the talk about sanding levels and visuals helped her to realize that this solution would be the best choice for her values and budget. She's happy. Subs are happy. We're happy.

Thanks again, and I'm looking forward to continuing to prowl this board for all your insights.

Kathie

You're very welcome Kathie... but that wasn't my idea... that was Gary

Ooops!

Thanks to Gary's comment.

Guess I should be sleeping after midnight and not posting to forums!