They're done! They're done!

I have been itching to write this post as I am TICKLED PINK with the end result of our floor refinishing. Recall the dark and scratched before...

And the pics of the progress...



Here is our after...I am more than thrilled. In fact, I am elated.
 Morgan Hardwood Floors knocked this one out of the park. Period. Stacy has been doing floors for over 10 years, and you can tell.

The only negative thing that I can report about my experience with Morgan Hardwood Floors is that they did such a stellar job... now the rest of my floors look absolutely horrible in comparison?! The Morgan's Crew was professional and courteous. As a Realtor who has seen the disgraceful work of numerous shoddy contractors over the years, I was stringent about getting several bids and checking all references.  Stacy's references were all favorable and their clients swore their loyalty. Once I started working with them, I saw why! They follow through on all promises and are incredibly responsive. When you email, they email you right back. When you call, they return it immediately. They effectively answer all questions and their workmanship is impeccable.

Per price- extremely affordable, thanks to little overhead like the larger companies. I had 6 estimates done for our project. Many from larger more "well known" flooring companies in St. Louis, whom friends and coworkers had referred me to. I found that the average price to refinish HW floors in St. Louis ranges anywhere from $2.20-$4.00/sq foot. Stacy quoted us $1.85/sq ft for stain with choice of color and two coats of poly or $1.65 for those who enjoy a natural finish. We chose stain, which he patiently custom mixed, and optional flush mount floor vents which look AMAZING!
We refinished 359 sq ft at $1.85/sq foot and opted for 3 flush mounted vents that were stained to match ($50/piece) for a total of $815.00. The end result? PERFECTION. I couldn't be happier.
While Stacy wasn't the LEAST expensive bid we received, it was imperative to me that I hire some who is licensed, insured, and has strong references. I discovered that one of his most favorable references was in fact a fellow agent with my company, which impressed me greatly. I have already told Stacy to please use me as a reference, as I not only appreciate the work they have done for me thus far... I can't wait to refinish the rest of my house.

NOTE: as we planned to do it ourselves, we didn’t even ask Stacy if they tarp in the area to prevent dust. We opted to run to Home Depot and buy $20.00 worth of plastic tarps: Heavier to seal the doorways of the room, and a lighter plastic to cover all our our furniture in connecting rooms. With one roll of duct tape, Steve and I were able to contain the area, cover our furniture in the other room, seal off our vents and cold air returns, wrap our chandelier... pretty much preventing the bulk of dust from spreading throughout our house. I HIGHLY recommend doing so. If not, the residual dust of such a project could get overwhelming. Thanks to our care in sealing off the room, the dust hasn't been an issue at all. It is possible that the Morgan crew would tarp for you, though I would recommend just doing this one on your own.

Though the inconvenience of refinishing your floors may act as a deterrent... I highly urge you to, at least, get a bid if considering it. Now that we are on the "other side" of the project, the 4 days of inconvenience was totally worth it! Have further questions about the process? You can always email me at cnenonen@cbgundaker.com.  Or call Stacy at 348-3268 for a bid...

You won't be sorry! I promise.

Progress is being made...

Stain and 1st coat of poly complete. One coat of poly to go...

PERSONAL: Project Time!

The time has come. After years of always finding an excuse to push it off... most notably the dusty mess that would ensue... we are finally refinishing our hardwood floors.

Steve and I bought our house 7 years ago. It was a complete and total fixer upper. Though we got an AMAZING deal, a whopping 35-50K below market value at the time, it came with a LOT of deferred maintenance.

Over 7 years, we have pretty much overhauled the bulk of the exterior: windows, siding, roof, gutters, soffits, garage doors, front doors, and a huge landscaping makeover (done completely on our own) including removal of 6 diseased trees and planting 7 new. We are always doing something around here.

Though we have done a few interior projects: paint, all new fixtures, some rewiring, gut of one bathroom down to the studs, some tiling, removal of 1960's paneling, some drywall, and several little aesthetic improvements here and there... there is still a lot to go. The large interior projects are the ones that prove to be a tad more challenging, however, when you have a full-time job, a husband that travels, & 2 little guys running around the house. One typically learns the hard way to prioritize the projects and not bite off more than one can chew at a time.

When we bought this house it boasted gorgeous (NOT) white shag carpeting through out, ala the 2003 MLS listing pic:

How about that light fixture? Quite something, right? Lol. Within 2 hours of closing... the carpet was GONE! Steve and I had it ripped out before the contract was even cool. Though the original HW floors were there and beautiful, they were in need of refinishing. That being said, the project was lower on the priority list, far behind the immediate need to improve the energy-efficiency of the property by completing the exterior work.

Good news- the floor's number is up! The time has come. We are biting the bullet and starting the process with the dining room and living room. After getting several bids (5+), thus far we are thrilled with the contractor that we found! My plan is to give all of his info once the project is complete, along with my tips for getting the best local bid and surviving the mess.

BEFORE: high sheen poly with severe scratching (pardon the poor quality Blackberry photos). This was just prior to sanding, after the baseboards were already removed.