Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Bolton, CT: Getting a Home Ready for the Market
When you're getting ready to put your house on the market, first impressions matter.
And sometimes one of the biggest first impressions is right under your feet.
That's exactly what happened on a recent hardwood floor refinishing project in Bolton, Connecticut.
The homeowners were preparing to sell their house, but the existing red oak hardwood floors were badly worn and had developed an unattractive tone and color.
The floors weren't helping show the house at its best.
So before putting the property on the market, they called Patrick Daigle Hardwood Flooring, Inc.
We professionally re-sanded the red oak, brought it back to raw wood and completely changed its appearance with a Bona water-based finishing system using IntenseSeal followed by three coats of Bona Mega.
Then something pretty exciting happened.
The house went on the market—and sold in one day.
The Realtor Couldn't Believe the Difference
We certainly can't say refinishing hardwood floors is what sells a house.
There are many factors involved in a real-estate sale: location, price, condition, demand and the house itself.
But we can tell you what happened on this project.
The realtor saw the finished hardwood floors and couldn't believe how nice they came out.
That's something we hear frequently after refinishing an older floor.
Homeowners get used to seeing worn hardwood every day. They stop noticing the discoloration, scratches and tired finish.
Then we sand everything off.
Suddenly, it's almost like somebody installed a different floor.
Taking Worn Red Oak Back to Raw Wood
The first step on this Bolton project was removing the old finish and years of wear.
As the sanding progressed, that unpleasant old tone began disappearing.
Underneath was the natural red oak.
That's one of the advantages of genuine hardwood flooring.
A worn finish doesn't necessarily mean a worn-out floor.
When the hardwood has enough usable material remaining and is otherwise in suitable condition, professional sanding gives us an opportunity to remove the old coating and start again.
Old finish off. Raw wood exposed. New direction.
For a homeowner getting ready to sell, that transformation can completely change the way a room presents itself.
Bona IntenseSeal and Three Coats of Mega
Once the red oak was properly sanded and prepared, we applied Bona IntenseSeal, followed by three coats of Bona Mega.
IntenseSeal is a waterborne sealer that enhances the natural richness of the hardwood while allowing us to stay within a water-based finishing system.
Bona Mega was then used to build the protective finish.
The result was exactly what this house needed.
The red oak looked clean and refreshed.
The grain was visible again.
And instead of the old worn color dominating the rooms, the hardwood became an attractive feature of the house.
Should You Refinish Hardwood Floors Before Selling Your House?
This is a question we get from homeowners.
The answer depends on the condition of the floor and the house.
Not every floor needs to be refinished before a property goes on the market.
But if buyers are going to walk through the front door and immediately see badly worn, scratched or discolored hardwood, it's worth considering.
A buyer may look at that floor and see another project.
A freshly refinished hardwood floor presents differently.
The work has already been done.
The rooms feel cleaner.
The hardwood looks cared for.
And instead of imagining the time and expense involved in fixing the floor, a potential buyer can simply appreciate it.
On this Bolton project, the homeowners made the decision to take care of the hardwood before listing.
The house subsequently sold in one day.
That's a pretty nice ending to the project.
Red Oak Doesn't Have to Look Old-Fashioned
Red oak has been installed in Connecticut homes for generations.
But sometimes homeowners confuse the appearance of an old finish with the appearance of the wood itself.
They're not necessarily the same thing.
A red oak floor that's yellowed, darkened or become heavily worn over the years can look completely different once it's sanded back to raw wood and given a new finishing system.
That's why we encourage homeowners to look at the potential of the hardwood before deciding it needs to be covered or replaced.
The wood may not be the problem.
The old finish may be the problem.
This Bolton floor was a perfect example.
Hardwood Flooring in Bolton, Connecticut
We've been working throughout Bolton and the surrounding communities for decades, and Bolton has always been one of those Connecticut towns with a distinctive rural character.
The town was incorporated in 1720 and sits along the eastern Connecticut uplands overlooking the Connecticut River Valley.
One of its best-known historic properties is Bolton Heritage Farm, where four French regiments under General Rochambeau camped for several days in June 1781 while traveling to join General Washington during the Revolutionary War. Today the property includes walking and hiking trails and a restored barn.
There's also Bolton Notch State Park and Lower Bolton Lake, familiar landmarks for anyone traveling through this part of Connecticut.
And the Hop River State Park Trail runs through Bolton on a former railroad corridor, connecting the area with neighboring communities and providing miles of recreational trail.
Those places help give Bolton the mixture of history, woods, water and open space that makes the community distinctive.
And tucked throughout that landscape are homes with something we've been working on for four generations:
Real hardwood floors.
Four Generations of Hardwood Flooring Experience
At Patrick Daigle Hardwood Flooring, Inc., our family's hardwood flooring tradition dates back to 1927.
We're proud members of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) and combine generations of hands-on flooring experience with today's professional sanding equipment and modern waterborne and oil-based finishing systems.
We're also proud to be ranked #1 in Hartford County by BusinessRate, along with our recognition as #1 in Connecticut.
Our projects take us throughout Bolton, Manchester, Vernon, Glastonbury, Coventry, Hebron, Andover, East Hartford, South Windsor and communities throughout central and eastern Connecticut.
Some homeowners are restoring a house they've lived in for decades.
Others have just purchased their home.
And sometimes, like this Bolton customer, they're getting ready to hand the keys to the next owner.
Selling a Home With Worn Hardwood Floors in Bolton?
Before covering them up or assuming they need to be replaced, have the floors evaluated.
Professional hardwood floor refinishing may be able to completely change the way your house presents itself.
That's what happened here.
We started with badly worn red oak floors with an unattractive old tone.
We sanded them back to raw wood.
We applied Bona IntenseSeal and three coats of Bona Mega.
The realtor couldn't believe the transformation.
The homeowners put the property on the market.
And the house sold in one day.
We won't take credit for selling the house.
But we were certainly proud that when the first buyers walked through the door, these hardwood floors were looking their best.