Hardwood Floor & Stair Refinishing in Tolland, CT: A Dark Stain and a Smart Staircase Update
Sometimes a hardwood flooring project gives a homeowner an opportunity to make another improvement at the same time.
That's exactly what happened on this hardwood floor and stair refinishing project in Tolland, Connecticut 06084.
The homeowner wanted to transform the existing hardwood with a rich, dark stain. The project also included a staircase with numerous spindles surrounding the hardwood stair treads.
Normally, refinishing stairs with all those spindles still in place requires a considerable amount of detailed handwork.
Instead, the homeowner came up with a better plan.
They decided to remove the existing spindles and replace them with brand-new ones after we refinished the staircase.
That gave us open access to the hardwood treads, made it possible to sand them much more cleanly and eliminated much of the difficult scraping that would otherwise have been necessary around every individual spindle.
The homeowner ended up with beautifully refinished stair treads, new updated spindles and a lower overall refinishing cost.
Sometimes spending money in the right place can actually save money somewhere else.
Why Stair Spindles Make Refinishing More Difficult
Hardwood stairs are already considerably more labor-intensive to refinish than an open floor.
A large floor gives us room to work with professional sanding equipment.
Stairs are different.
Each tread has edges, corners and areas that require smaller equipment and handwork. When multiple spindles are installed directly into or around each tread, access becomes even more difficult.
You have to work carefully around every spindle.
With a dark stain, that creates another concern.
If the existing spindles were going to remain painted, stain getting onto them during the refinishing process could mean additional preparation and repainting afterward.
All of that adds labor.
Removing the Spindles Changed the Job
For this Tolland project, the homeowner realized that rather than paying us for all that additional detail work around the old spindles, they could put some of that money toward new spindles.
Once the old ones were removed, we had much better access to the stair treads.
That allowed us to sand the hardwood more evenly and work all the way into areas that otherwise would have required extensive scraping and handwork.
It also meant we didn't have to worry about getting dark stain on the old painted spindles.
The difference was significant.
No forest of spindles to sand around. No unnecessary scraping between them. No old spindles to repaint after staining.
We could concentrate on making the hardwood itself look right.
Removing the Spindles Changed the Job
For this Tolland project, the homeowner realized that rather than paying us for all that additional detail work around the old spindles, they could put some of that money toward new spindles.
Once the old ones were removed, we had much better access to the stair treads.
That allowed us to sand the hardwood more evenly and work all the way into areas that otherwise would have required extensive scraping and handwork.
It also meant we didn't have to worry about getting dark stain on the old painted spindles.
The difference was significant.
No forest of spindles to sand around. No unnecessary scraping between them. No old spindles to repaint after staining.
We could concentrate on making the hardwood itself look right.
A Dark Stain Gave the Floors a Completely Different Look
The homeowner wanted to take the hardwood in a much darker direction.
Dark stain can create a dramatic change, particularly when it's carried from the main hardwood floors onto the staircase.
Once the floor was professionally sanded and prepared, the darker color gave the entire project a richer, more updated appearance.
Then the new spindles completed the transformation.
Instead of putting the old staircase components back into a newly refinished space, the homeowner ended up with freshly refinished hardwood treads and brand-new spindles.
The old staircase didn't simply get refinished.
It got an update.
Sometimes the Less Expensive Approach Produces the Better Result
This is something homeowners don't always realize about hardwood flooring projects.
The most obvious way to do something isn't necessarily the most economical.
We certainly could have worked around all the existing spindles.
But that would have meant considerably more detailed labor.
And because this was a dark-stained project, there was also the possibility of additional painting work afterward.
By removing the old spindles first, the homeowner gave us clear access to the hardwood.
That helped us produce a cleaner sanding job on the stair treads while reducing the amount of labor required.
The homeowner could then invest those savings into the new spindle system.
Better access. Cleaner sanding. Updated staircase. Lower refinishing cost.
That's a pretty good combination.
Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Tolland, Connecticut 06084
Tolland is one of the historic communities of north-central Connecticut, located roughly 20 miles northeast of Hartford.
The town was incorporated in 1715 and later became the county seat when Tolland County was established in 1785. That history is still very visible around Tolland Green, which remains one of the most recognizable parts of the community.
The Tolland Green Historic District includes a remarkable collection of historic buildings. The Old Tolland County Courthouse, built in 1822, is considered an important surviving example of early Connecticut civic architecture. Nearby, the Old Tolland County Jail includes an 1856 stone cellblock and now operates as a museum.
The town's primary ZIP code is 06084.
Outside the historic Green, Tolland has a very different character, with established residential neighborhoods, newer homes, wooded roads and extensive open space.
Crandall Park is one of the town's major recreational areas, offering the pond, trails, fields and other outdoor facilities. Heron Cove Park provides another outdoor area along the Willimantic River.
Other familiar parts of town include Tolland Stage Road, Route 74, Route 30, Old Stafford Road and the neighborhoods extending toward Ellington, Vernon, Willington and Stafford.
Four Generations of Hardwood Flooring Experience
At Patrick Daigle Hardwood Flooring, Inc., hardwood flooring is our specialty.
Our family's hardwood flooring tradition dates to 1927, and our Connecticut business began around 1972. Today, we're the fourth generation carrying on that craftsmanship.
We're proud members of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) and proud to be ranked #1 in Hartford County and #1 in Connecticut by BusinessRate.
Our work takes us throughout Tolland 06084 and surrounding communities including Vernon, Ellington, Stafford, Willington, Coventry, Mansfield and Somers.
This Tolland project is a good example of why we like to look at the entire job rather than simply the floor in front of us.
The homeowner wanted dark floors.
They wanted the stairs refinished.
And they had a staircase filled with old spindles that were going to make the sanding and staining considerably more labor-intensive.
Instead of paying us to spend hours carefully working around components they could replace, they removed the old spindles and purchased new ones.
That gave us the opportunity to do what we do best:
Get to the hardwood and sand it properly.
The stair treads came out clean, the dark stain created the dramatic change the homeowner wanted, and the new spindles gave the staircase an updated appearance.
In the end, the homeowner didn't have to choose between saving money and getting a better-looking staircase.
In this case, the smarter approach accomplished both.
Patrick Daigle Hardwood Flooring, Inc.
Fourth-Generation Hardwood Flooring Craftsmanship Since 1927
NWFA Member
Ranked #1 in Hartford County and #1 in Connecticut by BusinessRate
Serving Tolland, CT 06084, Vernon, Ellington, Stafford, Willington, Coventry, Mansfield, Somers and surrounding Connecticut communities.