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Wow, thanks for all of the replies. It looks like the opinions are as mixed on here as from the contractors who came out and gave us quotes. Two of them recommend removing the baseboards and two don't.
One who came out today says that he has a sander with an edge so thin that it can actually fit into the gap between the baseboard and floor. According to my wife, he was the most professional of everyone and actually says that he can refinish the floors in two days because he uses a water borne finish. I know that the water borne finish dries in just a few hours, but does it seem possible to do it that quickly and get a good result?
Don't use the contractors who want to remove the baseboards, it's a waste of time and a way for them to pad the job for more money.
I refinish several floors a year, my sub contractor never removes the baseboards. If he did, I would find a new sub to refinish my floors.
With equipment available today floors can be refinished without removing baseboards, damaging walls or having to cleanup dust throughout the house.
Good contractors use the best equipment available, bad contractors remove baseboards and damage walls because they don't use the proper equipment to complete the job right.
According to my wife, he was the most professional of everyone and actually says that he can refinish the floors in two days because he uses a water borne finish. I know that the water borne finish dries in just a few hours, but does it seem possible to do it that quickly and get a good result?
That's definitely possible with catalyzed water based finishes like Bona Traffic or Streetshoe, the dry time is under 4 hours at 60% RH. The contractor could sand and stain the first day, let the stain dry overnight, and then 3 coats of finish the next day. Or, if he uses a fast-dry stain, he might even be able to do the first coat of finish on the first day. The catalyzed water based finishes like Traffic and Streetshoe are amazing products, and if you're going to be living in the house while the floors are being refinished, your lungs will really like it too.
It is not completely necessary. Many times if the baseboards are mdf or have been pained over many times it is just as easy to leave them up. If they are left up you can get right up to them, but often times it leaves a line around them from the edge sander. So you would probably need to do a bit of paint touch up.
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Last edited by Ultrarunner; 04-22-2010 at 10:48 PM..
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I ended up going with the contractor who left on the baseboards and did the whole thing, including 3 coats of Bona Traffic, in 2 days. The floors look great and while the baseboards got a few new scuffs, I'm very glad that I didn't opt for a contractor who wanted to remove them.
Glad to hear you got the project done and are happy with the results. Just don't think about that 3/8 of an inch under the baseboards with the old finish on it
Look at the new scuffs on the baseboards as "character."
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