Read these useful tips before you rent Pete’s hardwood floor equipment.
Everything will go so much smoother if you follow these tips.
You can rent Pete’s hardwood floor equipment in St. Paul, MN. In the era of COVID we are only offering one hands-on training lesson per day. That means they book up fast, especially on weekends, so call ahead if you know you want training for your project.
Sorry, no walk-in lessons are available for the foreseeable future; all training is by appointment only.
Rental charges are included on our list of rental equipment, but we do have some negotiating room within these rates IF you are renting something for more than three days or on consecutive weekends.
Every person who answers the phone here is authorized to adjust price based on circumstance, so please don’t just check these prices and then zip off to the Home Depot: call Pete’s first at 651-698-5888 and let us find the most economical rental for your project!
You will spend less money on rental if your project is ready to go before your pick up your equipment.
Read Pete’s list of things to do to prepare yourself to give you an idea of what “ready” looks like.
This is important because our machine rental rates are based on time out, not on whether you were using the equipment or not. The rental clock is still running, even if you weren’t able to use your machines because you were doing other things.
We always help you load and unload your rental equipment!
If you are picking up, please park at our FRONT door at 186 Fairview Ave N in St Paul.
If you are returning, you’re like family, so please use our BACK door (which means you’ll enter the parking lot from the Selby entrance).
Look for the door with the cute little covered deck and be sure to avail yourself of our fancy, dedicated parking spots right by the door.
We ADORE reservations.
If you know you need equipment for a certain day and time, we will hold it for you at no charge (no deposit even), just call!
Yes, you can even do this a month in advance. But, be a sport and cancel your reservation if you can’t make it.
Our “one-day rentals” are actually for 24 hours.
And we give you one hour of grace. So if your contract says your machines left at 9:15am on Tuesday, they are due at 10:15am on Wednesday.
Our change of day happens at 4pm.
So, though we are open until 5pm, machines returned after 4pm are automatically bumped up to the next rate category.
All of our electric machines include 25 feet of cord.
If you need an extra 25 feet, we have 15 gauge, conventional extension cords available at no extra charge – we’ll just hold a deposit until they are returned. But you have to request one – we don’t automatically include the extra 25 feet of cord.
And, if you really love us, you’ll return all cords loosely looped – we know the ‘roofer’s wrap’ looks tidy, but it can kink the copper and cause cord problems for the next renter.
Our drum sanders and edgers fit easily into just about every car.
We’ve even had people haul them away in bicycle trailers, pulled by actual bicycles, so you shouldn’t have to borrow the truck or rent a trailer to get the goods home. But empty your trunk and back seat before you get here.
We do recommend having two people at your jobsite to unload drum sanders.
All rentals require a major credit card for your deposit (just like when you rent a car!) and a photo ID.
We accept AmEx, Visa, Mastercard and Discover for your rental payment.
If you really read all these, ask for your free carpenter’s pencil when you come in to rent!
Pete’s Bonus Tips
Meet Randy Lundin, one of Pete’s owners and Fixer-of-all-Things.
Randy has been with Pete’s Hardwood Floors in MN for over a decade – think of how many sanders he has maintained, how many jammed nailers he has un-jammed, and how many edgers he has brought back to life. He takes great care to maintain Pete’s rental equipment.
Not to mention all the customers he has trained and calmed. When Randy’s in the house, we can fix anything.
Be careful when you remove carpet. Utility knives are the devil’s tool.
You can damage your floors just taking out the carpet! Never let your knife cut into the wood itself - it digs deeper than you think, and leaves cuts that are almost impossible to sand out. Instead, tear up enough carpet to fold over a section and cut on the fold.
If you are in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, we rent sanders for your projects, and will give you a free lesson on the equipment at our storefront.
Learn on the equipment you rent.
Pete’s is the only shop that offers a free, hands-on, personal lesson (though in this time of Covid, we require that you schedule all lessons in advance - no walk-in lessons) with every equipment rental.
Our lesson is not just reviewing the low-budget training video that came with the sander, no.
Available only at Pete's storefront in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, this training takes place on a real hardwood floor with the actual machine you are renting. Taught by an actual hardwood flooring contractor, it will address the particular floor project that you are facing. Bring photos of your project.