So you’ve decided to do wood floor refinishing yourself? We ♥ DIY-ers.
We’ve got everything you need for DIY wood floor refinishing.
Hardwood floor do-it-yourselfers are our specialty.
We cater to DIYers.
Offering supplies in our online shop, genuinely practical advice and rental equipment to the weekend home warrior is what we love best.
Wood Floor Techniques 101
Recommended Supplies
Floor Finishing Equipment Rental in MN
We’ve already successfully trained over 3,000 DIY wood flooring customers in Minneapolis/St. Paul—you can’t be that different.
Sometimes we wish that we had recorded the profession of every one of our DIY customers from the day we opened; we would have a compelling record of the huge variety of people who can really do this, and do it well.
Pete’s has helped a wide variety of DIYers tackle their own hardwood floor projects.
We’ve had archeologists, librarians, lawyers (lots of those), a dresser for the Minnesota Opera, pastors, an aenesthesiologist, and a young man who was principal viola for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
We’ve had parents bring their 15 year-olds to participate in training and we had one amazing 83 year-old woman who sat on a footstool to use the edger.
How did all these different people succeed at this?
They planned ahead.
This means that they prepared for their job at least a week ahead of time. They assessed their floor’s condition honestly and allotted appropriate time for the project. They learned that sanding a wood floor is a multi-step process.
DIY wood flooring customers who think installation or refinishing will be quick one-day projects are usually disappointed with the results.
They were willing to take a lesson.
If in Minneapolis/St. Paul area, they brought pictures of their floor to the lesson and knew their square footage (the more we know about your particular floor, the more personalized we can make your lesson) and they submitted gracefully to Kadee’s stern teaching methods.
Pete’s is the only shop that offers a free, hands-on, personal lesson with every equipment rental (and they booked it in advance!).
Need advice, but not in Minnesota? Get a one-on-one phone consultation with a hardwood flooring expert.
For a small fee, Pete’s Hardwood Floors Help Hotline can provide the wisdom and knowledge that you need to complete your hardwood flooring project.
They put their trust in Pete’s.
We aren’t really mean, but we are frank and bossy, because we’ve been sanding and installing other people’s floors since 1995 and helping homeowners since 1998.
It is highly unlikely that your neighbor/cousin/co-worker has encountered as many flooring conditions as we have, so be careful whose advice you follow.
So, Pete’s is your gateway to the successful path that so many of our customers have trod. Knowledge is power.
They OVER-estimated how hard it would be.
They brought pictures of their floor to the lesson and knew their square footage (the more we know about your particular floor, the more personalized we can make your lesson) and they submitted gracefully to Kadee’s stern teaching methods.
Read 9 tips you must read before sanding your hardwood floor.
Pete’s is the only shop that offers a free, hands-on, personal lesson with every equipment rental (and they booked it in advance!). Available only at Pete’s storefront in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN area.
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Sanding FAQ
Customer testimonials
Pete’s Bonus Tips
“But the guy in the hardware store said...”
We had a customer who had a very challenging floor. What should have been a one-day sand took three days of excruciating work. But the customer was a trooper and didn't cut any corners; he followed our advice and he managed to truly save that floor.
On the morning he was scheduled to apply his finish, he called us to complain that his floor was covered in a waxy residue.
Here's what he did to his floors
We asked if he had done anything to the wood overnight and he admitted that he was worried about the dust left on the floor and went to the hardware store in search of a solution. They had sold him a half a dozen tack cloths and he had scrubbed the floor with them. I sadly informed him that his finish would not adhere to the wood unless he sanded the sticky substance off.
He was understandably very upset and sputtered, “But the guy at the hardware store told me to do it!” And I quietly asked him why he trusted the guy at the hardware store to know more about his floor and its planned finish than we did.
Without a word, the customer loaded up the big equipment, sanded his floor one more time, and applied his finish. He was a day behind schedule, but the floor turned out beautifully.
We all learned a great deal that day: we are now more vocal in our dislike of commercial tack rags, and my customer learned the importance of sticking with a reliable source.
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.