Refinishing your hardwood flooring is a great way to improve its appearance and breathe new life and character into the wood. When refinishing your hardwood floors, you will have to remove all objects to allow the new finish layer to dry and cure. With that in mind, Authentic Hardwood Flooring will discuss how to deal with furniture during the drying process for hardwood floor refinishing.
What to Do with Furniture When Refinishing Hardwood Floors
Refinishing wood flooring is a process that can be a little messy. First, you have to strip the existing finish from the wood and sand it so it’s completely smooth. This entire process involves sealants and other chemicals. Although we take the extra steps to make the process as clean as possible, it’s still a good idea to get your furniture out of the way to protect it.
Move Furniture to Another Room
The simplest solution is to move furniture to a different room. If you have a spare office or bedroom, it can store furniture in the meantime. Hardwood floor refinishing takes 3 to 4 hours to dry for water base and 24 hours for the oil base to completely dry, so make sure it’s a room you won’t need a day or two.
One quick tip is that you shouldn’t put furniture in a room that would block floor access. Keep furniture out of the path so you and the workers have a clear path to install and clean the hardwood floor.
Store Furniture in Your Garage
If you don’t have a spare room large enough or you need to move multiple rooms’ worth of furniture, you can always try your garage. As long as you can go without storing your car(s), garages have a lot of space that will be out of the way of your hardwood floor refinishing project.
The main drawback is that garages have less temperature control, which can damage sensitive furniture pieces or antiques. Also, your garage might already be dedicated storage space for sports equipment, power tools, toys, and other items.
Rent a Storage Unit
You can also look into renting a storage unit if you have a significant amount of furniture to move. Storage units have climate-controlled options, so you can store temperature-sensitive items without worry of damage. However, using a storage unit will probably require renting a truck and enlisting some help to load and unload furniture.
Renting a storage unit makes the most sense if you are refinishing the hardwood floors of multiple rooms and expect them to be out of commission for an extended period. Otherwise, it’s hard to justify the cost and additional effort.
Get a Portable Storage Container
One final option is renting a portable storage container for furniture. You can order a storage pod directly to your house to have a separate external unit for temporary storage. The upshot of storage pods is unlike storage units, you won’t have to move a bunch of furniture by truck to the unit. Pods also come in several sizes, and you can keep them for as long as you need them.
Tips for Moving & Storing Furniture
Keep these tips in mind to make your life easier:
- Don’t try to move everything yourself, especially if you have heavier pieces like wardrobes or couches.
- It helps to install furniture sliders so you can move pieces without damaging the hardwood floors.
- Some hardwood flooring professionals may offer to move furniture for you, so ask about options.
- Wherever you store furniture, consider covering them with a tarp to stop dust buildup.
- You can often disassemble larger pieces to make them easier to store.
Hardwood Flooring Refinishing and Installation in Atlanta
Authentic Hardwood Flooring is your trusted provider for hardwood floor refinishing, repair, and installation. Give us a call at (678) 985-0110, or contact us online to schedule an appointment!
