Polish floorboards with Tenants living there, is it possible room by room?

Discussion in 'Renovation & Home Improvement' started by Jat, 4th Apr, 2019.

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  1. Jat

    Jat Well-Known Member

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    Hi All,

    I have an IP where the tenants were there for several years so the carpet needs replacement. Underneath there is floorboard. They want the floorboards polished if possible over the other options of vinyl or other carpet. I'd like to polish the floorboards as well but how bad can be with a tenant living there?
    they are willing to support the process which is important.
    Any recommendation in favour or against polishing the floorboards with tenants living there?

    I heard that if you polish the floorboards room by room in stages, the colour may be different due to temperature or humidity of when each room was done. Is that correct or you have reason why not to go in that direction?

    Thanks!
     
  2. Jamesaurus

    Jamesaurus Well-Known Member

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    Did they approach you about the carpet needing to be redone and their request for floorboards?
     
  3. Jat

    Jat Well-Known Member

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    Thanks Jamesurus, the carpet needs replacement, the tenants were living there for several years. Polishing the floorboards that are underneath is their preference and mine also, as long as it's achievable and won't break anything in the process.
     
  4. Jamesaurus

    Jamesaurus Well-Known Member

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    Sounds like you made the right decision then.
    I personally wouldnt mind doing it in stages, if the IP is in a place with extreme temperature like NT or NthQLD perhaps could be a factor though- chat to the local tradies who you quote for the job
     
  5. Beano

    Beano Well-Known Member

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    I personally would NOT do it in stages.
    I would get it done all at one time.
    The noise , dust and fumes with be a health and safety issue to anyone in the building.
    You will also have to allow about 7 days for the smells to go and the polyurethane to harden.
    Never have I had it done with tenants in the building.
     
  6. neK

    neK Well-Known Member

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    If you pay a little more and use water base there isn't much of a smell.
     
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  7. TSK

    TSK Well-Known Member

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    This. Do not do what you are considering.
     
  8. Angel

    Angel Well-Known Member

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    The tenants will need to move out for at least a week, which is fine if they are planning to go on holiday anyway. However everything in the house will need to be taken outside or into the bathroom/laundry (on a tiled floor) and then brought back in. Do they intend to pay for this part of the project? This is why this job is always done once tenants vacate and before new ones come in.
     
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  9. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    I agree with the others. @Angel is spot on that if they are prepared to "support the process" then they'd need to do all she says and be prepared to not sleep there for a week. Would they want you to pay for them to stay somewhere for a week?

    We recently had a different method done on two houses. We used Mr Sandless and he doesn't sand (so no dust). There's no smell.

    He washes the floor and does multiple coats. It is done in one day. I'm now a convert.

    They'd still have to move all the furniture out for the day. And being able to not move the furniture back on to the floor for a few days would be best. They could put mattresses on the floor for a few nights. It was much cheaper than a regular sander too. And our floors weren't in great condition, so without being drum sanded, it allows us to do a drum sand before we sell if we want to and we've not lost any depth of timber this time.

    I don't know if there is anyone in your area who does this. He has a FB page "Mr Sandless Brisbane" and you could ask him via that page, or just google him to see if he knows of anyone in your area who does this.
     
  10. Joynz

    Joynz Well-Known Member

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    A guy I know did this in his PPOR - had it professionally sanded one room at a time.

    It can definitely be done room by room. However, would need to put some plastic up in a few doorways to keep the dust out.

    He was really happy with the result (though I would expect to notice a slight transition in the finish from one room to the next) he didn’t seem to have an issue.
     
  11. Chicken or Beef?

    Chicken or Beef? Well-Known Member

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    Use the tenant to polish the floor, that's what I did.

    Here they are before I dipped them in Cabbots:
    The pointing hipster put up some resistance at first and threatened me with tribunal but then really enjoyed the whole experience.[​IMG]
     
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  12. Paul@PAS

    Paul@PAS Tax, Accounting + SMSF + All things Property Tax Business Plus Member

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    The issue you may face is that the boards under the carpet arent consistent. There may be patched areas, missing / broken boards replaced with cheaper pine etc and costly fixes needed. And a tenant who wants it completed hassle free. They wont care about cost if you commit.

    When are they going on holidays ?
     
  13. TSK

    TSK Well-Known Member

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    Read over the FAQs. They sand using abrasive pads, difference is they capture it in a liquid rather than a bag.
     
  14. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    Sounds about right. But they don't remove a layer like a drum sander does each time. There are only so many drum sands that can be done before you weaken the boards.

    Both our jobs had small patches that needed hand-sanding where walls (and a linen cupboard) had been and consequently the original boards were higher than the boards where the rooms had been sanded before.

    It is similar to a job we had done where our regular sander used what was like a fly screen pad (but he did a regular (drum?) sand in one room that had never been sanded before).

    One day turnaround and (almost) no smell is great, especially when you don't have a week to spare. Both houses we had done by Mr Sandless were not perfect floors, and before we sell these houses, we may do a full drum sand but they will never be great finishes due to the various patches and walls that have been removed.

    Like any floor that has been japanned, or had a rug on it for years, the fading marks (from rugs, stains and walls) never really disappear, even with a drum sand.

    It was half the cost of a regular sand and came up nearly as well.
     
    Last edited: 5th Apr, 2019
  15. Jat

    Jat Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for that, great to know! I gave them a call (I found the website Mr Sandless The Quick No Sanding Solution for Beautiful Wood Floors) and it seems they have franchises in many places. They charge $30 to come and provide you a quote, I'll give them a go. If it only takes 1 day, is less invasive than the other method and I get the same result, it would be the right fit for my case.
     
  16. WattleIdo

    WattleIdo midas touch

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    • You want the floorboards done, the tenants want the floorboards done, get the floorbaords done.
    • I've stayed in a house before week up after getting them done and it's toxic. I would flatly refuse tenant entering property during this time. Tenant will have to move out for a week. Therefore, you don't charge rent for that week.
    • Polyurethane is best in IP and also most toxic.
    • Get it all done in one go. Less mess, less cost, less disturbance, better result.
    • Don't get tenant to do it - that's just someone dreaming; use your filter.
    • It's your property. You get it done.
    • This is what you call win/win.