Question

My husband and I were planning to build a house in the fall. Due to COVID I lost my job & he has a temp position which he should've been hired this month and they told him he will be lucky if they can hire him before his contract is up in November. so there calls are future home building plans. I'm beyond devastated. I honestly hate my house so much, it's so old. So to my question is I hate my hardwood floors - they're original hardwood but they're all beat up. Should I spend the $800 to redo the floors because who knows how long we will be here now or should I just save that $800 and keep it in our house fund? What would you do?  

Answer 1

If you hate them that much and it keeps you from enjoying your house re-do them. If you stay there for another 5 years you’ll be upset you didn’t do it from the start.  

Comments

That's what I'm thinking. I just hate having to pull from our house fund.  

---

@erme I understand but seems like they make you very unhappy.  

---

@platinize443 everything does in this house. I honestly am so devastated over all this.  

---

@erme I’m so sorry that sucks.  

---

@platinize443 it would help The sale value too.  

Answer 2

I would go ahead and redo them especially if you can redo them yourself because you will be able to sell your house better

Answer 3

Redo. You’ll be happier and will sell for a higher price.  

Comments

That's what I originally thought but when we were getting everything together to list a few months ago an I questioned it (i've been wanting to re do them forever) our realtor told us to keep them because people love real hardwood.  

---

Karissa. I mean to refinish the real hardwoods! People do love them, but you said they are a mess.  

---

@zapata They are there scratched up. Lots of sections look like this

---

That’s probably the smallest area like that and then it’s all through our living room which is very small.  

---

@erme refinish them, you’ll fall in love all over again!  

Answer 4

Do you think the current floors would be an issue for future buyers if your situation changed and you decide to sell? If they are going to be an issue, I would say definitely go ahead and update them so you can enjoy them now and add resale value to your home ☺️

Comments

The realtor told us no because it's original hardwood but I honestly just hate seeing them. They're so beat up and make it look "old"

---

Strip them and refinish/stain with another shade. Original does add to the value of it's an older home. Another option is a very large area rug, or a few smaller ones for different areas?  

Answer 5

We had our original hard woods redone and they are beautiful! Our house is about 130 years old.  

Answer 6

Agree with above - it also could play a factor in resale value (assuming you’re not renting since you’re redoing floors). But even if you’re not capitalizing off resale, for $800 if you stay only one more year that’s only $67/mo you’d need to pay back to yourself to break even - I would pay that to be less miserable in my home.  

Answer 7

Have them redone! It will add SO much value to your house if you ever decide to sell.  

Answer 8

Redo them. Beautiful hardwood floors will help you sell one day!  

Answer 9

Have you tried this product? I have heard it works wonders.  

Comments

I haven't tried this but I don't think this would help where the floor is like scratched

Answer 10

Would that work out right now? You can’t walk on them for 3 days usually. Something to consider while home 24/7.  

Comments

Otherwise do them.  

---

I would be doing the click vinyl flooring

---

@erme wait, are you replacing or refinishing? I wouldn’t replace real hardwood floors with cheap vinyl.  

---

IF you can replace them with click vinyl for under $800 you will be using horribly cheap materials that will not only add to landfill waste but also cheapen the price of the home.  

---

Don't replace them with vinyl if you are moving soon. Real hardwood is much more valuable! I also vote to refinish them. It'll take out the scratches and you can totally change the color if you want

---

@pak79211 I just did a whole room in click vinyl and it only cost me 458 and the material is fantastic. I am very happy with it.  

Answer 11

Redo them! Refinished hardwood floors have a great return on investment plus you’ll be so much happier while you’re there! We’re currently in the process of getting our hardwoods redone and I already love our house so much more!  

Comments

I just read another comment that said your realtor said keep your floors because people love hardwood. Are you planning to redo your hardwood floors or put something over them? Definitely don’t cover your hardwoods. Keep them as is or get them refinished.  

---

@kenley I was planning to put that vinyl flooring

---

But maybe I’ll have to figure out the cost to get them refinished

---

@erme Definitely don’t do that! Original hardwood floors are so valuable and a huge seller. I would look into having them refinished. We’re doing it now and the cost is pretty reasonable!  

---

@kenley I definitely will look into this instead

---

@erme Good luck! I hope you’re able to figure something out to be happier in your house. It definitely sucks to have to change plans.  

---

@erme don’t cover hardwood floors especially if you plan to sell in the near future. Hardwood floors add value. I personally would put the $800 into redoing them. That’s not a significant amount in the grand scheme of building a house.  

Answer 12

Do them girl!  

Answer 13

Redo! We redid ours and couldn’t be happier! I’ll post pictures.  

Comments

@crinoid ok!  

---

@erme before horrible yellow

---

Beautiful dark brown

---

@crinoid I love this color

---

@crinoid this is what we have now. I hate how it matches the trim

---

@crinoid Did you redo them yourselves if so how did you go about it

---

@erme no, I was pregnant with our 3rd. We paid someone to come in and do it. During that time we took a family trip and stayed at Airbnb. It was $3, 200 to do about 1, 000 sq ft. They came in, sanded down a spot, put down about 10 different stains and mixes of stains for us. We added a touch of gray to the stain we picked. I would leave the day they start work and not come back for a week. The smell was SO strong. However, let me tell you, it is SO SO worth it. I was team replace until we had it done. Everyone comments on how beautiful our floors are.  

Answer 14

Redo the floors! The day we closed on our house, we started ripping carpet up & finished the floors before we moved in. Our house is big & we did all of the work ourselves so it took a while but it was well worth it!  

Comments

@gooseberry1172 Haines Okel How did you go about doing them yourselves

---

@erme we watched a lot of YouTube videos  We rented the sanders from Home Depot & bought all of our supplies there as well. They’re not perfect by any means but we saved a lot of money doing them ourselves and we have the validation of saying we did it all on our own

Answer 15

I think all of us think redo = refinish. Definitely do this, refinish your hardwoods they will look beautiful and increase your home value. Reading comments it looks like redo to you means replace. Do not do this as it will lower the value of your home!  

Comments

@zapata I’m definitely gonna look into refinishing!  

Answer 16

I wouldn’t replace hardwood with vinyl. Original hardwoods will help your resale one day, even if it’s not now. Can you buy some area rugs instead to cover them up? Or like others have suggested, refinish the hardwood. I’m sorry you won’t be able to build right now, but you are being smart with your finances so I’m sure you’ll be able to do so when you’re in a better position down the road.  

Comments

@pak79211 Robertson Stubenbort I’m going to look into refinishing them after all the suggestions instead of the vinyl. I think I just love the look of the vinyl and how “new” it makes things look

---

Agree it does look nice! But quality wise, hardwood is so much better. If you were staying there long term, I’d say do whatever YOU like, but since you hate the house as a whole, I think you’re wise to focus on retaining the value and just trying to live with it for a short time. Our house is also 100 years old, at first I loved all the character, but now I kind of hate how old it looks and how complicated simple updates seem to be. We are planning to move in 2-3 years and will definitely buy a newer home or maybe even a new construction.  

Answer 17

Let me join the resounding chorus of Redo!  

Answer 18

Redo the floors! Holy moly original hardwoods are a big selling point.  

Answer 19

Trust me. After watching friends with new builds, the headaches are just beyond. I'd revamp your house little by little.  

Comments

@rist21 The House my husband bought before we even were together and it just has nothing I want in it. It’s super old. Semi updated. But we have no ac. Heat is a fire place. One bathroom. The living room is so small.  

---

@erme then update to the best advantage for sale and wait it out. If your credit keeps tanking and neither of you have permanent work, there will be no new house anyway.  

---

@erme I really hear you. It's just making the best of it for now.  

---

@rist21 We’re tempted to just still sell and go live with his parents but that’s another decision we have to really sleep on it & think about

---

@erme oh wow. Yes. Big one. Good luck. And many hugs. I so get it.  

---

@rist21 thank you!  

Answer 20

Definitely redo! It’ll help with resale too

Answer 21

Definitely do not replace the floors. Refinish them! I would cry if I knew someone pulled up original hardwood and replaced with cheap $800 vinyl and I was looking at a house. I wish we had hardwood and I would have been excited if it was already refinished. A HUGE selling point on a house!  

Comments

@galligaskins I will definitely look into this I just like the look of it so much better than my floors now

Answer 22

I would wait. I always tell my friends that if you are unsure about something, don't rush the decision. Just wait. Put the money aside and see how the chips fall over the next few months. If you're fine in November, economy is better, he gets hired, etc etc. go for it. Just bc you don't do it now doesn't mean you can't do it then. But if you end up needing that money, it's gone forever once you spend it.  

Answer 23

Refinish the floors but probably wait awhile. Do you like the location of your current house? It's a blessing that you didn't just move into a new home and then covid 19 happened. You will probably have trouble selling your home now. So many people have lost their jobs.  

Comments

@wivestad No part of the reason we went to move is because they keep raising everything in our township, literally everything goes up every two months. My husband wants to move back to his hometown because he bought this house to be closer to me when I lived in a different town and so they were building a development in his hometown which is very small. it literally was perfect and then this happened.  

---

@wivestad But I know we’re not the only ones in the situation it’s a terrible time right now

Answer 24

If you know you will be moving eventually and don't want to put the money or time into refinishing them I would do sheet vinyl. Armstrong makes a nice thickness sheet that is nice to walk on and can be installed without glues or tape that will damage your hardwood. Look for one that says it cam be that can be just laid flat. I recently used it in my grandsons playroom

Answer 25

I'm literally doing this right now to my old hardwood floors. They have missing planks and bits that rotted out over the years. Im filling them in right now but then im going to sand them down and paint them! They truly arent worth saving and i love the look of painted wood floors. The total project is costing me about 50 dollars!  

Answer 26

Refinish! Our house was built in 1912 and we’ve refinished them twice since we’ve lived here (once because of a flood) and they’re beautiful compared to how they looked when we moved in. I love my house now that we’ve done so much to improve it. Make some improvements and learn to love your house. It will also improve your resale value once you’re ready to move on. It’s okay to be disappointed though  But one thing is for sure. nothing ever stays the same. Things will improve for you again!  

Answer 27

Our house was built in 1952 and was flooded during Hurricane Andrew. These are the original wood floors that were covered with carpet. Definitely suggest refinishing. It will be a great selling point. There is no comparison of hardwood floors from years back to today

Comments

@hamrnand20 These are gorgeous. My house was built in 1950!  

---

@erme Thank you! We absolutely love the way the floors turned out. The wood is in the living room, hallway and all bathrooms. Our realtor said it increased our value almost $10, 000! We also have the original pink bathroom with hand cut marble floor I am sorry to hear about your job loss, and I know it is scary to spend that money and disappointing to not have your new home, but for the time being it’s worth investing in your comfort. Best to you

Answer 28

I would wait and redo them before you sell so they are new to the next buyer (hopefully ⬆️ the sale price, meaning more $ you to put into the new home).  

Answer 29

Save the money for your dream. This will all pass ♥️

Answer 30

Never cover hardwood floors. Refinish then. They add value to your house.  

Answer 31

You can have the original floors refinished. We did that in our 1890s farmhouse and they were gorgeous. Anyone who installs real hardwood can probably refinish too. I’d call and get some bids.  

Answer 32

No advice on the floors, but I wanted to say I’m sorry about your house. We’re about 2 months from our new house being completed and DH lost his job. He has a new job coming, but we don’t know if they will pay as much. We could be looking at $35-40k less a year, which would mean no new house for us. I can sympathize.  

Answer 33

Refinish! I put off refinishing the hardwood floors in my previous home since I had young kids at the time. But I hated the floors and would think about how much I hated them ALL the time. I had them refinished right before I put my house on the market and could not believe what I difference they made. They were gorgeous. My only regret is not doing them sooner so I could have enjoyed them.  

Answer 34

If there original just need to sand them and revarnish or paint them. A small electrical sander will do.  

Answer 35

Refinish your floors. It will do wonders to freshen up your home. You can find a nice rug to warm up the room too.  

Answer 36

I firmly believe that sometimes you have to spend a little to make your surroundings calm and pretty and peaceful. You have enough stress right now. You probably stress more every time you look at your floors, do it!  

Answer 37

Okay so we no joke were going through something very similar. We hated our house even though we were lucky it was given to us but a major fixer upper. Our kitchen actually depressed me lol. We were just going to sell as is(top notch location believe it or not and could still get a great price) and build our dream home but it came crashing down from job changes. So we decided to fix this place up. Currently working on our kitchen (still not touching our house fund but also not adding to it like we were). Our new kitchen is already paid for and every step of this house getting fixed the more I am falling in love with this house. Honestly I now get excited how much money we will save and how much will go into our retirement if we decide not to sell and stay put.  

Answer 38

That is such a bummer. Could you find a couple of new rugs to spruce up a couple of spots and live with it for now?  

Answer 39

I say refinish your hardwood floors. The vinyl can impact your resell negatively. DIY it: Sand it down and pick a stain color you like.  

Answer 40

Keep the original and restore them

Answer 41

Refinish them. That way you can enjoy them and you should get more for the house when you do eventually build your dream house.  

Answer 42

I’d do the floors if you feel you can spare the money right now. It’ll make you happier and will help the resale value. After living in the same house for 28 years, we sold it and bought a new one a couple of years ago. Believe me, we had to spend some money on the old house to get it ready to sell. It sold on the first day we listed it!