Learn to refinish hardwood yourself

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - It may seem like in expensive home improvement job, but you can cut costs by refinishing hardwood floors by yourself.

Making that hardwood floor look a lot better may not be as hard as you think. Nate Randall is a building supervisor, and part of his job is repairing hardwood floors in more than 90 different homes every year. Nate says, doing it yourself is a big money saver

Nate said, "To do just a typical bedroom, 12 by 14 your probably at $500, give or take a hundred here or there. You can probably cut it in half if you did it yourself."

It all starts with a fine sandpaper, it's called 200 grit. If your really looking to save some cash, just wrap a piece of the paper around a wooden block instead of buying and electric sander.

"Just a piece of sandpaper stapled there allows you sit there and you can use it and go right to it no problem," said Nate.

Once your done sanding the floor evenly, this next step is important and one many forget

"You want to make sure everything is out of there, all of the dust any nicks and crannies nothing," Nate said.

The best way to get rid of all that dust is to apply mineral spirits . Just apply it on the floor with a clean rag or a new mop. It dries in about an hour or two. Once you're done, you're now ready to apply polyurethane, the stuff that gives the floor it's finished new look. Your best bet is a water based poly which dries quicker and is more forgiving if your a novice.

All you need is a paint roller and to follow the instructions on the back of the bottle.

The end result can look great, for a total cost of no more than $250, depending on the amount of floor you're refinishing.