Dear Debbie
Oh boy, you sort of need a primer on hardwood floor refinishing. And I cannot give you in a simple answer on all the details you will need to know before you hire a contractor, or do it yourself. Suffice to say you will need to hire a professional if you want to SAND the floor, but you could certainly finish the floor yourself.
Check out the various books and videos I've reviewed, which you can find in the search box at the top of this web page. You can find some of these at your library. You can also peruse my various articles in this site, and one in particular called 'hiring a contractor'. In other articles I describe chemical stripping of hardwood floors, and a machine called an Orbital Floor Sander. You see there are lots of alternatives to simply sanding a floor to the bare wood.
In the floor maintenance article I describe the 5 basic types of floor finishes, and do a review on the Dura Seal water based finish, all available in the search box at the top of this web page. A worthwhile read. You may find your floor need no refinishing just a little care described in the cleaning article.
