Author name: Nina Kowalski

Nina covers flooring, renovation planning, and DIY repair guides for Decor Modern. Her focus is translating contractor-level knowledge into step-by-step instructions that a homeowner can actually follow on a Saturday morning. Before writing about home improvement, Nina spent four years managing renovation projects for residential properties in the Midwest — coordinating work between flooring installers, painters, and general contractors. She worked on projects ranging from single-room updates to full-home renovations, gaining firsthand experience in budgeting, timelines, and contractor coordination. That experience taught her which shortcuts work, which ones backfire, and how much things really cost when the estimate meets reality. She saw how initial estimates change once work begins — and which decisions tend to increase costs or cause delays. Her most-read articles on Decor Modern include a guide to fixing scratches on hardwood floors and a breakdown of the cost to refinish hardwood floors. She also writes the site's cost comparison pieces, where she digs into real pricing data rather than repeating vague national averages. Her writing is grounded in real project constraints — including labor availability, material costs, and unexpected issues that arise during renovation. Nina holds a degree in Communications and has contributed home improvement content to several online publications. She lives in Ohio, where she is currently refinishing the original oak floors in a 1948 Cape Cod — one room at a time.

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