Wood Flooring Refinishing Guide

Wood flooring refinishing breathes new life into old, dull hardwood floors. Often, older homes have gorgeous hardwood floors waiting to be discovered underneath old, tattered carpet. If you discover this hidden gem in your home, consider giving those floors a new life with the right fix.

The first step in brightening up your floors is determining whether or not the boards are good candidates for the process. If you find that the boards are warped, buckled, soft, soggy, or saggy, they need to be replaced. If they are dull and scratched, but otherwise solid, then it is time to look into wood flooring refinishing.

The hardest part about the process is sanding the floors. Use a drum sander with 20 to 36 grit sandpaper to buff up the floor. Start slowly, as the machine can scuff your floors. After you place the sander in place, walk forward along the grain of the hardwood, from one half of the wall to the other, making two passes over each row. Do not allow the sander to sit for even a second or two in one spot. Always keep moving. Then, use an edge sander to finish the job. Repeat the process with a medium grit sandpaper and a fine grit sandpaper.

When you are done sanding, you will find dust all over the room. The next step in wood flooring refinishing is cleaning up all of that dust. Leaving any of it on the floor when you stain it will cause problems. Use a shop vac to thoroughly clean the room.

The next step is staining the floor. Follow the directions on the stain, and be sure to ventilate the room. Always follow behind yourself with a clean rag to wipe up any excess stain. Leave the stain to dry overnight before sealing it or walking on the floor.

Once the floor is clean and stained, apply sealant. Use around three coats, and allow three hours for it to dry before adding another coat. If you choose a water-based urethane as your finish, you will need more than three coats. Be careful about stirring up dust while the finish cures on the floor. Leave it for approximately three days before putting your furniture back.

Wood flooring refinishing is a huge time commitment as a do-it-yourself project. Homeowners who do not have excessive amounts of time to spend on home improvement projects can hire a professional to do the task. Professionals are trained on using the sander and quickly applying the stain and sealant. For those with busy schedules, hiring someone to do their wood flooring refinishing is a cost-effective option.