Refinish a hardwood floor

Refinishing your hardwood floors takes patience and time and it can be a very messy project but with the proper tools and knowledge, the results can be extraordinary and well worth your efforts.

After a few years all wooden floors need to be refinished. Most people bring in someone to sand the floor for an optimum result. If you want someone trustworthy to help you on refinishing your floors just give me a call 0687938395 and I will be happy to have a look at the work that need to be done and give you a free quote.

But if you want to do it yourself read the rest of this article. With my recommendations you can easily take off old vanish, all scratches, cracks, marks, repairing previous sanding jobs, or change the color of the tint.

Before starting to refinish your hardwood floor it is best to remove everything from the room.

1.  I mean all furniture and wall hanging have to go.
2. Cover light fixtures with a rubbish bag and secure with masking tape.
3.  Tape up every opening vents, switches and outlets.
4. Close off the room from the rest of your house by hanging a plastic sheet over the door opening or sealing the opening with masking tape.
5. Check floor for any nails or staples.
6. Vacuum the floor to remove any dirt and debris.

How to do the Floor Sanding

Several passes with a sanding tool is required for the smooth finish you wish to achieve so make sure you have good ventilation while sanding. This is very important as you can get very sick by not being careful with the sanding.

Choosing the machine:

There are several sanding machines available for this job. Personally I prefer to use the hand sander with a shopvac attached. Talk to the shop vendor for recommendation of what is best for your project.

Choose your sandpaper accordingly; remember the smaller the grids number the rougher the sand paper. You will need various levels for the whole process.

Start with a low grit number 20 or 30 then go up to 120.

When using these machines:

It is important to work slowly and let the machine do the work. You may want to try and practice in an area you know will be covered by a rug or sofa, this way any beginner sanding errors will be concealed plus it will give you a chance to get a feel for the machine.

Always keep the machine moving while running. Do not let the machine stand still while running or this will damage your floor.

Step 1:

Sand the entire area with the low grit number sandpaper, then use an edge or a detail sander to get to the areas you could not reach.

Remember to vacuum and clean the floor thoroughly after each sanding.

Step 2:

Next move onto a 60 grit sand paper and repeat the entire process cleaning thoroughly afterwards.

Finish by sanding the entire floor with a 100 or 120 grit sandpaper, cleaning with a vacuum afterwards.

With a cloth, wet with mineral spirits, wipe the entire floor clean of any residual sanding dust.

Mineral spirits takes only a few minutes to dry. Give them at least 30 minutes before moving on.

Step 3:

Once the floors are dry, you can apply your sealer or stain to your newly refinished floor.

It is essential you follow very carefully the instructions on you sealer or on the stain you select as each product differs in application and drying times.

Always start from the far end of the room and work your way towards the doorway.

Spread out evenly and work slowly to avoid bubbles in the sealer.

Allow a couple of hours as directed for the base coat sealer to dry. Some stains require more than one coat with sanding in between.

Apply polyurethane in the same manner as you did with the base coat.

Leave to dry as recommended and then apply a second coat.

If you apply a third coat please give adequate time to dry between coats for maximum outcome.

Allow 24 hours after final coat before walking on or moving your furniture back into the room.

Step 4:

Enjoy your new floors.