has your hardwood floor seen better days?rather than replace it, refinish it to make it look like new. refinishing solid â¾-inch hardwood is a gooddiy project; however, refinishing engineered wood should be left to pros. the differencebetween the two is solid has end grain and isn’t layered. to determine if your floor needs to be refinished,place a few drops of water on it. if it beads or soaks in slowly over a few minutes, youcan probably just clean and polish. if the water soaks in immediately, you’ll needto refinish. also, if your floor is damaged, stained, orthere’s wax over the finish, you’ll need
to sand to bare wood. start by clearing the room, that includescurtains and pictures, and take off or protect register covers.also remove doors and shoe moulding. use painter’s tape to label the mouldingand the corresponding wall. next, do a close inspection of the floor anddrive in nail heads. if you’re ripping up carpet, remove the carpet staples underneath.these fasteners will tear the paper on the floor sanders. sanding gets really dusty, so cover the airvents, lights, windows, and doorways with plastic.
with the room prepped you’re ready to sand. use a random orbital sander for flat floors.it’s easier to handle and the random sanding pattern won’t leave directional scratcheson the floor. load the machine with a coarse grit sandpaper,start it up, and immediately begin moving—letting it run in one spot will damage the floor.it’s easiest to work along the grain to see where you’ve sanded. when you get tothe end move over slightly overlapping the first pass by a few inches. continue sanding, getting close to the edges. after you’ve sanded the center of the room,do the edges using a power hand sander with
the same grit paper. in the corners, use a detail sander. after sanding, vacuum thoroughly with a brushattachment. before you sand with the next grit, fill indeep gouges and holes with matching wood filler. also, draw light pencil marks a few feet outalong the edges. this will help you see where you’ve sanded, as the sander removes thepencil marks. for the second pass with the sander, use amedium grit sandpaper. also use a medium grit paper with the handsander along the edges, and the detail sander for the corners.
clean up the dust with a vacuum and brushattachment. do a third pass with fine grit sandpaper.this will be the final sanding pass. afterwards, vacuum thoroughly with a brushattachment. also use a damp mop on the floor to pick up any remaining particles. if the floor feels rough after sanding, buffit with a 120 grit screen. buffing with a screen will smooth out fine scratches. workalong the grain getting as close as possible to the walls. use a sanding screen for the edges and cornerstoo. finish up with a thorough cleaning—windowsills, walls, everything. it’s a good idea
to go over the floor with a cloth dampenedwith mineral spirits. staining is only needed if you want to changethe floor color. apply a pre-stain conditioner and stain accordingto the manufacturer’s directions. if you’re not staining, apply a sandingsealer before the polyurethane finish. let it dry, then lightly sand with 320-grit sandpaper.vacuum the entire room again and clean the floor with a tack cloth. it’s importantto have a dust free floor. complete the project by applying a polyurethanefinish with a natural bristle brush and applicator. before using the applicator remove loose fiberswith tape. stir the poly thoroughly--no shaking—andapply it along the edges using smooth strokes.
you don’t want any bubbles. for the centerof the floor, use the applicator. always maintain a wet edge and avoid creating bubbles. let the poly dry according to the directionsand apply a second coat. some products don’t require sanding between coats. after the second coat has dried for a fewdays, you can reattach shoe moulding and bring your furniture back into the room. avoid slidingit across the floor. felt pads can help prevent scratches too. and your worn out hardwood is reborn witha fresh finish. want more great ideas and how-to’s? go tolowes.com/howto or just click to subscribe.
next, learn how to hang window curtains.