How to Restore a Dull, Worn Wood Floor

You may think that when a polyurethane or varnish finish on a hardwood floor becomes dull, scratched and worn, your only recourse is to call in a professional to sand the floors down to the bare wood and refinish. But there's a simpler approach, well within the capabilities of a do-it-yourselfer--the screen-and-overcoat technique. If your wood floors are prefinished, consult the manufacturer for safety and finish recommendations.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Plastic Drop Cloths
• 100-grit Abrasive Screens
• Angled Sash Brush
• Box Fan
• Finish
• Plastic Drop Cloths
• Soft Cloths
• Soft-bristle Push Broom
• Vacuum With Floor-brush And Wand Attachments
• Varnish Brush
• Mineral Spirits
• Mineral Spirits
• Rented Floor Polisher
• Abrasive Discs For Sander
• Abrasive Pad
• Dust Mask Or Respirator
• Fine Sandpaper And Rubber Sanding Block Or Sanding Sponge
• Random-orbit Electric Sander

Prepare the room

1. Move all furniture and wall decorations out of the room.

2. Install a box fan in a window within the room, and open a window across the room and just outside the room. With the fan set to exhaust, the negative pressure keeps dust from moving outside the room.

3. Just in case, cover furniture in adjoining rooms with lightweight plastic drop cloths.

Screen the floor

4. Install an abrasive pad on the rubberized wheel of a floor polisher to practice in the center of the room until you are comfortable controlling the machine.

5. Install a 100-grit abrasive screen on the polisher and sand the floor. Go back and forth across the floor in overlapping passes from one end of the room to the other.

6. Sweep, vacuum and inspect the floor. All the finish should be dull, wear patterns should no longer be noticeable, and any scratches and stains should be gone. Repeat the sanding as necessary.

7. Using a random-orbit electric sander, sand areas at the perimeter where the polisher missed. Use a rubber sanding block with fine sandpaper (or a sanding sponge), sanding with the grain, on areas the sander couldn't reach.

Remove all dust

8. Sweep, vacuum, dust and then vacuum again to clean the room (floors, walls, baseboards) and eliminate all dust.

9. Using a soft cloth slightly dampened with mineral spirits, wipe down the entire floor, turning and shaking out the cloth often.

10. Turn the fan off and vacuum one final time, using the floor brush on large areas and the pointed wand at the perimeter and in cracks.

Apply the finish

11. Using a professional-quality angled sash brush, cut in a band of finish 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide along the baseboard on one wall and about 2 feet (60 cm) down the sides.

12. Using a professional-quality varnish brush 5 inches (13 cm) wide, apply an even coat of finish. Work across the room, following the direction of the flooring planks, coating about a 2-foot (60-cm) strip at a time. Cut in more along the walls as needed.

Tips for preventing damage to wood floors

13. In your kitchen, place small, washable area rugs in front of the stove, sink and refrigerator. Heavy traffic, spills and dropped items will be less likely to damage the floor.

14. Wipe up spills immediately with a dry cloth or paper towel. Use a slightly damp mop or cloth, if necessary, but dry the floor immediately after.

15. Keep dirt, especially gritty sand, out of the house. Choose exterior mats that are most effective at removing dirt, and add throw rugs inside to catch any remaining dirt. Regularly shake out, hose off or otherwise clean the mats and area rugs.

16. Set up a convenient place for people to slip off dirty or wet shoes just inside the most commonly used family entrance.

17. Acknowledge that you can't keep all dirt out. Vacuum often to remove dirt that slips by your defenses.

18. Protect wood floors from excessive sunlight, which can cause colors to fade or finishes to fail. Exterior awnings, drapes, window tinting or area rugs may all be helpful solutions.

19. Install and frequently clean fabric glides on chairs, tables and other furniture legs. Pay special attention to clean or vacuum the glides on chairs often, and replace them about once a year, depending on use.

Tips & Warnings

• Pick up plenty of 100-grit screens. You can return what you don't use.
• Coarser-grit screens are available for more aggressive sanding of floors in worse condition.
• Don't walk on a sanded floor in bare or stocking feet. Skin oils and moisture can prevent proper bonding and cause staining.
• Wear a tight-fitting dust mask or respirator when sanding and sweeping.
• Follow all safety guidelines recommended by the finish's manufacturer.

[johnincanada]

on 12/12/2009 I know a woman that has a hardwood floor under a worn out carpet. I think I will mention to her again that we should remove the old carpet and look closely to see if there is something, anything, that can be done to bring the natural beauty of the hardwood back. At this time - once the estimates for what seems like a million square yards of vinyl and for what seems like as I say an awfully lot of money for it, and the installation - we should try a test strip of the old hardwood floor and decide if it looks like it can be saved at all.
She could also as is mentioned above take some precautions so her precious dogs don't scratch the floor too much as they find their way to some spilled juice the fair haired cutie of grand child might have accidentally spread on the floor.
Yes I thuik I will mention that to Donna the next time we talk.

on 8/27/2006 My wife and I bought our house just three months ago, and it had very thick, ugly carpet in all the downstairs rooms. When we were storing some boxes in the closet below the stairs, however, we noticed what looked like hardwood in the very back of the closet where the carpet didn't reach. Upon further investigation we discovered the entire first story had very well-preserved hardwood floors underneath the carpet.

The carpet removal was easy (it had merely been tacked down), took just a weekend, and now we are working to restore it to its original beauty. The wood was originally installed when the house was built in 1914, and you would never imagine how much better wood looks after it has aged well for 92 years, than some of the more expensive wood in stores.

on 6/30/2006 We didn't like the Berber carpet that was in the den. So my wife and I pulled a corner of the carpet and padding back and found black glue covering the hardwood floor. The professionals that my wife and her grandmother talk to said leave the carpet, there's nothing in our experience that will work. We got a regular spray bottle, put about a half a capful (not cupful) of Murphy's oil in, filled it with water, and sprayed a section. We let it sit for about a minute and wiped it with a sponge and it came up with no problem. Some areas had more glue, so we sprayed more and wiped the rest up. We used a damp cloth to wipe up the remainder. A fan helps to dry the floor fast. Thanks to Murphy's oil this works. Now we have beautiful hardwood floors.