How to refurbish old hardwood floors
Sometimes you have hardwood floors that aren't in that bad of condition where you have to rent a floor sander to completely strip them to bare wood, as in this case. After we pulled up the carpet there were a few stains from spills and some surface scratches. This is an easy fix. Floor sanders are expensive to rent, heavy and hard to use if you don't know what you're doing. You only need to rent a floor sander if your floors are in very bad condition. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- hand corner sander
- Pole sander
- 100 grit sandpaper
- 120 grit sandpaper
- respirator
Instructions
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Sweep and mop floor thoroughly to remove any abrasives that may damage the floor further.
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Use the 100 grit sandpaper first to remove the polyurethane top coat from the floor. Sand the entire floor including the corners.
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Then use the 120 grit sandpaper to remove surface scratches from the previous sanding, again sanding the entire floor including corners.
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When you are finished sanding, sweep and mop the floor to remove all sawdust. (You may want to mop it twice). Let dry thoroughly. This usually takes about three or four hours.
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After the floor dries. Using a good quality brush apply a thin coat of polyurethane and let dry approximately twelve hours (in high humidity you may have to let it dry twenty-four hours to obtain a good bond).
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After the first coat dries you will want to apply two more coats to your floor the same as the first. After the last coat let the floor dry approximately forty-eight hours before replacing furnture. For faster applications you may use a 3/8" nap paint roller to apply the polyurethane, but you still have to brush it out as you apply it so that you will not have air bubbles in your floor after it dries.
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Tips & Warnings
This is an excellent way to save time and money, especially on rental properties or homes you are getting ready to sell
This finish will also last for years
Always wear a respirator when using paints or chemicals.
Resources
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Comments
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Willxiv
Sep 02, 2008
Is there a trick to sanding parque hardwood floors(the flooring is composed of shorter wood boards, set in small patterns by which the boards are at right angles with each other)? All the how-to's I've read so far (and it has been many) have only mentioned "sanding with the grain" while using rented power tools. Sanding with the grain on parque floors (unless you're using a small hand tool) is quite impossible since half tightly-patterned boards are perpendicular to the other half. What's the secret? I've frustrated myself googling the topic - to no avail.
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archip99
Aug 23, 2008
My dad loves your advices and will try out. Keep it up!
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Melanierose
Jul 31, 2008
Lovely! I will have to dry this. Thank you.
