How to Apply Gloss to Stained Wood Floors

Gloss beautifies and protects wood floors without hiding the look of the grain or the color of the stain. Gloss is spread like paint, but because it's clear, you have to be more mindful of keeping dust or foreign objects out of it or of letting bubbles develop before it dries. This is relatively easy--mostly a matter of keeping everything clean and paying close attention while applying the gloss.

Things You'll Need

• Hammer
• Flat scaping knife
• Broom
• Sponge
• Enough gloss to cover the room at least twice (the can will tell the square footage)
• Clean paint stick
• Several varnish-grade paintbrushes
• Rubber gloves
• A few sheets of 220-grit sandpaper

Instructions

1. Examine the floor carefully for any raised nail heads or other obstructions. Hammer them down or scrape them off. Wipe down the baseboard to make sure no dust will fall to the floor after you've glossed it. Sweep, scrub and rinse the floor thoroughly. Let it dry completely.

2. Open your gloss. Don't shake it (that would create bubbles), but stir it gently with a clean paint stick. Wearing rubber gloves and working from the most isolated corner of the room, kneel and use your brush to spread the gloss over a roughly 4-by-4 area. Pull the gloss across the floor in long, slow strokes, with the grain of the wood, carefully avoiding the creation of bubbles until you've covered the area completely. After the application, look for the appearance of any bubbles. If you see any, gently pull the brush through them to get rid of them.

3. Repeat this process throughout the room, working your way toward the exit. Work slowly enough to avoid bubbles but quickly enough to always keep a ``wet edge'' between the area you're finishing and the one you're doing next. When you're completely out of the room, seal it off and make sure no one steps on it for 24 hours.

4. Score the dried first coat of gloss in preparation for applying the second coat. Do this by gently scuffing the gloss surface with the sandpaper, pressing lightly so that the finish turns a light, milky white and no longer brightly reflects light. The goal is to take off just the very surface of the gloss so that the second coat will stick. Wipe it down thoroughly with a wet sponge to get up all the dust. Allow it to dry completely.

5. Repeat the glossing process, the same for the second coat as the first. If necessary, you can apply additional coats in the same manner.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure the gloss you buy is specifically formulated for floors.