How to Refinish Your Hardwood Floors

Worn wood floors may look beyond repair but in fact, you can refinish your hardwood floors and bring out their beauty once again. It requires some hard work but this do-it-yourself project is well worth the effort!

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• small floor sander
• edging machine
• polishing machine
• nail set
• No.20,30,60,100 sandpaper
• chisel
• steel wool no.20
• wood stain
• wood finish
• cloth rags

1. First, line up your tools. You'll need to rent power machinery from your local paint or hardware store. You'll need to rent a small floor (drum) sander, an edging machine, and a polishing machine. You'll also need some hand tools for prep work.

2. Prep your hardwood floor. Before sanding, sink all nails with a nail set.

3. Using the small floor sander with no. 20 sandpaper, sand old stain or painted finish from flooring. Steadily walk sander forward, sanding with the grain of the wood. *Caution* To avoid gouges or swirl spots, never let the sander sit in one spot! Raising and lower the drum slowly as you start and stop your run you will also prevent gouges.
   
   No. 20 sandpaper should remove the majority of the old finish.

4. Repeat with second pass using No. 30 sandpaper on the drum sander. Repeat until finish disappears. Make third pass using No. 60 (finer) sand paper. For the final sanding, use a fine (80-100 grit) abrasive.

5. Now using the edging machine repeat the same sandpaper sequence (coarse to fine) on edges to remove old finish. *Caution* Again, keep the machine moving to avoid gouging.

6. Corners may need special attention by hand. If needed, use commercial remover, coat corner and then scrape corner clean with a chisel. Follow with a little steel wool to sand.

7. Vacuum the room thoroughly, including the walls and ceiling.

8. Hardwoods like oak floors need a wood filler. Apply filler with cloth. When filler dulls remove excess with clean cloth. Allow wood filler to dry as directed.

9. Apply desired stain. Using a rag, apply the stain. Cut in from the corners and work with the wood grain. Wipe off excess changing rags often. Allow stain to dry overnight. After dry time use buffer with No. 2 steel wool. Vacuum and apply a second coat of stain; remove excess. When dry, again buff with steel wool and vacuum. Now you're ready for your finish.

10. Apply finish with a natural bristle brush or foam brush. Cut in along the edges and corners. Always start at the farthest point from the doorway and work out of the room. Apply coat evenly. While finish is still wet, blend in any brush marks with a foam brush. Again remember to always work with the wood grain. Allow your finish to dry for a full 24 hours before walking on.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid using a damp rags when removing sanding dust. Moisture will raise the grain of the exposed wood and should be avoided.
• Caution- To avoid gouges or swirl spots, never let the sander sit in one spot!

Resources

• eHow Home and Garden Topic Guide

[cygnetbrown]

on 5/29/2009 There's no flooring more beautiful than hardwood flooring. Thanks for the article on refinishing hardwood floors!

[tracysmith159]

on 5/29/2009 Good article on how to refinish hardwood floors.