How to Finish Hardwood Floors

To finish new hardwood floors or to refinish older hardwood floors may seem daunting. However, it is really easy (and cheap) with minimal effort. Follow these steps to beautiful hardwood floors.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A sander
• A flat bar to use as a scraper
• A hammer
• Polyurethane or other coating
• A mop made for coating hardwood floors (these can be purchased at any home improvement store).

1. Remove anything that is sticking up from hardwood floors.
   Remove old carpet strips and or staples. Nails can be hammered down.
   Also, check for any loose boards and nail them down.
   This gives you a smooth and secure surface for sanding.

2. Sand hardwood floors down.
   The easiest way to do this is to rent a floor sander. This will sand it down quickly and easily. It will also help make for a smoother overall surface. If it is an existing hardwood floor, you may want to only sand the surface and leave some of the marks in the floor. This gives it a real old floor look that is stylish and beautiful.

3. Sweep and damp mop the surface of hardwood floors.
   This removes all residue left from the sanding. Be sure not to get the floor wet. Make the mop just damp enough to pick up loose sawdust. Then let the floor dry thoroughly. This should not take very long.

4. Recoat hardwood floors.
   This is the easiest part to finish hardwood floors. Simply pour out some of the surface coating onto the floor. Use the mop to spread out the coating. Be sure to start in a corner and work your way out toward an exit from the room. Spread it smoothly. Do not worry about small bubbles because these almost always smooth out as the coating dries. You may need to put more than one layer of coating on the floor.

Tips & Warnings

• Oil based coatings cover much better and leave a much nicer finished look to hardwood floors than water based coatings do.
• Always wear a face mask or other covering over your mouth and nose when sanding hardwood floors.
• Always keeps rooms well ventilated when putting a coating down.

[gahazeleyes]

on 6/3/2009 I love hardwood floors, and this is very useful info. Thanks for sharing.

[kristara]

on 6/2/2009 I didn't know finishing hardwood floors was this easy!

[dorigillman]

on 5/31/2009 sounds easier than i thought.

[cherylphillips]

on 5/31/2009 Great and timely article! I have to re-do one of my rooms and this will come in handy! 5*