How to Refinish a Parquet Floor

A beautiful parquet floor

Parquet is one of the most popular types of flooring. It is beautiful and easier to care for than carpet. A parquet floor, when finished correctly, will last many years with only occasional touch-ups. Many types of finish can be used on a parquet floor to match your decor.

Things You'll Need

• 2 rolling mop buckets
• 2 wringers
• Orbital floor sander
• Clean water
• Plastic liners
• Sheets of plastic
• Broom
• Vacuum
• Floor finish
• Polyurethane
• Natural bristle brush

Instructions

1. 

   Move all furniture out of the room and hang plastic over the doorways to contain the mess. Sweep the floor to remove dirt. Use the orbital sander to remove the old finish. Start with a small area and move the sander in the direction of the wood grain, keeping it in a straight line. Sand the floor until all traces of the old finish are gone.

2. 

   Sweep up the dust from using the orbital sander. Go over the floor once again with a vacuum, this time to remove the dust that is left behind. Run a damp mop over the whole area and wait for the floor to dry. Keep any foreign objects from getting in the finish by going over the floor several times.

3. 

   Fill one of the buckets about three-quarters full of clean water. Put a liner in the other bucket and pour the finish you have chosen in this bucket. Dip one of the mops into the clean water and wring well using the wringer. Dip it in the bucket with the finish and just wring it until it is not dripping the finish.

4. Begin mopping on the finish at the corner farthest from the doorway. Work in areas of 6 to 9 feet at a time. Dip the mop into the finish bucket for a fresh coat before the mop starts drying. Use a figure eight method to apply the finish, each time overlapping the previous lap. Make sure the finish goes on evenly. Allow this to dry for at least 30 minutes.

5. Apply the first coat of polyurethane. Dip your brush into the can and use enough to brush on nice even coats. Coat one area and brush over it again, brushing with the grain of the wood. Smooth out any drips. Cover the floor using this method and let this dry for 24 hours. Apply the second coat using the same method. Wait another 24 hours and your floor is finished.

Tips & Warnings

• When applying the finish with a mop, the mop must not be allowed to dry out because this will make streaks on the floor. Use a self-sealing finish. This will eliminate the need to seal the wood after applying the finish. If you think the floor needs buffing after the final coat of polyurethane is dry, wait at least four or five days before polishing your floor.

• If you decide your floor needs a second coat of finish, do not put another coat close to the baseboards. Leave 6 to 10 inches without the second coat as this area is not walked on and the finish will look too dark from build-up.

References

• Floor finishes
• Information on parquet flooring
• Parquet flooring prices

Resources

• Keeping the flooring in good shape