How to Refinish Distressed Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors can add great value to your home. Getting them there can be quite a chore if the flooring is damaged or there is a substance such as capet adhesive on the floor.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hammer
• Floor Sander
• Stainable Wood Filler
• Pliers
• Ripping Bar
• Heavy duty stripper
• Goggles
• Mask
• Metal Scraper
• Stain
• Polyurethane
• Rags
• Sandpaper
• ShopVac
• Mop
• Paint Brush
• Metal Paint Pan

1. Remove all of the furiture from the room.

2. Remove all rugs or carpeting from the floor. Be careful not to get cut on the staples left in the carpeting.

3. Remove all the staples and carpet tacks from the floor. Use a hammer, ripping bar and a pair of pliers for this. Sweep the floor intermittently to make it easier to see the nails and tacks that you have missed.

4. The hardest part of this process is removing the carpet adhesive (if you have any). You will need to apply coats of stripper to remove the carpet adhesive. Follow the instructions on the can, be careful not to get any stripper on your skin (it burns... a lot). I recommend K-3 Premium Stripper for this process.

5. Go get some air. It takes the K-3 Premium Stripper 15 minutes to work.

6. 
   Should have worn gloves... ouch

   Now you can painstakingly remove the carpet adhesive from the floor. Use a metal scraper for this process. Don't be alarmed if the stripper takes off the old finish. You will be sanding anyway.

7. You may need to add multiple coats of stripper to get all of the glue off.

8. Once all of the adhesive is removed from the floor, it is time to sand. Sweep the floor before you sand to ensure that all of the nailes and tackes are out so you don't rip the sandpaper.

9. Rent a floor sander with heavy and light sandpaper, the salesperson can help you if you don't know what it is. Wait until the floor is ready for you to sand before you rent it because you never know what kind of problems you will run into.

10. 
    All Sanded

    Sand the floor. Go slow and steady to ensure that the floor remains even. Sand it with the heavy paper first, then smooth it out with the light paper.

11. Sweep, ShopVac, and Mop the floor to ensure that nothing is on it when you put the stain down.

12. Take a wet rag and wipe down the walls.

13. Apply the stain onto the floor with a rag so that you can push the stain deep into the wood. You may need multiple coats. Make sure the floor is dry before you apply the first and future coats.

14. Stir the polyurethane.

15. Apply the polyurethane to the floor evenly and with a quality paint brush. Again make sure that the floor is dry before you apply. It is incredibly important that you check for debris on the floor before this step because the polyurethane will trap it. You may need multiple coats.

16. 
    All done

    Wait 72 hours before moving furniture back in. It can scratch the polyurethane.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear gloves and pants when applying the stripper, it is corrosive and burns your skin.
• When sanding you should close of the the rest of your house to prevent dust from getting everywhere.
• Where your goggles and mask when sanding to protect yourself.
• Take your time, don't rush through anything. You will have to live with the results or repeat the process.

Resources

• How to Improve Your Home's Interior Design
• How to Increase Your Home's Curb Appeal