How to Sand & Polish a Floor
If you want to drastically change the look of a room, one way to do so is to change the room's flooring. While carpet and linoleum are typical floor coverings in many homes, the floor beneath that carpet or linoleum is often wood. To change the room's flooring to hardwood, you don't necessarily have to lay new wood planks. If the wood flooring is in decent condition, you can sand and polish the exposed floor. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Flat-edge screwdriver or butter knife
- Hammer
- Sandpaper
- Nail punch
- Wood putty
- Putty knife
- Coarse sandpaper
- Drum sander
- Medium-grit sandpaper
- Broom or vacuum
- Grease-removing cleaner
- Rag
- Wood sealer
- Lambswool applicator
- Paintbrush
- Floor polisher
Instructions
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Pry up one corner of the carpet or the linoleum. The carpet or linoleum should be securely fastened, so use a prying tool like a screwdriver or a sturdy butter knife to work the edge of the carpet up. Peel the carpet up from the floor. This can be done with just your hands, but it does take some muscle. Remove the overlay beneath the carpet or linoleum using the same process.
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Remove any staples or nails that were used to hold the carpet or linoleum in place on the edges of the room. Staples can be pried from the wall with the screwdriver or butter knife and nails can be removed with the claw of a hammer.
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Use a nail punch to punch down all of the visible nails in the exposed wood flooring. The nails should be just slightly below the surface of the flooring.
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Fill in the small indentations above the nail heads with wood putty that matches the color of your wood flooring. Use a putty knife to fill the area in. It's okay if some putty ends up on the floor. Allow the putty to sit until dry. The drying time depends upon the type of putty and is usually listed on the putty container.
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Sand the entire surface of the floor. This can be done by using a drum sander, which can be rented from home improvement stores, or by hand. If you use a drum sander, follow the directions provided for the specific sander. Use coarse sandpaper and run the machine in diagonal passes over planks.
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Use coarse sandpaper to sand the corners and edges of the rooms by hand. Sand the floor until the hardwood floor is visibly level and the planks are smooth.
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Go over the entire surface of the floor again with medium-grit sandpaper to give the floor a finer finish. Sweep or vacuum the dust from the floor when you have finished sanding.
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Wash the floor with a grease-removing cleaner to remove all dirt and oil. Allow the floor to sit until completely dry. This may take up to 24 hours.
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Apply wood sealer to the floor using a lambswool applicator and going with the grain of the wood. Use a paintbrush to get the corners and edges of the room. Allow the sealer to dry for 24 hours. Apply another coat and allow it to dry for 48 hours.
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Run a floor polisher over the entire surface of the floor. The polisher buffs the room so that the sealer shines.
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References
- Photo Credit Wooden texture to serve as background image by Viacheslav Anyakin from Fotolia.com
