How to Restore an Old Wood Floor

Restoring an old wood floor can be a lot of work, but it is also rewarding. Not only will it add charm and character to your home but it can also add value by making it more attractive to potential buyers if you ever wish to sell the house. A few hundred dollars spent on restoring an old wood floor could add a few thousand to the selling price later on.

Things You'll Need

• Claw hammer
• Nail punch
• Finishing nails
• Extension cord
• Drum sander and sandpaper
• Edger sander and sandpaper
• Scrapper and sandpaper
• Putty knife
• Latex wood filler
• Gloves
• Vacuum cleaner
• Stain
• 4 inch paintbrush
• Cotton rags
• Polyurethane or urethane
• Paint thinner

Instructions

1. Prepare the room and floor for sanding. Remove everything from the room, including furniture drapes and wall hangings. Anything left in the room will be coated with sawdust when the floor is sanded. Repair any loose floorboards by placing a finishing nail near the loose nail. Use a nail punch to drive the nail a little under the surface of the board. Pound in any nails that are sticking up and use the punch to drive them in as well.

2. Rent the equipment for sanding the floor. You will need a drum sander for the majority of the floor, but you will need an edger for the parts around the edge that the sander cannot reach and a scraper for the corners (this is a tool made for sanding corners). You will also need the sandpaper that goes with the equipment---ask for it when you rent the equipment.

3. Sand the floor using the drum sander and rough sandpaper first. Before you start the machine, make sure the sandpaper is in the up position (there is an up and down lever on the machine which raises and lowers the sandpaper). If the sandpaper is touching the floor when you start the machine it can groove the floor. When you turn the machine on and lower the sandpaper to the floor you must keep the sander moving back and forth constantly or you will groove the floor. Sand in the direction of the floorboards (with the grain) by pulling the machine as far as you can down the row. Do this several times until all of the finish disappears then turn around with the machine and do the same thing from the other direction until the finish is gone. Do one row at a time, working your way across the floor. Change the sandpaper when it no longer makes the finish come off the floor. After the floor has been sanded with rough sandpaper, repeat the process with medium sandpaper.

4. Sand the edges of the floor that the drum sander could not reach with the edger and a disk of rough sandpaper. Hold the edger up off of the floor and sand in a back and forth motion barely touching the floor. Go over each part as much as you need to to remove the old finish. When you are done, repeat the process with the edger using medium sandpaper.

5. Use the scraper to sand the corners that could not be reached by the other sanders. Scrape the blade over the area, pulling it toward you until the finish has been removed. Repeat this process for each corner in the room.

6. Vacuum up all the sawdust in the room. Do a thorough job so there is no sawdust left on the floor. Fill any holes in the floor with latex wood filler and let dry as per the manufacturer's directions. Sand the entire floor using the drum sander and the edger and the scraper with fine sandpaper.

7. Vacuum up all sawdust from the floor and then damp mop the floor and let it dry. Make sure there is no sawdust left on the floor. If you are staining the floor, begin to apply the stain. If you are not staining it, begin to apply the finish right away while the floor is clean.

8. Use a 4 inch brush to apply the stain. Work with strips of floor about five boards wide all the way across the floor, working toward the entrance. After the stain is applied to a row, go back and wipe with a clean cotton rag. Repeat this process row by row for the entire floor. Make sure that the stain is on the floor for the same amount of time for each row or some rows will be darker than others.

9. Apply your choice of finish to the floor. The choices are polyurethane and urethane. Polyurethane is oil based and urethane is water based. The polyurethane is more durable while the urethane looks more natural. Use a 4 inch brush to apply the finish to the floor in strips about five boards wide across the floor, always working toward the entrance. Sand the floor by hand after the finish dries. Vacuum up any sawdust on the floor. Repeat the process of applying finish, sanding and vacuuming until three coats of finish have been applied.

References

• Online Tips: How to Restore Antique Hardwood Floor
• Grand Rental Station: Restore Wood Flooring