How to Restore Floorboards

Restoring floorboards will ensure they last for a long time.

Wooden floorboards can suffer a great deal of wear and tear from shoes, furniture, heat, moisture and pets. Restoring floorboards is a sure way to revitalize their look and protect them for many more years of use. By sanding floorboards clean of the worn finish and applying a new coat of stain and finish, you can restore your floorboards to their original beauty.

Things You'll Need

• Vibrating sander
• 60-grit sandpaper
• 80-grit sandpaper
• 100-grit sandpaper
• Stain
• Polyurethane
• Cloth
• Lamb's wool applicator
• Foam applicator
• Orbital sander
• Broom
• Vacuum

Instructions

1. Clean the floorboards of grit and dust with the broom and vacuum.

2. Sand the floorboards with the vibrating sander and 60-grit sandpaper to remove the worn finish. Vacuum the floorboards clean and sand them again with 80-grit sandpaper. Clean the floorboards with the vacuum and sand them again with 100-grit sandpaper. Vacuum up sawdust before proceeding.

3. Sand areas of the floorboards that the vibrating sander did not reach, like edges and corners, with the orbital sander and 80-grit sandpaper. Vacuum the floorboards clean of sawdust.

4. Stain the floorboards with wood stain using a foam applicator. Apply in a manageable area and allow the stain to absorb into the wood before wiping off excess with a clean cloth. Allow the stain to dry.

5. Apply a thin, smooth coat of polyurethane to the floorboards with a lamb's wool applicator. Apply with long strokes to avoid creating bubbles in the finish. Allow the polyurethane to completely dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Work with the grain of the floorboards.

• Work in a well-ventilated area'

• Use eye and hand protection when sanding and staining.

References

• Home Depot: Refinishing Hardwood Floors