How to Refinish & Remove Stains From Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floors are much more stain resistant than carpet. However, even hardwood floors can accumulate stains over time. Refinishing hardwood floors typically removes most of the stains. Learning how to refinish hardwood flooring will allow you to both remove stains and prepare you floor for many more years of use. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Painter's tape
- Plastic drop cloths
- Vacuum
- Drum sander
- Sandpaper in varying grits
- Edging sander
- Wood putty
- Putty knife
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Soft cloth
- Polyurethane
- Foam roller
- Paintbrush
Instructions
-
-
1
Remove furniture from the room. Seal off the room you are refinishing from the rest of your home, using painter's tape to hang plastic drop cloths over doorways.
-
2
Vacuum the floor.
-
-
3
Sand the floor with a drum sander. Follow the direction of the wood grain. Make two passes each on the floor with 60, 80, and 100 grit sandpapers. Vacuum the floor between each sanding to clear away dust. Use an edging sander for the perimeter, using sandpaper corresonding to that on the drum sander.
-
4
Fill holes and cracks with wood putty and a putty knife. Allow the putty to dry completely.
-
5
Clean any remaining stains. Sanding will typically remove most, if not all, stains. However, if there are any left you may be able to use hydrogen peroxide to lighten the wood and remove the stain. Simply dab peroxide on the stain with a cloth and let it sit. Repeat as necessary.
-
6
Apply polyurethane with a foam paint roller. Reach into corners with a paintbrush. Allow the first coat to dry completely and lightly sand it with fine grit sandpaper. Clean the dust from the floor with a vacuum and damp cloth and then apply a second coat. Wait for the floor to dry, lightly sand again, clean the dust, and apply a third and final coat.
-
7
Allow the floor to dry per manufacturer directions before use.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit texture of wooden floor image by Elnur from Fotolia.com
