What to Do With Old Wood Floors?
The best thing about wood floors is that they are incredibly durable and can be brought back to life with the right materials, care and attention no matter how old they are. Yet it's important to know how to repair those old wood floors and what is specifically needed for different types of wood. By following instructions and using the correct materials, most wood floors can be revived.
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Sanding
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Old wood floors should first be sanded and cleaned of old finish or varnish so that you can help the floor begin its revival. Sanding by hand will be a painstaking process so renting or purchasing a belt sander is probably a good idea. The grain on the sandpaper is also important here, as if you're using too rough of a grain you will scratch or scar your floor, which doesn't help to revive it. So a smaller, lighter grade sandpaper is probably best, unless there is a lot of tough pieces of finish or jagged pieces of wood you have to deal with.
Replacing Wood
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Sometimes parts of the wood floor are rotting or are too far gone to simply sand and refinish. When this is the case, these boards need to be replaced with the identical type of wood, or at least a type of wood that will adhere to the stain you are going to use on the floor and not be noticeably different to anyone looking at it. These boards should first be replaced in the old floor, then sanded down and then stained, in that order, so that the new boards look uniform with the old boards.
Stain and Finish
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Once the rotting or broken floorboards have been replaced, if necessary and the entire wood floor has been sanded and cleaned of any dirt or dust, a stain should be applied so that all the boards look the same. A good stain or tongue oil will also revive the wood, as the old wood will literally drink it up and it's color will fully come back. Add a couple coats, depending on the age of the wood and it will do wonders to the apparent age of the old wood floor. Add a varnish to the wood floor once the stain has set in, to lock in that color and texture of the floor for years to come.
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