Refinishing hardwood floors

Many homeowners are choosing to reclaim the beauty of their hardwood floors by refinishing them, a process which involves sanding off a thin layer of wood to reveal a new surface, and then treating it with a new protective coating. Some choose to tackle this as a do-it-yourself project, while others hire a professional. If you choose to do it yourself, there are various resources available to take you through the process in detail. The basic steps are:

 

1.      Use a drum sander and an edge sander to sand a thin layer of the floor off. This is a dusty, messy job so take precautions such as wearing a dust mask, closing off your heat vents so the dust does not travel throughout your home and sectioning off rooms with plastic if possible. Drum sanders can be tricky to maneuver, but most people get the hang of it. The key is to never let the sander sit in one spot as it can leave swirl or marks in a matter of seconds.

2.      After you “rough” sand the floor, you will need to go over it once more with a more fine sand paper. Then you will need to fill in any imperfections in the floor with wood putty. You also will need to buff the floor to tighten the wood grain before staining.

3.      You then may choose to stain the floor or simply leave it the color it is. Keep in mind that the finish coating will slightly darken the shade.

4.      The final step is applying a finish of either surface (polyurethane) or penetrating (wax) coat. Surface finishes are most popular for do-it-yourself projects.