Refinishing Hardwood Floor

Answer 1

Over many years, the surface of hardwood floors can deteriorate to the point where they are full of scratches and have lost their warm shine. When hardwood floors have lost their finish, they can look dirty and old despite regular cleaning and maintenance. Hardwood floors are natural products that do not hold up to years of heavy traffic and wear without occasional maintenance. Despite your best efforts, all natural, hardwood floors will have to be refinished at some point in order to restore their beauty.

Real hardwood flooring comes in two main varieties: solid hardwood and engineered hardwood. Solid hardwood floorings are planks of solid wood, while engineered hardwood floors are composed of layers of lesser wood glued together and topped with a thin piece of hardwood. Despite the difference, the cost of these two options is roughly the same. One advantage that engineered hardwood has over solid hardwood is that it is more durable. However, engineered hardwood cannot be refinished as often as solid hardwood since the top layer is very thin. When refinishing the hardwood in your home, it is important to know what kind of hardwood floor you have so that you know whether or not it can be refinished.

The first step to refinishing a hardwood floor is to make sure that the floor is even and that all nails have been hammered flush with the surface of the floor. After that, you will need to rent a floor sander from a hardware rental store. You will also need to purchase different grades of sandpaper that will fit the sander. The most common grits used for refinishing hardwood flooring are 36, 60, 80, and 100, with 36 being the coarsest and 100 being the finest grit. You will be doing multiple passes with the sander at different grit levels in order to achieve a smooth surface. Start sanding the floor with the grain of the wood using the heaviest grit sand paper. Once the entire surface of the floor has been sanded, go over it again with the next finest sand paper grit and repeat the process till you finish with 100 grit paper.

Next, vacuum the entire room and use a tack rag to collect all the dust. The floor must be spotless and free of dust before the staining process. Next, apply the stain of your choice to the floor by applying it with a rag. If you would like a darker finish, you can elect to use a brush to stain the floor. When using a brush, be sure to paint with the grain of the wood. Allow the stain to dry and apply a second coat to cover up any missed spots and to enrich the color.

The final step in refinishing a hardwood floor is to coat it with polyurethane, which will seal and protect the wood for years to come. Apply the sealer with a brush or roller going with the grain. Allow the floor to dry according to manufacturer specifications and then apply a second coat.

Once the second coat has dried, the floor is finished and ready for several more years of use.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

If you're planning to refinish an oak floor, you'll need to first assess the condition of the floor for the following: water damage, stains caused by pet urine, or oil etc. Some floors may not completely sand clean if damage is too excessive. Also, if the floor has been sanded multiple times and the flooring nail/fastener heads are visible this usually indicates a complete sanding is not possible as the seams between the planks will be too thin and peel away.

Answer 4

Sanding, staining, finishing of wood floor