Do It Yourself: Refinishing Hardwood Flooring
by Ean Napp
Hardwood floors can be a beautiful asset to your home. They lend a sense of elegance to any room. Just like anything else, however, your hardwood floors require maintenance, and there will come a time when you should consider refinishing hardwood floors. Luckily, hardwood floor refinishing is not impossibly difficult. With a bit of effort and patience, your floors will be good as new again.
Refinishing hardwood floors is only a two-step process, involving sanding the floor smooth and staining it. Sanding clears away built up dirt, dust, and wears down any surface scratches or scuffs, creating a smooth surface. After the floor has been sanded, the stain corrects the rustic look with a smooth polish.
Before you attempt refinishing your hardwood floor, you should always do this simple test to make sure that it is necessary. All you need to do is place a drop of water on your floor. If it absorbs rather quickly, you need to refinish, but if it doesn't absorb, or it slow at absorbing, you do not need to refinish your hardwood floor at this time.
When you inspect the floor, make sure it doesn't need any repairs. Problems to inspect for include warped or squeaking floor boards, badly stained wood, and other permanent damage. If any of these issues are present, you should repair them before refinishing the floor.
If you have determined that the floor does not need other repairs besides refinishing, it is time to start your work. To begin, you will need to remove all objects from the room. Cover all openings, vents and light fixtures. Bear in mind that sanding is a messy process and it is important to protect the room from dust.
You will use a drum sander for your initial sanding. This is a powerful tool and it is easy to inadvertently damage the wood while sanding, so keep the machine moving, never let it stall in one place for more than a few seconds, and above all, don't rush. To reach areas you can't reach with the drum sander, such as corners, use an edge sander.
After sanding the floor, clean up all debris and dust in the work space. Then, to begin staining, you will need to choose a floor stain. Decide whether water-based or oil-based stain will be best for your floor depending on the characteristics of your floor. Follow all the instructions, especially how many coats needed and how long it takes to dry.
When your stain dries, congratulate yourself: you've just refinished your floor! Some people hire professionals for refinishing hardwood floors, but you won't need to once you know how to refinish hardwood floors. The process takes some time, but it will be worth it when you're finished and your once dull floor is lovely and gleaming again. The sight will assure you that your effort was well spent.
Hardwood floors add instant polish to your humble abode. Learn tips on how to clean hardwood floors and how to install laminated floors today. Click here for other unique 'refinishing hardwood floors' articles.
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