Hardwood floors go with just about any home decorating style. The wood flooring can also add value to your home. While hardwood floors are incredibly durable, they can start showing their age and not in a good way. The finish can start looking dull, and scratches are a part of having hardwood floors.
Eventually, you’re going to need to add hardwood floor refinishing to your to-do list. Before you start dreading this necessary task, it may be a little easier to get your hardwood floors looking like new than you think.
Assess the Damage
Before you start dreading refinishing your hardwood floors, take a minute to assess the damage. It might not be as bad as you think.
If you’re only dealing with some minor dings and scratches or a really dull finish, a light buffing and a new coat of varnish may be all that’s needed. In other words, you can probably get the chore finished in a single afternoon.
If your floors are ready for a complete overhaul, don’t panic. It can still be a manageable project, just be ready to spend a little more time on your wood flooring.
Get the Area Ready
Sometimes, this is one of the hardest parts of your project. You need to get everything out of the room. This includes everything from the furniture and rugs to window treatments. There’s going to be a lot of dust and you don’t want it getting into your drapes and/or blinds.
You also want to seal up the air vents. Once again, to keep dust out. Some painter’s tape works great, and it’s also relatively inexpensive.
Tackle Any Necessary Repairs
You’re probably going to need some wood filler and a spackle knife to fill in any holes and cracks. Let the filler dry, it’s probably going to take a few hours. You don’t want to start sanding before the filler is dry.
Nail down any loose boards and give the floor a good sweeping. You may even want to wipe the hardwood planks down with a damp rag or soft mop. If there are loose nails or staples, you know ones sticking up, go ahead and remove them. You can also try hammering the loose nails back into place.
Start Sanding Your Hardwood Floors
Honestly, this is usually the most labor-intensive step. You’re probably also going to need to rent a drum sander. If you’ve never used a drum sander before, you may want to think about calling in the professionals. Drum sanders are a pain to control, and the machine can easily damage your wood floors. A good tip is to practice with the sander on some plywood before moving to your hardwood floors.
You’re going to use 40-grit sandpaper. This is coarse enough to remove most scratches, dings, and dull finishes. Move at a slow and steady pace, going with the wood grain. Check the sandpaper frequently, it’s going to need replacing. As soon as the sandpaper starts looking a little worn, go ahead and put on a fresh sheet.
If scratches and other marks are still visible, repeat the process using a higher-grain sandpaper. You may need to go as high as a 120-grain sandpaper depending on the floor’s condition.
Get the Floor Ready for Staining
Getting your hardwood floor ready for staining isn’t too complicated. You’re going to need to buff the floor, a pole sander works great. Pole sanders are also inexpensive to rent and pretty easy to use.
After buffing out any remaining marks, grab a broom and dustpan. You want to sweep up all the dust left from the sanders. Next, mop the floor down to get rid of any remaining dust. Let the floor thoroughly dry. You never want to apply stain to wet hardwood. You’ll be left with an ugly mess that’s a pain to fix.
Apply Your Stain or Sealer
Not everyone wants to change the natural color of the hardwood, and it’s perfectly okay. You can skip applying wood sealer to protect the floor and enhance its natural beauty. Staining changes the color of the wood. Just make sure you go with an oil-based stain.
Before you start staining or sealing your floor, check the ventilation. Wood stains and sealers emit harmful fumes you don’t want to breathe in. You may even want to pick up a respirator mask. You can find them at most home improvement and hardware stores.
Let the stain or sealer dry for at least 24 hours before moving anything back into the room. While refinishing hardwood floors takes some work, the effort is well worth the end results.
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