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Have you ever thought about refinishing the hardwood floors in your home? Those shiny floors you loved when you bought your home have become dull and dingy in places or throughout the house? Doesn’t walking barefoot on the floors feel like walking in the moonlight?
Don’t worry! Scars, scratches, and discoloration are normal for wood floors. You don’t have to move into a new home to recapture that “first year” magic; this average wear and tear can be fixed with proven floor refinishing methods. From sanding to choosing the right polyurethane finish, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about refinishing wood floors as a homeowner.
Discoloration and visible defects such as scars and scratches may require refinishing of hardwood floors.
You can probably tell when your floors need updating just by looking at them: whether just one spot has changed color or whether the entire floor in the room has turned gray.
“If the color isn’t working for you, it’s time to update your hardwood floors,” says designer Tamara Day, host of Bargain Mansions on the Magnolia Network. “If you see wear and tear on the top coat, it’s time to repaint.”
If you are still unsure, you can do a water drop test: put a few drops of water on the wood floor and see what happens. If the water bead up on the floor, you can wait and not repaint the parquet in that room, but polish it instead. But if the water drops soak into the wood immediately, it is time to polish the wood floors.
Remember that refinishing a wood floor is not a DIY project that you can complete in a weekend. Depending on the size of your home, it may take several days. A refinishing project is a labor-intensive undertaking that requires a lot of time and patience, and you may have to spend money to rent equipment from a home improvement store. However, once it’s done, you’ll be able to look at your refinished floors with great pride.
However, there is no shame in hiring a professional to do it for you, although it will naturally cost you more. “Don’t do it yourself – hire someone,” advises Day to those short on time.
The process of restoring wooden floors consists of several stages, each of which requires different tools and materials:
Before you start rearranging the furniture in your room, make sure you have everything you need. To do this, you’ll want to call the home improvement store where you plan to rent the equipment and make sure they have a drum sander, edge sander, or orbital sander. There’s nothing more annoying than cleaning and prepping an entire room and then not being able to do anything for a week because you forgot to order a sander from Home Depot.
When you’re done, clear out the room you’ll be working in. Remove everything from the floor, including carpets and rugs. Carefully pry up the baseboards with a crowbar and put them in a safe place. (It might be helpful to mark them with tape so you know exactly where to put them when you’re done.)
You will need to seal the holes to prevent sawdust from flying everywhere while you sand. Tape over electrical outlets and vents. Use masking tape to attach plastic sheeting to interior doors in other rooms.
Now it’s time to focus on preparing the floor. Use a hammer to knock out or replace any protruding nails. You should be able to (carefully) slide the putty knife across the floor without snagging the nails.
If your floor has dents, deep scratches, or other damage, you will need to repair it. Use wood filler to fill holes and scratches. Be sure to let the filler dry completely before sanding.
Sanding is a labor-intensive step in finishing a wood floor, but it is also the most important step. To get the most out of your DIY project, you will need to work in stages, from rough sanding to fine sanding.
Before you begin sanding, be sure to put on a respirator and safety glasses. The first sander you should use is a drum sander (or belt sander, if you prefer). Take the coarsest sandpaper (36 or 40 grit) and sand the floor in three to four-foot increments, sanding in the direction of the wood grain. Sand in an overlapping pattern from one end of the room to the other. The main goal of coarse sanding is to remove all but the deepest scratches in the solid wood.
Don’t let the sander sit in one place! It can leave permanent marks on the floor. Don’t worry about getting the edges and corners perfect – that’s what the sander is for.
Continue sanding the entire floor in this manner until it is completely sanded. (If you are using sanding belts, you can sand approximately 200 to 250 square feet with one strip of sanding belt, or approximately 20 square feet with one sheet of sandpaper.)
Now it’s time to use an edge sander or orbital sander. Using 40-grit sandpaper, sand the floor around the edges and corners of the room.
You will know that sanding has been successful when the entire floor is the same color.
Once you’ve finished using the 40-grit sandpaper, sand the floor the same way using 60-grit sandpaper – first with a drum sander, then with an edge sander. Once you’ve used up the 60-grit sandpaper, repeat the process with 80-grit sandpaper. Repeat again, gradually increasing the grit size.
Finally, finish the sanding step with 120 grit sandpaper to achieve the desired smoothness of your new floor. Don’t skimp on medium grit sandpaper or you won’t get the look and feel of a new floor!
A polisher or sander is used in the final stages to smooth out any remaining minor imperfections in the floor. You can rent an industrial polisher or do it manually with a push-type polisher.
Whichever method you use, attach a 120-grit sandpaper to the tool and sand it along the grain of the wood using smooth, sweeping motions across the entire floor.
It’s time to clean again, which is essential before applying sealant. If you apply sealant to the hair that has fallen out, you’ll likely see hair hanging on the floor for as long as the house is standing!
So vacuum, sweep, and then wipe the entire floor with a tack cloth to remove any excess hair and dust. You may even want to consider cleaning the walls to make sure nothing falls off the walls onto the floor during the next two steps.
This is completely optional for hardwood floors, but now is the time to stain the wood if you want to. Use a foam applicator to apply a thin, even coat of stain along the grain of the wood. Wipe off any excess stain and allow the wood to dry completely.
Remember to start at the far end of the room and work your way towards the door to avoid getting trapped!
Most homeowners in the United States use either water-based polyurethane paint or oil-based polyurethane paint. Water-based paints provide good protection against scuffs and water damage, but require multiple coats and can be difficult to apply because they dry quickly. Oil-based paints provide a smoother finish, but take longer to dry, emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and may yellow over time. In either case, you should always make sure the area is well ventilated and wear a respirator during this step.
Whatever type of wood finish you choose, apply it evenly to the floor using a wool roller to avoid pools and drips. Use a brush to work the edges as desired. Again, start in the farthest corner of the room and work your way out to the edges to avoid getting trapped.
Day recommends applying multiple coats sparingly, as each coat adds an extra layer of protection to the floor. Floors that receive heavy use will require the most coats.
“I think the more, the merrier!” she said. “If you’re choosing between two or three coats, go with three! The finish will depend on how much traffic you get. Think entryways, kitchens, and areas where you get the most traffic.”
Allow the sealant ample time to dry completely between the first and second coats, and between the second (or third) coat and the top coat. The exact time will vary by manufacturer, but for most brands, you’ll need to wait 24 to 48 hours for each coat.
While each coat of paint dries, lightly sand or buff the entire floor (and sand again) to remove imperfections. Vacuum the floor thoroughly before applying the next coat of paint. Repeat after each coat of wood finish.
Wait until the last coat of paint is completely dry before walking on the floor again. Now you can put the baseboards back in place and open the vents and doors.
However, you may need to wait another two days to a week or even longer (check the manufacturer’s instructions) before replacing the carpet and furniture, and you may also need to put felt pads on the legs of the furniture before lifting it back into place.
After redecorating, be careful not to drag furniture back into place. Consider using felt pads as an extra layer of protection between the furniture legs and the newly redone floor.
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