[S86]Sanding And Finishing Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors can add beauty and elegance to any room in your home. They do require some regular maintenance, and in due time you will find that you will need to refinish your hardwood floors. Thank goodness that with effort and patience this is something that can be done and won't be too terribly difficult. Once done, your floors will look as good as they day they were put in.

Refinishing hardwood floors is a process that encompasses two steps. The first, sanding, removes the buildup of dirt and old wood from the floor's surface, making for a fresh wood surface suitable for working. The other, staining, gives the floor's surface a more polished look.

If you are refinishing your hardwood floors, you should see if they need to be redone at all. You may want to try a test in an inconspicuous place on your floor. Drop a drop or two of water on the floor and observe. If the water is quickly absorbed by the flooring, it's time to refinish. If it isn't absorbed at all, or absorbs slowly, you can wait a while before redoing the floor's surface.

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 found that your flooring could use a face lift but isn't in need of other repairs, you can start your project. To get started, take everything out of the room, cover up vents and other openings such as light fixtures and vents. There will be a large amount of dust once you begin sanding and to sand a floor is a messy job.

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.

Your stain is dry; your floor is done! Offer yourself some congratulations! Refinishing hardwood floors can be difficult, and some hire a professional, but you know how to refinish hardwood floors so you don't need to. This task takes a little time, but when you see your dull floor shining and gleaming again you will know it was all worth it.