Refinishing hardwood floors is something that you can do yourself without paying professionals high amounts of money to do it for you. However, you do need to have time to spend on your refinishing project to make sure that you end up with the effect you want to achieve. Many places that rent equipment have the heavy-duty sander that you need for the refinishing job. To start to refinish hardwood floors, you first have to move all the furniture and take up any rugs or mats that you have on the wood floors. You also need to wear a dust mask so that you won't breathe in the dust when refinishing hardwood floors.

Older wood floors can be restored to their former glory when you find out how to refinish hardwood floors. There are many books you can buy on the subject of refinishing hardwood floors and you can also get valuable information when you search online. You do need to have a heavy- duty sander that you move gently back and forth over the wood floors. It is best to move in a straight line with the pattern of the hardwood boards instead of going across, especially if the hardwood has a bevelled edge with small grooves. You also have to be mindful not to apply more pressure in one place that in another because you could take gouges out of the floor.

Once you have the initial finish sanded off, you have to sweep or vacuum up the dust and give the floor a light washing. This is an important part of refinishing hardwood floors because the least little bit of dust and dirt will show up when you apply the stain and finish. In the information you have about how to refinish wood floors, you will find out that you should only use a damp mop to wash up the floor. Excess water, especially on the sanded hardwood, will cause stains in the floor.

When you dry the floor, then you are ready for the next stage of refinishing hardwood floors. You can choose to stain the wood floor in different colors suited to the type of wood. You may want to leave the wood in its natural color, but when you read about how to refinish hardwood floors, you will also learn about the need for a protective coating. The polyurethane coating adds protection to the floor. You can choose a coating that will give you a gleaming floor or one that has a low lustre. When refinishing wood floors, it is essential that the first coat is dry before you apply another coat. The more coats you put on, the shinier your floors will be.

Refinishing wood floors is a time-consuming project. However, it does not mean that you have to move out of the home until you complete the refinishing. The coatings for refinishing hardwood floors do not have any strong fumes that may be dangerous for anyone with respiratory problems. The only thing you have to remember is not to walk on the floor until the finish is dry. If you do, your refinishing project will have your footprints all over it - in more ways than one.