Refinishing A Hardwood Floor - What Does It Take?

Many individuals who have hardwood flooring decide that it is best to refinish the floor in order to bring out the natural beauty and shine of the wood. This is often a much cheaper choice than purchasing any type of new flooring for the home. It is not an easy task, but with the right tools and a little bit of patience, this can be accomplished. If you notice that your flooring is starting to become a bit dull and is losing the visible beauty that it once had, refinishing it may be a great option. The question then becomes, where to start?

The first thing that you will be required to do is to gather a few supplies that will help you complete the job. The tools that are most common to this particular type of refinishing project include the following:

• Sander
• Edger for floors
• Shop Vac
• Buffer
• Putty scraper
• Foam brushes and sponges
• Protective gear like protection for ears, and masks

Once you have your materials, you can start the actual refinishing:

1. The first thing that you will need to do is to ensure that the floor is completely void of any furniture, or other types of obstructions.

2. You will want to carefully inspect the flooring to determine if it is required to seal any cracks that may have developed. You must be certain of this prior to refinishing the hardwood floor. If you fail to do so, bubbles may develop in the flooring, and it may result in being uneven when the job is finished.

3. The next step in refinishing the hardwood floor is completely sanding the entire upper surface of the floor. You must then change the grit of the sand paper to that of about 100. You should then sand the entire surface of the floor once more.

4. Once the sanding job is completed, you will need to sweep the floor and then go over it with a shop vac. Once this has been done and all debris is removed, you can move on to the next step.

5. At this point, the floor should be buffed thoroughly.

6. The sixth step to refinishing the hardwood floor is to apply the stain that you have selected for the job. You should carefully observe and follow the instructions that are detailed on the container of stain.

7. The next step is to select the finish that you want to use on the flooring. It is often better to select surface stain as it is low maintenance. With this type of stain, cleaning generally involves simple sweeping and mopping.

Here, you have been introduced to the simple steps involved in refinishing the hardwood floor. If you want to beautify the flooring, and make it appear fresh and new, this is a great option!