Do It Yourself: Refinishing Hardwood Flooring by Ean Napp

Hardwood floors can be a beautiful asset to your home. They lend a sense of elegance to any room. Just like anything else, however, your hardwood floors require maintenance, and there will come a time when you should consider refinishing hardwood floors. Luckily, hardwood floor refinishing is not impossibly difficult. With a bit of effort and patience, your floors will be good as new again.

There are two parts in the procedure for refinishing hardwood floors: sanding, which cleans away any old dirt and smooths the old wood in order to give it a fresh appearance; and staining, which is performed after the sanding, gives the old hardwood floor a smoother, glossier sheen.

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.

As you check, look for existing problems. Take note of such things as warping, squeaking floor boards, or any permanent damage that might need to be done first. Make sure such repairs are taken care of before you start to refinish the floor.

After making sure your floor is in good repair, begin refinishing by preparing for the messy work of sanding. Start by clearing everything from the room. Cover all doorways, other openings, vents, and light fixtures in the empty room to protect them from all the dust.

You will need a drum sander for your first sanding. The drum sander is a powerful tool and damaging the wood while sanding is easy to do. To avoid this, keep the sander moving, never letting it stay in one place for more than a few seconds. However, don't rush. When encountering corners and other areas you cannot reach with the drum sander, use an edge sander.

When the sanding is completed, clean all dust and debris from the area. You are now prepared to stain the floor. There are several options to choose from when selecting your stain. Water-based and oil-based stains are available, and these with a wide variety of appearances. Select whichever best suits your particular floor, and be careful to follow all instructions. Pay extra attention to how many coats you are to use, and how long it must be left to dry.

Once you have learned how to refinish hardwood floors, you will never need to hire a professional. The process of refinishing hardwood floors is time consuming, but it is worthwhile when your dull and dingy floor is gleaming and shiny. When the stain is dry, congratulations! You have just refinished your floor yourself. Let your beautiful new floor assure you that it was well worth the effort.



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