Refinishing A Hardwood Floor

Before getting started on sanding floors in your home, you'll have some preparation that needs to come first. You will need to identify a budget and a schedule to perform the work. It's also important to buy safety goggles and disposable facemasks to wear while you're sanding wood floors.

Refinishing wood floors is a labor-intensive task. Therefore, you won't really have a lot of additional costs beyond buying or renting the needed power tools and materials. New hardwood floor will cost a few dollars per board. This cost should be minimal unless you have to repair a lot of boards. Other costs will include wood filler, sandpaper, stain, and polyurethane. If you'll be finishing wood in several rooms, it might be more economical for you to purchase a sander rather than renting one.

Refinishing wood floors will take several days to complete. The reason is that stains and polyurethane take several hours or even up to one full day to dry in between coats. If you have any pets, you'll need to carefully consider whether you should make other temporary living arrangements for them. This might be necessary if you're sanding wood floors and refinishing wood floors in high-traffic areas. Also, consider making arrangements for children, as well, because stain and polyurethane have very strong odors.

If the room where you'll be sanding floors and finishing wood is carpeted, you'll need to remove the carpet before doing anything else. Factor this in when you're trying to estimate how long it will take you to complete the tasks of sanding floors and finishing wood. Having to remove carpet before you get started will definitely add time to your total project.

Start in one corner of the room to remove carpet. It might be necessary to remove the baseboards in order to have enough space to remove the carpet. Carefully remove the baseboards to avoid damaging them. This way you'll be able to reuse them later and stick to your estimated budget.

The very first thing you'll need to do before refinishing a hardwood floor is to examine the condition of the existing floor. This is not strictly for cosmetic reasons; it's actually a very important safety issue, especially for older houses. Check to see if any floorboards need to be replaced. Any board that is wet and damaged or contains severe dents is a definitely a candidate for replacement.
In some cases, sanding floors isn't an option if you have a very high number of damaged floorboards to replace. This is particularly true for smaller rooms if nearly half the floorboards are damaged. Overall, though, sanding wood floors is an option for many homeowners, even those who have much older homes.

Oak and pine are the two most common types of wood used. Determine your budget and factor in how many damaged floorboards you need to replace. Oak is more expensive than pine, so keep that in mind when choosing. If possible, match your new replacement boards to the type of wood you already have.

Resist the temptation to skip this very important step. Finishing wood can result in a spectacular end product, but only if you have a solid foundation on which to begin. If floorboards need to be replaced, you can't avoid it. This task will need to be taken care of before you begin sanding wood floors.

There are several things to consider when refinishing wood floors. Wood contracts and expands depending on the temperature. Therefore, you won't want to undertake the task of sanding floors and finishing wood during extremely warm temperatures, unless you have adequate air conditioning and ventilation for the area you'll be working.

Pets and family members will need to vacate the room that you are working in. Using power tools will cause a lot of noise that may disrupt the household, and the smell of wood stains will permeate your house until it fully dries. Also, don't forget to wear your safety goggles and facemask when working. Safety goggles will protect your eyes, and it's important to keep safety in mind even if it prolongs your task.

Prepare the room before doing anything else. Remove all furniture from the room where you'll be refinishing the hardwood floor. Furniture must be stored somewhere else for a couple of days, and even after you're through sanding floors and refinishing wood, because it'll take some time for your final coat of polyurethane to dry completely.

Sawdust is unavoidable during any woodworking project. You will want to put items in place to control the sawdust. If you're finishing a bedroom, shut the door. Also, cover the bottom of the door by taping plastic on the bottom opening. This will eliminate the amount of sawdust that travels to other rooms, and save you the time and effort of having to clean up areas that can just as easily be protected.

If you have any damaged floorboards, purchase the appropriate number of floorboards and get to work. Most hardwood floor comes in standard sizes, and they are usually available at home improvement stores. You won't even be able to think about sanding wood floors until you've repaired any damaged floorboards.

To start, get a circular saw and cut a damaged floorboard lengthwise along the grain that needs to be removed. Just remove the two pieces when finished. Next, it is time to lay the new boards.

Measure the empty space and cut a floorboard to fit the space. Your measurements must be very precise, so the floorboard will lay perfectly in place. You'll need to glue the precut hardwood floorboard into the tongue and groove joints of the adjacent boards on each side. Also, secure the board into the sub-floor with nails.

Use wood filler to fill in any gaps between floorboards. Follow the product directions, and allow the product to dry for the required amount of time before sanding. If you plan to stain your hardwood floor, you can choose any color wood filler. However, if you aren't planning to stain your hardwood floor, make sure you pick a product that is a neutral shade.

Next, you'll need to begin sanding floors. You might need to do light sanding, or more intensive sanding, depending on the condition of your floor. Floors that are in pretty good condition will only need light sanding. Light sanding is fine if you don't want to change the stain color already on the floor. Heavy sanding will be required to remove all the previous stain color, if you plan on changing the stain color of your hardwood floor.

Sanding floors will be the most time-consuming task. Unless you are refinishing a small section of flooring, you must use power tools to get the work done in a reasonable amount of time. For very large rooms, it is recommended that you use a drum sander, which is available for rent from home improvement stores. Smaller rooms can be refinished using a belt sander. Also, an edge sander will be required for hard-to-reach sides and corners.

Safety becomes a major concern whenever power tools are involved. The first step requires that you read the operating instructions inside the manual for any tools you'll be using. The reason is that every power tool operates differently. Therefore, each power tool will have proper safety techniques unique to that tool. Call the company's customer service number to clarify if you ever have any questions about the power tool.
Keep the following general safety tips in mind. Always wear protective goggles during sanding. This step cannot be emphasized enough. The reason is that sawdust could get into your eyes. Also, a small nail could hit the cornea of your eye, and you could lose vision.

Always take frequent breaks when using power tools to prevent the machinery from overheating. This is especially important if you are performing this work during hot weather.

You will need to sand the floor multiple times using different grades of sandpaper. If you are only doing light sanding, then you want to use a 200-grade sandpaper or higher. You don't need to get the floors extremely smooth like you would if you were sanding furniture. However, you want to get the floors relatively smooth, so no one gets splinters.

If your project requires heavy sanding, then your first pass will require 80-grade sandpaper. It is important not to go much lower than an 80-grade sandpaper because this may gouge the floor. Then, make a final pass using 200-grade sandpaper.

Using the drum sander requires proper technique to ensure that your floor does not get damaged. Proper technique requires moving the drum sander in a circular motion. It is very important that you do not keep the drum sander in one area too long because it will eat away at the floor beneath it.

Use a belt sander, if the thought of using a drum sander is too intimidating for you. The only drawback is that it'll take you longer to complete the project, but a belt sander may be sufficient to get the job done, especially if you're sanding floors in a small area. You can purchase a high quality belt sander for a couple hundred dollars at a home improvement store.

After your floor is sanded, use an industrial-strength vacuum to pick up all the sawdust. Wipe the ceiling and walls with an old cloth shirt or rag. Cleanup is very important before continuing any further. You'll want to avoid any dirt or dust getting in your end result.

If you decide to stain your floor, you'll have plenty of choices. From cherry-colored to dark brown and even green and blue, you'll be able to choose almost any color that you wish. Spend enough making this decision because you'll have to look at the results for a very long time.

If you aren't sure what color you want, buy small sample packets at a home improvement store. Stain a small spot in an inconspicuous area, such as in a closet or the corner of your room. The stain will look different depending upon the type of wood floor you have. Oak floors hold their stain better than any other type of wood and do not require a pre-stain finishing product. Pine floor tends to be "runny" with the stains. To resolve this, apply a pre-stain product to treat pine wood.

Apply stain lightly. Try not to take shortcuts during this process. If you try to rush the process of applying stain, your final result will be sloppy and less than spectacular. You should apply stain with a clean cloth in a circular motion. Be certain that you don't apply too much stain, or else the final result will look too much like paint. Read the manufacturer's instructions prior to applying the product. Typically, the stain should be applied and the excess should be wiped up with a clean cloth several minutes later. One coat of stain is sufficient.

Skip the stain and only use polyurethane on your floor if you're going for a natural look. Applying polyurethane takes some skill. You can apply the product using a paint roller, brush, or industrial sprayer. Apply a light coat of polyurethane using strokes parallel to the grain of the wood. Do not allow excess polyurethane to accumulate in one area, because this will cause an uneven appearance when the product dries. For greater protection, you should apply several coats of polyurethane.

After applying the final coat of polyurethane, don't walk on the floor for a period of time. Read product labels carefully. The manufacturer will recommend the amount of time you'll need to stay off the floor. This can be as long as 24 hours, but it does depend on climate and season.