How To Refinish Hardwood Floors (Part 1)
So your old hardwood floors seem to be just getting dingier and darker, you are pretty sure you are overdue for a refinishing of the hardwood floors; but in checking out the prices and costs of having a professional flooring company do the work for you, you are kind of stunned. At the price, that is. Yes, it can get real pricey to have someone else do that for you, but there’s a ray of sunshine in the scenario, you can save hundreds, maybe even thousands if you do it yourself.
Do not rush the hardwood floor re-finishing process
No, this is not technically hard at all, but it will require elbow grease and some patience, so know that going in to the process. Depending on the size of the hardwood floor being re-finished, this will take anywhere from 10 to 18 hours, and the polyurethane coats have to be allowed significant amount of time to dry.
The items you will need in re-finishing your hardwood floor
- A floor sander and an edge sander. Both of these can be rented.
- Base coat sealer
- Paint brushes
- Water based polyurethane sealant
- Floor finish applicator
- A very good vacuum, either regular or shop vacuum.
- Mineral spirits
Let’s get started with the sanding, the hardest and most time consuming part of re-finishing the hardwood floor
With your standing belt or drum sander, start with a relatively coarse grit sand paper, say a 36 or 32. Make gentles and consistent passes over the hardwood floors, keeping everything consistent and with even pressure. Take a test area (preferably where a piece of furniture always stands) and practice slow easy passes over the spot. Once you feel comfortable with that, move out to the rest of the floor. Once you have completed the bulk of the floor, get out the edge sander with the same grit sandpaper, and do the same in the edges and the corners, always being even and consistent with your passes. After this first pass or “cut”; vacuum the floor thoroughly, and repeatedly.
Use caution in the sanding process for the hardwood floor refinishes.
You have to clean up all of the old grit left after the first sanding, or you will run into problems later, so do not hesitate to use all of the vacuum attachments you have available to you, and have a decent vacuum please. In the sanding process you are trying to remove all of the old grime, stains, cuts, scratches and finish from the old floor. Do not press to hard or make uneven passes with the sanders, or you will create gouges you do not want.
Once you have completed the first sanding job, you will start the process over again with a finer grit paper, a 50 is ideal. Vacuum thoroughly after the second pass or “cut”. The third pass or cut will be with a sandpaper grit of 80. The final pass with 80 grit is the most important for creating the final surface for the sealants and polyurethanes that will be applied to the floor, so make sure your sanding is even, consistent and without gouges or scratches.
Refinishing Hardwood Floors (Part 2)
After the final sanding you need to clean and vacuum thoroughly, and then you will take some clean soft rags and apply the mineral spirits to them. With the cloth damp (but not saturated) you will wipe the entire floor paying close attention to the corners, edges, tight spaces, and anywhere else you think there might still be grit and sand hiding. Remember that this is the final cleaning before applying the sealants and polyurethanes, and you do not want to seal in grit or detritus to your new finish. After you are satisfied with the cleanliness of the floor, it is time to apply the sealant. Allow the mineral spirits to dry before starting with the sealant.
Applying Polyurethane sealant to the refinished hardwood floor
Now you are ready to apply the Polyurethane coat
Again, ensure that you are using a water based polyurethane product, in order to speed the drying process and enable you to do more coats per day. After the sealant has dried, you are ready to apply the first coat of straight polyurethane to the floor. Start I the same manner you did with the polyurethane sealant, corners and edges first, and then the floor. You can use a clean, soft bristle push broom after applying the polyurethane in order to push down ridges and any other blemishes that may occur. Allow the first polyurethane coat to dry for at least two hours, before applying the second polyurethane coat to the floor. In all you will apply three coats of polyurethane to the floor, and one coat of the polyurethane sealant. After all coats are applies, allow the entire floor to dry for at least 6 hours, and then after that, do not move furniture onto the new floor for at least another ten hours.
Congratulations, you have just refinished your hardwood floors and saved hundreds of dollars!
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