When you refinish your hardwood floors, the goal is to make them look new again. But before you start sanding and stripping, a few things need to be considered.
This blog post will show you 13 things every homeowner should know before refinishing their hardwood floors.
1. Inspection
It is important to have a professional inspect your floors for wear and tear. They can provide insight on whether you should be refinishing the entire floor, just the area that’s been damaged, or just a new coat of stain or paint.
If it’s been a long time since you’ve had your hardwood floors refinished, there is a chance that they cannot be stripped of previous coats. This means the only way to refinish them will be to sand away layers until clean wood is reached.
2. Prep Work
If you decide to refinish your entire hardwood floor, the first thing that must be done is to make sure all your furniture and belongings are moved out of the home. Make sure that your rooms are completely free of furniture and other objects.
This includes baseboards, light fixtures, and anything else that can be removed without causing too much damage. You don’t want anything getting damaged in the process.
3. Proper Tools
The necessary supplies for refinishing hardwood floors include a floor sander and stripper, protective equipment, and materials.
You will also need to ensure that you have the right sanding, staining, and varnishing tools.
4. Testing
Sanding hardwood floors releases lots of dust into the air. Make sure that any nearby furniture is covered with plastic sheeting and that people in the house are aware of keeping windows open to avoid breathing in too much dust.
After sanding, put up plastic sheeting and ventilate for 24-48 hours before doing anything else to prevent damaging furniture and household items with the overspray.
5. Rinsing
Your floor is likely covered in dust, debris, and other unwanted particles. After sanding the floors down to bare wood, rinse them with clean water after they are dry enough that you can walk on them without slipping or leaving footprints behind.
6. Strip
Before sanding, you have to strip the old stain and finish from your hardwood floors. You can hire a professional or rent a machine at a home improvement store.
7. Stain or Paint
Before you even start refinishing your floors, deciding whether you want them stained or painted is important.
8. Staining
Stain is applied to the floor after it has been sanded down. It’s important to use a stain that best fits your household needs, whether you want a darker or lighter tone of wood coloration.
9. What Type of Finish to Apply
There are usually two types of hardwood floors that you can choose from when refinishing your wood flooring. The first is a polyurethane finish, and the second is an oil-based stain/polyurethane combination.
If you’re picky about how the floors look, go with an oil-based stain because it’s more difficult to get a shiny finish.
If you’re looking for a more low-maintenance option, stick to the polyurethane finish.
10. Time
Refinishing hardwood floors takes time, especially stripping the existing finish. Ensure that you have enough uninterrupted time to complete this project before starting.
Keep in mind that your floor may take multiple coats of stain or paint to look even and optimized. – If not done properly, refinishing your hardwood floors could cause more harm than good.
11. Cost
It’s important to consider the cost of refinishing your floors. This may be one of the biggest factors in deciding whether you want to do it yourself or hire a professional.
You need to know what type of finish you desire, how long it will last, and what budget is required for materials and labor costs.
12. Repair
If your hardwood floors need repair, the process is not as simple as just refinishing them. There may be things that you can do yourself with an iron and some steel wool to buff out scratches or dents on the surface.
More extensive repairs could require wood-filling products or even replacement boards.
13. Removal
While some floors may be able to get by with just a new coat of stain or paint, most hardwood surfaces require stripping the old floor finish off. If you want your flooring to look new again, this is what must be done.
