How To Refinish Hardwood Floors
Floor sanding and refinishing is unforgiving work. Make a mistake and it will show. However, a refinished floor can bring beauty to a room like no other project. To hire a pro to sand, seal, stain, and apply several finish coats of an oil-based poly will cost $4 per square foot, or more. Here are some helpful for doing it yourself.
1. Choose DIY-friendly sanding equipmentUnless you plan to sand many floors in your lifetime, random orbital sanders are the best choice for do-it-yourself floor refinishers They take longer to remove old finishes than drum sanders, but they do not require a lot of experience to use and are less likely to damage your floor. With a random orbital sander, you can move with or against the wood grain. Just be sure to keep the sander level at all times. Even an orbital sander can “run away” from you and cause sander markings that are difficult to remove.
2. Watch your back
Avoid back injury when transporting sanders from the rental store to your house (or up stairs) by always having a helper. Use ramps to move the machine whenever possible. Similarly, get help moving heavy furniture out of the room.
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3. Take precautions
Floor sanding and refinishing generate a large amount of dust and fumes. Stock up on dust masks and earplugs and, when applying sealers and oil-based polyurethane, wear NIOSH-approved organic vapor respirators, neoprene or vinyl gloves, and eye protection.
Begin with coarse-grit abrasives sufficient to remove the old finish and most surface scratches. Avoid using grits coarser than 60; this will help keep you from damaging the flooring. Proceed with abrasives that are gradually finer until you reach the desired degree of smoothness. Sand as though you are mowing the lawn and proceed row by row.
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5. Remember the corners
A palm sander may be used to sand near baseboard moldings, but use a sharp scraper to remove any areas of old finish the sander may miss. Scrapers allow you to get into recesses without having to remove a lot of material with the sander.
When you've finished sanding, remove all dust by vacuuming and wiping the sanded areas with tack cloth. If you find a stray hair embedded in dried polyurethane and you still have at least one coat to go, lightly sand over the hair with a very fine (320) abrasive. Carefully dig out the hair with a pin or fingernail, if possible. Then re-sand with the same very fine abrasive, taking care not to breach the stain layer.
7. Sealing the Deal
A sealer coat is not normally needed, but if your floor takes stain unevenly, it will help ensure even stain coverage. Test for this by applying stain to an area that will not be visible once furniture is moved back into place. It is important to apply the sealer evenly. Otherwise, ‘holidays’ (skipped areas), stop marks, and lap marks may show through after staining.
8. Apply stain evenly
Applying stain evenly, especially over a large expanse, isn't as easy as it might seem. Avoid letting the leading edge of your job dry. Oil-based stains stay workable longer than water-based.
Many pros pour polyurethane along the floor and then spread it with an 18-inch lamb’s wool applicator, but for the novice this is likely to result in a layer that’s too thick. A better way is to roll on the polyurethane using a foam roller, preferably a high-density foam roller. The coat will be thin, even, and will quickly dry to a glassy smooth finish. Use a good brush for cutting in around the room perimeter.
10. Have an exit strategy
Begin your applications along the wall opposite the door you intend to exit. Work in parallel rows toward the wall with the door. When you get close, you will have to change your work pattern and work from the end walls toward the door. This makes it tough to achieve uninterrupted smoothing strokes, so apply a little extra poly and count on its self-leveling properties for a smooth finish.
If you are interested in finding more ways to add value to your home, call us at 310-402-2258.
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