Hardwood Floor Refinishing Can Bring Your House Back to Life

When hardwood floors get dull and listless, they can take away from the value and look of the home that they once added to. If you are like most people in this troubled economy, you are looking for ways to save money and biting off a huge bill for a floor refinisher is not something that you can really afford right now. However, you also cannot afford to let the floors deteriorate. It is time to bring them back to life with a DIY hardwood floor refinishing project.

The first thing to do is clear out every room that you are going to be working in. Moving things from one room to the next can take up valuable time and may also delay the completion of the project quite significantly. You are better off renting a small storage container than you are trying to hustle everything from one room to the next as you try to complete the project.

Once you have everything out of the rooms, it is time to inspect the flooring for any bad pieces of molding, floor planks and nails that may be come up a bit over the years.

If you get tired or see a nail that is up that you missed the first time, do not leave the machine on and allow it to run in one spot. If you do this, the machine will continue to sand and will create a dig in your floor. This can be absolutely disastrous and cause you to have to replace the entire section. Once you have gone over the entire floor once, change to a lighter gauge of paper and repeat the process.

Now that the sanding is done, it is time to start the always fun process of cleaning up all of the dust that has been created. Start with a shop vac and get up as much as you can with that. Get into all the little cracks and crevices of the floor. From there, you can use a tack rag to ensure that you get every little particle up off of the floor and woodwork. You do not want these particles mixing with the finish as the look will be ruined.

When you are ready to apply the stain and finish, put on a mask and make sure the area is well ventilated. The fumes can get a little overwhelming at times and you also don't want any moisture to build up in the room. This will ensure that they both dry quickly and properly.

The best way to apply stain is with a rag. This will prevent brush marks and also allows you to rub the stain into the wood. If you want the appearance to be darker, just reapply after the first coat until you get the shade that you want. Test a small area of floor before doing the entire floor to make sure you have it down properly.

When the stain is done, it is time to apply the finish. NEVER shake the can as this can cause air bubbles to appear once it has been applied. Use a stirring stick and mix it very slowly to avoid this. Once it is blended properly, apply it to the floor with long, even strokes. Allow it to dry and then reapply a second coat. Once that coat is down, allow the floor to settle for a few days before putting the furniture back down or allowing anyone to walk on it.