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One of the great attractions of older homes is hardwood floors, and refinishing those floors can be the perfect way to add new beauty and style to your home. And while installing a hardwood floor is usually a job best left to professionals, merely refinishing a floor is something a handy homeowner can do in just a few days.
The first step is to determine if the floor needs refinishing. In many cases, the floors are simply dirty from years of use, and can be refurbished with a thorough cleaning and buffing, then applying a new coat of finish right over the old. In extreme cases, the finish has been worn or scraped right through to the wood. As a test, pour a few tablespoons of water on a high-traffic area of the floor:
• If the water beads on top of the floor, then your finish is fine, and you can continue enjoying your hardwood floor.
• If the water sits on top of the floor, but leaves a slightly darkened area, the floor will probably need to be refinished soon.
• If the water leaves a dark, wet spot and soaks right in, it’s time to refinish that floor.
Once you’ve determined that you need to refinish, know that the job will entail completely sanding off the old finish down to the wood, possibly applying stain if you desire and specific color, and finishing off with two clear coats of varnish.
Preparation & Sanding:
First, clear the room of all furniture, and remove base molding to protect against the sander damaging the molding. Then, inspect the flooring extremely carefully, removing any carpet staples and repairing or replacing any loose or damaged floor boards. This is a great time to nail down and eliminate any of those annoying squeaks so prevalent in older homes. Ensure that all nail heads are driven below the surface of the floor and, if needed, fill the holes with latex wood putty.
Next, you will need to strip the clear coating off using a sander. Before you sand, prevent dust from infiltrating the rest of the house by putting up plastic sheeting around doors and closets. And always wear a dust mask when sanding. For a full refinishing, you will need to rent a drum sander, which requires some skill, so be sure to practice with fine grit sandpaper until you get the feel of it.
A total of three rounds of sanding will be performed. Use the coarsest sandpaper, 36-grit, for the first swipe, remembering to sand with the grain. Run the sander forward and back over 4-foot lengths of the floor, always overlapping the strokes to get a uniform sand. For the second round of sanding, use 80-grit sandpaper and finish with 100-grit for the smoothest finish. Always sweep and vacuum the floor thoroughly between sanding.
For corners and edges, use a hand sander and 80-grit paper. Note that some of these hand sanders can be hard to control, so if you want to take a little extra time and avoid potentially gouging the floor, use a random orbital sander.
Staining & Varnishing:
After completing the sanding, clean up any remaining dust by vacuuming and wiping the entire floor with a tack cloth. Depending on the desired look, either apply a wood stain or clear varnish. The stain should be applied with a foam applicator pad, always wiping in the direction of the wood grain. After a few minutes, remove any excess stain with paper towels or cotton cloths. As always, it is best to follow the manufacturer’s directions when applying stain.
Allow the stain to dry, and then apply a varnish. Polyurethane varnishes hold up best under constant traffic. Note that oil-based polyurethanes tend to darken the floor slightly, whereas water-based polyurethanes dry completely clear. It is best to apply the varnish with a lamb’s wool applicator. Always allow the varnish to dry between applications, which may be between 2 and 24 hours, depending on the type. You should sand the floor lightly between applications, using a very fine 220-grit paper. At least 2 coats of varnish should be applied, but three will give you a more long-lasting finish.
When the final coat has dried, reattach the base molding and enjoy your newly refinished hardwood floor!
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