Has your hardwood floor seen better days? Rather than replace it, refinish it to make
it look like new.
Refinishing solid ¾-inch hardwood is a good DIY project; however, refinishing engineered
wood should be left to pros. The difference between the two is solid has end grain and
isn’t layered.
To determine if your floor needs to be refinished, place a few drops of water on it. If it beads
or soaks in slowly over a few minutes, you can probably just clean and polish. If the
water soaks in immediately, you’ll need to refinish.
Also, if your floor is damaged, stained, or there’s wax over the finish, you’ll need
to sand to bare wood.
Start by clearing the room, that includes curtains and pictures, and take off or protect
register covers. Also remove doors and shoe moulding.
Use painter’s tape to label the moulding and the corresponding wall.
Next, do a close inspection of the floor and drive in nail heads. If you’re ripping up
carpet, remove the carpet staples underneath. These fasteners will tear the paper on the
floor sanders.
Sanding gets really dusty, so cover the air vents, lights, windows, and doorways with
plastic.
With the room prepped you’re ready to sand.
Use a random orbital sander for flat floors. It’s easier to handle and the random sanding
pattern won’t leave directional scratches on the floor.
Load the machine with a coarse grit sandpaper, start it up, and immediately begin moving—letting
it run in one spot will damage the floor. It’s easiest to work along the grain to
see where you’ve sanded. When you get to the end move over slightly overlapping the
first pass by a few inches.
Continue sanding, getting close to the edges.
After you’ve sanded the center of the room, do the edges using a power hand sander with
the same grit paper.
In the corners, use a detail sander.
After sanding, vacuum thoroughly with a brush attachment.
Before you sand with the next grit, fill in deep gouges and holes with matching wood filler.
Also, draw light pencil marks a few feet out along the edges. This will help you see where
you’ve sanded, as the sander removes the pencil marks.
For the second pass with the sander, use a medium grit sandpaper.
Also use a medium grit paper with the hand sander along the edges, and the detail sander
for the corners.
Clean up the dust with a vacuum and brush attachment.
Do a third pass with fine grit sandpaper. This will be the final sanding pass.
Afterwards, vacuum thoroughly with a brush attachment. Also use a damp mop on the floor
to pick up any remaining particles.
If the floor feels rough after sanding, buff it with a 120 grit screen. Buffing with a
screen will smooth out fine scratches. Work along the grain getting as close as possible
to the walls.
Use a sanding screen for the edges and corners too.
Finish up with a thorough cleaning—window sills, walls, everything. It’s a good idea
to go over the floor with a cloth dampened with mineral spirits.
Staining is only needed if you want to change the floor color.
Apply a pre-stain conditioner and stain according to the manufacturer’s directions.
If you’re not staining, apply a sanding sealer before the polyurethane finish. Let
it dry, then lightly sand with 320-grit sandpaper. Vacuum the entire room again and clean the
floor with a tack cloth. It’s important to have a dust free floor.
Complete the project by applying a polyurethane finish with a natural bristle brush and applicator.
Before using the applicator remove loose fibers with tape.
Stir the poly thoroughly--no shaking—and apply it along the edges using smooth strokes.
You don’t want any bubbles. For the center of the floor, use the applicator. Always maintain
a wet edge and avoid creating bubbles.
Let the poly dry according to the directions and apply a second coat. Some products don’t
require sanding between coats.
After the second coat has dried for a few days, you can reattach shoe moulding and bring
your furniture back into the room. Avoid sliding it across the floor. Felt pads can help prevent
scratches too.
And your worn out hardwood is reborn with a fresh finish.
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