Do It Yourself: Refinishing Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood floors can beautify your home, but like any wood product, they must be properly cared for in order to maintain their luster and elegance. Hardwood floor refinishing is not a difficult process, but is a necessary one if those floors are to be maintained. By putting aside a little time to dedicate to refinishing hardwood floors, they will last for years, keeping that fresh and new appearance free of scratches and scuffs.

Refinishing hardwood floors is a process that encompasses two steps. The first, sanding, removes the buildup of dirt and old wood from the floor's surface, making for a fresh wood surface suitable for working. The other, staining, gives the floor's surface a more polished look.

If you are refinishing your hardwood floors, you should see if they need to be redone at all. You may want to try a test in an inconspicuous place on your floor. Drop a drop or two of water on the floor and observe. If the water is quickly absorbed by the flooring, it's time to refinish. If it isn't absorbed at all, or absorbs slowly, you can wait a while before redoing the floor's surface.

As you check, look for existing problems. Take note of such things as warping, squeaking floor boards, or any permanent damage that might need to be done first. Make sure such repairs are taken care of before you start to refinish the floor.

If you have found that your flooring could use a face lift but isn't in need of other repairs, you can start your project. To get started, take everything out of the room, cover up vents and other openings such as light fixtures and vents. There will be a large amount of dust once you begin sanding and to sand a floor is a messy job.

A powerful drum sander is the tool to use for your initial sanding. To avoid accidental damage to the wood, keep the drum sander continuously in motion. If it stays in one place, too much wood is lost and your floor is uneven. Move steadily. Don't rush. To get in corners and other tight spots, use an edge sander.

After sanding the floor, clean up all debris and dust in the work space. Then, to begin staining, you will need to choose a floor stain. Decide whether water-based or oil-based stain will be best for your floor depending on the characteristics of your floor. Follow all the instructions, especially how many coats needed and how long it takes to dry.

Your stain is dry; your floor is done! Offer yourself some congratulations! Refinishing hardwood floors can be difficult, and some hire a professional, but you know how to refinish hardwood floors so you don't need to. This task takes a little time, but when you see your dull floor shining and gleaming again you will know it was all worth it.

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Installing your hardwood floors doesn't have to be difficult. Discover ideas on refinished hardwood floors and hardwood flooring installation today.

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