When you want to refinish your hardwood floors, you know that there’s a lot of work waiting for you. You need time, you need a lot of patience, you need the right materials and tools for the job. However you also know that the result is worth every effort you put into it.
But how do you know when your hardwood floors need refinishing in the first place? It is at the moment you realize that your flooring is rather dull, worn out, no longer shiny and beautiful. When you feel in your heart that something needs to be done about it. You will know exactly when that is.
The first thing you need to do is sanding the floor and for that you have to carefully remove every piece of furniture that is standing in the way. Also see if there are any nails on the floor. If you find any, pound them down the surface so they are not sticking out. Also if you have any carpet staples, pull them out along with any tracks might be around. To actually perform the sanding job you need to have a sander. You can either buy it or rent it.
One thing I forgot to mention, throughout all this work you should have either the windows open or a good ventilation going on. There will be lots of dust and debris created through the refinishing process and you don’t want to inhale all that.
Once the sanding is done, you will have to stain your floor. First remove any sawdust that you might find on the surface. Now use a rag to add some stain to the corner of the floor before applying it everywhere. You want the colors to match. When you are sure you got the right color on, go for the entire surface. For heavier coating use a brush, but if you go for the lighter coating, continue with using the rag. Just simply go with long and steady strokes along the wood grain. Don’t go against it as it will show.
The last thing you need to do is actually apply the final refinish. It is of polyurethane which you need to mix well right until you see air bubbles forming. With a roller or a brush apply the mixture on the wood grain and avoid leaving marks. Then leave it to dry. This could take a couple of hours or more, so be patient. Once it’s dry, you need to apply a second layer of coating. Then wait again to dry, and you’re actually done. Now you can clean everything nicely and put back the furniture. However avoid leaving marks by dragging the furniture on the surface, you don’t want to scratch your newly refinished hardwood flooring.