Hardwood Floor Refinishing Tips for Homeowners

09/15/2019

Hardwood floors are renowned for their incomparable beauty and the ability to last for over a century, if properly managed. However, over a period of time, these beautiful floors can lose its lustre and start showing up scratches all around. This happens mostly to wooden floors that deal with a large amount of foot traffic or pets on a regular basis. Luckily, the homeowners need not worry because unlike other flooring types, hardwood floors are capable of making a comeback. All it needs is a proper hardwood floor refinish.   

Within its lifespan, a hardwood floor can withstand as many as ten to twelve jobs of complete sanding and refinishing. On the other hand, depending on the hardwood veneer’s thickness, engineered wood flooring can’t be refinished more than once or twice.

Understanding Hardwood Floor Refinishing:  Hardwood floors do not remain beautiful on their own, unless they are brand new. Protecting these floors from regular usage requires a coat of finishing products. The process of refinishing involves removal of the existing finishing layer and reapplication of a new coat to protect the floor and make it look as good as new. A sanding tool is used to remove the existing layer of finishing product. Sanding is essential even if the floor doesn’t have any finish applied. In order to ensure complete bonding, finishing products should not be added to the floor without sanding.

Please remember that refinishing is only effective if the hardwood flooring is not excessively damaged. The refinishing process will not fix problems such as buckled boards, deep gouges, and broken planks. If your hardwood floor has any of these issues, consider replacing the flooring instead of just refinishing it. 

Types of Hardwood Floor Finishes: Water-based, acid-cured, and polyurethane are the three major types of hardwood floor refinishing. Though very economical, but the water based finishes are least durable amongst the three options. Polyurethane finish is the most popular one because it provides a durable finish without causing much hassle. Acid-cured finishes also last for a long time. However, this option is rarely used because the application process is extremely difficult and even dangerous.  A number of different brands are available for each of these types of refinishes. Carry out an extensive research to ensure that your refinishing project delivers its objective.

Things Needed to Refinish a Hardwood Floor: If you are looking to complete your refinishing project on your own, you would require an orbital sander, a small sander, vacuum machine, sanding or varnishing equipment, and the refinishing product. Also, please remember that this task can be extremely dusty and noisy. Therefore, before getting started, make sure to protect yourself by using dust masks, goggles, and ear protection.

How to Refinish Hardwood Floors:

• The first step is to make the working floor free of all objects such as furniture, fixtures, appliances, etc. To protect these objects from sawdust, cover them with plastic tarps. Now, the room you are sanding should be sealed-off from other areas of the house. Also, tape up all the electrical outlets, cracks, and gaps under doorways.
• Before starting, double check that all required product, equipment, safety items, and tools are at your disposal. Also, hardwood floor refinishing is not an activity that should be rushed. Therefore, make sure you have enough time in hand.
• Finally, it is time to start sanding the floor. Please note that the sander must keep moving because keeping it in one place for too long will result in creation of an uneven surface. Ideally, you should start with tough grits and then use a fine grit to obtain a smooth floor surface.
• After finishing the sanding process, spend some time removing traces of dust, dirt, and other objects from the floor. Use vacuum cleaner, dust pans, brooms, or whatever it takes to make sure that the hardwood floor is free of these objects.
• Now it is time to actually start refinishing your hardwood floor. Apply the finishing product around the corners of the room using the smaller brushes. After that, apply finish to the remaining parts of the floor using a roller. Start with the wall exactly opposite the entrance so that you have an exit path.
• Allow the first coat at least eight hours to dry out completely and apply another coat. It is true that the process can be extremely laborious, but a single coat will not provide you the desired result.

Instead of taking all the trouble of refinishing your hardwood floor on your own, you may also contact us at Enoak. Over the last two decades, we have been helping our clients maintain their hardwood floors. We also have an exquisite range of flooring products for you to choose from.