How to Refinish Hardwood Floors Flawlessly

A beautifully refinished hardwood floor can be the highlight of almost any room and make the entire space look more beautiful, from the furniture to the wood wall sculpturesor  metal wall crosses hung on the wall. Whether you need to refinish a floor that has been previously covered with carpeting or other flooring or you just want to spruce up an existing finished hardwood floor, here are some tips you can use to get the job done quickly and efficiently:

Prepare the Room

Before you can refinish a hardwood floor, you will need to remove everything from the room, including the furniture and all rugs. Give the floor a careful examination, looking for any nail heads above the floor's surface or carpet staples or tacks that have been missed. Pull staples and tacks with pliers and use a hammer and nail punch to fix raised nails. This is an important step, because nails, tacks and staples can tear sandpaper sheets.

Choosing Your Sanding Equipment

Sanding the floor is usually the most strenuous and time-consuming part of refinishing a hardwood floor. In most cases, you'll want to rent a floor sander to help you get the job done. A traditional drum sander is popular choice, but theses devices can sometimes be difficult to control if you are not accustomed to using them. If you are not careful, these sanders are powerful enough to put a deep groove in the floor that could ruin it. If you do use one of these sanders, make sure to keep it moving at all times, since they can cut through wood very quickly. Orbital sanders are also a good choice. They don't work as fast, but they can be much easier to control, especially for the do-it-yourself homeowner. Whichever sander you choose, be sure to also get a supply of sandpaper in a variety of grits. Depending on the sander you choose, you might also need to rent an edge sander.

Sanding the Floor

Choose a coarse grit of sandpaper for the initial sanding, such as 36 grit sandpaper. Pull or push the sander across the floor using even strokes. Always sand with the grain of the wood, keeping the sander in motion at all times to avoid gouging the floor's surface. If you do create a small gouge, go over it again with the sander, following the wood grain, until the gouge is no longer visible. Continue until the entire floor has been sanded. Then, switch to 60 grit sandpaper. Go over the floor again, removing any scratches that were added by the coarse sandpaper grit. After this step is complete, use a shop vac to remove the sanding dust. Then, go over the floor with 80 grit sandpaper, and finally with 100 grit. The floor's surface will now be completely smooth and scratch-free. If you need to use an edge sander, be sure to also use these varying sandpaper grits to sand the floor's edges during each of these steps. Finally, remove all traces of sanding dust from the floor, using a shop vac, broom and tack rag.

Staining and Finishing

You can choose to stain a hardwood floor or leave it natural. If you want to stain, first check the color of the stain by applying a small amount with a rag in an inconspicuous area of the room. Apply the stain with a brush, working in the direction of the grain. You can smooth out any areas with a rag if necessary. Allow the first coat to dry then apply a second coat if needed. Allow to dry completely. Then, finish with a polyurethane floor finish, using a roller or brush to apply it evenly with the grain of the wood. Allow to dry completely then apply a second coat. Ideally, you should allow several days of drying time before moving your rugs and furniture back into the room.