Refinishing Hardwood Floors DIY

Refinishing hardwood floors DIY (Do It Yourself) has been around for a couple of years. More and more home owners prefer to DIY the refinishing of their hardwood floors instead of calling professional refinishers. You can actually refinish your wood flooring in as little as two days – however, this will depend on the size of the floor area you want to refinish.

DIY can be a lot of fun, but when it comes to refinishing your wood floor, you will need to make sure that you choose the right tools and know how to use these tools.

The tools you need for your hardwood floor refinishing project can be rented at a local hardware or equipment rental store.

The tools you will require for refinishing your hardwood floors are:

• Sander
• Edger
• Sandpaper for every tool
• Hammer
• Wood filler –used for filling holes and cracks
• Hand scraper and palm sander for areas that are hard to reach
• Putty knife
• Vacuum cleaner

Misusing the aforementioned tools could ruin your wood floors, which could mean that you will need to shell out more money to replace the damaged floor.

Refinishing Hardwood Floors DIY: Guide

• First clean the floor and ensure that it is dirt free. Knock down any nails that stick out above the floor’s surface. Take the wood filler and fill out any holes or splits on the floor.
• Before you start sanding the wood floor, wear your dust mask because sanding generates a lot of dust. Use the sander (preferably the belt sander) to sand the main areas of the floor. Make sure you follow the direction of the wood grain and do not go the opposite direction – this would result in irreparable damage.
• You should start with 60 grit sandpaper. After sanding off the floor’s dull finish and stain with the 60 grit paper, you can replace the 60 grit sandpaper with 80 grit.  Repeat the sanding process and then replace the 80 grit sandpaper with 100 grit sandpaper. The 100 grit sandpaper’s abrasiveness is finer and will provide the floor a smooth sanding.
• The edger should be used in order to sand the areas of the room where the belt sander is not able to reach (the edges along the walls and the corners of the room). Begin with the coarse 60 grit sandpaper, then the 80 grit sandpaper, and finally, the 100 grit. Make sure the edges of the room blend well with the larger floor surface. Scrape and sand the corners of the room with the handheld scraper and palm sander.
• You should sweep and vacuum the sanded area meticulously; making sure that all corners and cracks are not covered in dust.
• When choosing a stain for refinishing hardwood floors, ensure that you choose the will compliment the rest of your furniture and suits your personal style to a tee. Open the can of finish with a flat screw driver; mix the finish well with a stirring stick. There are basically two kinds of finishes; water based and oil based finishes. You can use an old cotton t-shirt to apply the finish or use a finish spreader (it looks like a squeegee).
• Do not start walking on your refinished floor without allowing it to completely cure. Leave it to dry for about 12 to 24 hours.