Refinishing Floors

If your hardwood floors have worn out and made the overall interior decoration of the house look drab, then you surely need to give them a new life. You can do this by refinishing your hardwood floors. Though it is a tedious process and requires time, patience, proper tools and correct techniques, the results can be extraordinary. The final product will be a shinier surface, which will surely be worth all the investment and exercise. Moreover, it will give your home a newer look and will re-compliment your home decoration trend as well. In case you are wondering how to refinish hardwood floors, given below are some easy tips to help you achieve the same.

How To Refinish Hardwood Floors

To start with, make sure all the nails in the floor are countersunk.
Now, clean the floor with mineral spirits or a wax remover. Leave it for ventilation.
The next step is to sand the floor. For this, use coarse to medium-granulated sand paper. While sanding, the old finish may become gummy and can clog sandpaper. This is due to heat and abrasion produced by the process.
Once the new wood surface appears, after sanding, use a finer sandpaper to make it smooth and leveled.
After this, thoroughly clean the floor once again. Before applying the finish, carefully read the instructions written on the product’s packaging. This will provide you information about safety factors, coverage rates and drying time.
Usually oil-based sealers are used on home floors. These are basically oil-based polyurethanes and thinned varnishes. On application, these finishes penetrate deep into the surface. This provides a low sheen finish to the floor, which is highly durable. Though one coat of such a finish will do, it is always better to apply two coats.
Let the floor dry for about 6 to 12 hours, after you have applied the sealer. Now, bring your furniture on the newly furnished hardwood floors.

Tips

You can also go for surface finishes available in the market. They are water-based polyurethanes, varnishes and acrylics, which are highly resistant to moisture, mechanical wear, stains and spills.
Surface finishes last longer than penetrating sealers. If you are using surface finishes, make sure you apply three coats and regularly sweep or dry mop the floor, with detergent.
Though varnishes can also be applied, they are quite prone to scratches. Hence, choose them with care.

Warnings

A lot of dust is produced in the process of sanding the floor. Hence, it is advisable to turn off furnace fan and close doors to avoid dust circulation in the house.
Strictly wear dust masks and ensure proper ventilation to avoid harmful vapors emitting out of the finishes. It will also save you from any breathing disease.
Don’t smoke in the area where you are dusting, as it will choke the environment.
You can give finishing touches to the floor by waxing it, but a lot of attention needs to be paid in the process of applying wax in light and even coats, so that protection level is reached.
Avoid using a small hand sander, as you will have to do a lot of work with it and will strain your back muscles.

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