Refinishing Wood Flooring
If you have wood flooring then you will eventually have to refinish it. The process is something you can do yourself. By renting equipment you can make it a cost efficient home improvement project. You first need to check to see if you need to refinish your floor right now. The you need to get the supplies and get to work.
There is a simple way to test your wood floors to see if it is time to refinish. All you need to do is pour a small amount, a tablespoon or two, or water onto the floor and watch what happens. You should do this test in an area that gets the most use, as they wear out first. Pour the water and watch for one of the following three things to happen-
You will need a drum sander, which you should be able to rent. You will also need grit paper of at least three different grades. The coarser paper is numbered lower and the finer paper is numbered higher. You need to choose three types ranging from coarse to fine. You will also need a heavy duty sweeper, roller and urethane coating.
The first step in refinishing the floor is to sand it with the coarse grit paper. You should go in all directions to ensure to have completely sanded every inch of the floor. Now sweep the floor and sand again with the next finer grit paper. Repeat that again and do a final sweeping. Now you can apply the urethane coating with the roller. You need to make sure you roll on the coating evenly and smoothly. You should apply two coats to the floor, letting the floor dry completely in between each coat.
Refinishing your wood floor will be more time consuming than labor intensive. You need to make sure you have time for it to dry completely after each coat of urethane. You should also use a good sweeper to ensure every bit of sawdust is cleaned up after the sanding process or else you could end up with a lumpy finish.
There is a simple way to test your wood floors to see if it is time to refinish. All you need to do is pour a small amount, a tablespoon or two, or water onto the floor and watch what happens. You should do this test in an area that gets the most use, as they wear out first. Pour the water and watch for one of the following three things to happen-
- The water beads up. No need to refinish now.
- The water slowly seeps into the floor. You should refinish as soon as possible.
- The water seeps in immediately. You need to refinish right away.
You will need a drum sander, which you should be able to rent. You will also need grit paper of at least three different grades. The coarser paper is numbered lower and the finer paper is numbered higher. You need to choose three types ranging from coarse to fine. You will also need a heavy duty sweeper, roller and urethane coating.
The first step in refinishing the floor is to sand it with the coarse grit paper. You should go in all directions to ensure to have completely sanded every inch of the floor. Now sweep the floor and sand again with the next finer grit paper. Repeat that again and do a final sweeping. Now you can apply the urethane coating with the roller. You need to make sure you roll on the coating evenly and smoothly. You should apply two coats to the floor, letting the floor dry completely in between each coat.
Refinishing your wood floor will be more time consuming than labor intensive. You need to make sure you have time for it to dry completely after each coat of urethane. You should also use a good sweeper to ensure every bit of sawdust is cleaned up after the sanding process or else you could end up with a lumpy finish.
