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A must have if
hiring a contractor!
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Refinish Your Hardwood Floor Like a Pro
A DIY Project for the Homeowner
By Dan Farrell
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This article is written by a pro of refinishing hardwood
floors since I have done too many to count. Maybe 300
would be a good guess. My father was in the business
full time (as well as aluminum windows and doors (which
I'll write another article about that soon) and while I
attended college, and for a short time after, I worked
with him as well as on my own refinishing hardwood
floors. In fact, I just did my mother-in-law's last
summer and my back still hurts!
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Before you even think of starting this DIY project,
you need to be fairly good shape. There is a lot of
bending, kneeling and scraping...if you do it right.
Ok, you still are here reading so I guess you are
serious :o)
Here are the easy? steps to a beautiful, shiny
hardwood floor:
Determine what kind of finish you would like first.
There are a couple choices, flat, medium gloss and high
gloss. It's strictly taste as they both wear the same. I
prefer a polyurethane paint but some like varnishes. I
found urethane to be a durable finish and won't yellow
over time. Look for 'non-yellowing' on the can. They
come in either oil or water based, and I prefer water
base for the ease of clean up.
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- Go to your local hardware store that carries floor
sanders, edger sander, pain scrapers, sandpaper
(medium) and the floor paint.
- Prepare your floor by filling in any blemishes,
depressions, cracks and nail holes.
- Sweep and then vacuum floor. (at this point I
would hang a plastic sheet over any door openings if
the door has been removed (new construction etc).
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- Sand main floor being careful to keep sander going
in same direction. Start with a coarse sandpaper and
switch to finer for second sanding. The first sanding
is to get to bare wood and the second for a finished
look.
- Sand the edges. The trick here is to use a fairly
light touch and rotate the sander in semi-circle
reducing sand marks.
- Now the fun part. Take your scraper in scrape the
corners and under heaters. Don't worry about under
heaters too much as it won't be that noticeable.
- Whew! The hard part is done. Now the fun part.
Sweep and vacuum floor and if you see a swirl or
sanding marks scrape the out.
- Put the sealer down. Wait at least 2 hours, hand
sand the whole floor, vacuum and apply the urethane.
If you don't have air conditioning, put a fan on the
floor to dry it quicker.
I usually waited at least 4-5 hours for it dry, most
of the time overnight. I recommend at least 2 coats of
urethane for a durable, hard finish.
You're done! Wow not so bad was it?
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About the Author: Dan Farrell is the owner of http://www.closet-organizer-plan.com
where you can get a free closet organizer plan and other home improvement
ideas and articles.
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