Real hardwood floors are a beautiful asset and perhaps the most practical of all flooring materials. Over time though, that beautiful asset can get covered by years of dirt and abuse. If your wooden floor is starting to look a little worn perhaps all you need to do is refinish it to get its beautiful look back again.
You don’t have to worry because refinishing hardwood floors is something you can do yourself without paying professionals high amounts of money to do it for you. The number one item on your tool list for this job is patience. You also need to have time to spend on your refinishing project to make sure you end up with the effect you want to achieve.
Some people will tell you that sanding is the best thing to do while refinishing hardwood floors. However, that is not so. The fact is that your hardwood floor has a particular character that it has developed through decades, and sanding destroys most of it. Some of the wood is also removed, and the floor becomes thinner as a result. And all the dust that sanding creates can be difficult to cleanup completely thus preventing you from achieving the smooth new finish you were looking for. Also unless you have experience sanding floors you could end up with a disaster.
So is there another way of refinishing hardwood floors? Yes, there is and a better one at that. This alternative is inexpensive as well as being much easier to handle. The floor’s protection is renewed, its character is preserved, and you retain all the wood. Now what could be better?
The Process Of Chemically Refinishing A Hardwood Floor
Here’s a list of all the things you need in refinishing your hardwood floors in this way. Visit a paint shop to get all of these – trisodium phosphate, lacquer thinner, denatured alcohol, a corrosion- resistant screw-top container that will hold both of these, and a floor polishing machine with fine steel wool pads to fit it. You also need a little stain that matches the current color of your floor and a quality oil finish along with finishing pads or brushes to apply the finish.
1. First, clear out the space that you will be refinishing. Once the furniture and other obstacles are off the hardwood flooring, you are ready to start.
2. Make any necessary repairs needed including adding new wood if required. Here you need to match the grade, species, and the age of the existing flooring with the new material as best as possible. If you need to sand the repair area lightly to help it blend in do so.
3. Check the floor carefully for any nails (pound these down below the surface); carpet staples or tacks need to be pulled. Vacuum the room before you go on to the next step.
4. Use a mild Trisodium Phosphate solution or plain water to wash the old floor, taking good care not to get any on any new wood you may have installed. Leave the floor to dry for a day.
5. Next, use a wax remover on the old portions, and leave it for another couple of days.
6. Now make a half-and-half mixture of the lacquer thinner and denatured alcohol in the large can, pour some of it into a glass dish, and start working it into the floor. The polishing machine will help you work it in. This will clean the old finish and remove any loose finish. Again be sure not to get any on any new wood you might have installed.
7. After you have cleaned the floor completely in this way again leave the floor for a day or two.
8. Stain any new wood to blend with the old floor.
9. The last step in refinishing your hardwood floor is putting a finish on the floor. Specially formulated floor polyurethane is the most popular choice today as it is very durable. You need to apply three coats for the best and most durable results. Allow the finish to cure completely approximately a day or two before moving any furniture back into the room. Use fans wherever possible to ventilate the room as the fumes from oil finishes can be strong.
Older wood floors can be restored to their former glory when you refinish them in this way. It’s a project that is well worth the investment. By applying a modern new finish you can even make your hardwood floors easier to maintain than when they were originally installed.
