Hardwood Floor Refinishing

Hardwood is a very popular and practical choice for floors. Hardwood can be both attractive and durable. However, over time, they can get worn and in need of refinishing. Very often homeowners only discover that they had attractive hardwood floors when they remove old carpeting. Hardwood that has been under carpet for a long time can end up looking dull.

It is possible to freshen up the appearance of your hardwood floors by waxing and polishing the wood, but to bring out the best in the wood, a full refinish is preferable.

Before you start your refinishing job, check the floor to determine if you actually need to refinish the wood, or even if you need to replace some or all of your floorboards.

Select a part of the floor that receives a lot of traffic, and look closely at the wood. If there are only light scratches and wear on the wood, a new coat of varnish might be sufficient. If the wood feels soft to the touch or is warped, you may need to replace the entire floorboard. You can also determine if your hardwood floor needs to be refinished by pouring just a few drops of water onto the wood. If the water forms beads, the wood is still sealed, so cleaning and perhaps a coat of varnish may be enough. If the water starts to soak into the wood you may need to refinish to improve the appearance, durability, and lifespan of the wood.

Remember that hardwood floors can only be refinished a limited number of times. Each time you refinish, you remove some of the wood through sanding it down.

Sanding Hardwood Floors
Sanding floors is a very dusty and dirty job. To do it well requires skill. You might want to consider hiring a professional to do this for you. Alternatively, you can rent sanding equipment from your local hardware supplier. If you rent the equipment, make sure you get instructions for proper use, and also make sure you have all necessary protective clothing and protective for the eyes and ears.

Test the sander on a low visibility part of the floor, such as under a sofa. Lightly sand the area to ensure that you have the correct sandpaper. Once you are happy with the results, you are ready to start sanding.

Slowly move the sander across the floor from wall to wall. Make sure you do not let the sander sit in one spot while it is running as it can seriously damage the wood if left for too long.

After you have sanded the entire floor with a course grain, you can then go back over it with a finer grain before staining and polishing.

Colours and Stains
When it comes to colours and stains for your hardwood floors, there are lots of options available. Be careful when choosing though because colour cards that you get in paint or hardware shops do not always reflect how your wood will look after you have applied the varnish.

Ideally, you should have a sample of the wood from your floors that you can use to test different stains. You should also test the stain on an inconspicuous part of the floor. Be sure to let the varnish dry completely before you make your decision as the wood can have a different appearance when the varnish dries.

Once you are happy with a colour, you are ready to apply the stain to the entire floor.