When considering renovating hardwood flooring, the homeowner must realize that along with patience, planning, and skill, they will also need specialized equipment. Of all the home improvement tasks a homeowner could undertake, this is the one that takes time, research, and knowledge. He will have to go through many stages, or steps, including evaluating, preparing, sanding, and sealing your hardwood floors. At any of these stages, or steps, a mistake made, even a small one, could create lasting problems. Yes, you can restore your entire hardwood floor yourself, but it is recommended that you have help at certain stages. It can take one to three weeks to finish this type of floor.
Step One: Check Your Hardwood Floor
You will need to determine if the hardwood floor boards are good candidates for the laborious process. You will need to access if the flooring has been damaged by spills, water, or pet urine. To see if the boards are too thin to be sanded, you can lift up one of the door sills. You will also need to know if the last sealant was polyurethane, varnish, or wax. You’ll also need to examine your hardwood floors for dramatic wear patterns or deep indentations.
Step Two: Prepare the Floors
Before you can refinish your hardwood floor, you need to prepare the floors. If most of your hardwood planks don’t have too many holes or scratches, are at least three-quarters of an inch thick, and have the same amount of caulking, you’re ready to start prep. The first thing to do is clean the entire floor. You will also need to file any holes from scratches, nails, or staples. You will need to raise all the thresholds and possibly the baseboards as well. Even if one of the floors looks bad, you should do all the floors to maintain consistency.
Step Three: Sand the Floor
This is probably the most demanding step. You’ll need to rent a heavy and awkward sand called a drum sander. It is very noisy when you use it. You will need to go over all hardwood floors three times to peel off the top layer of finish and stain along with some wood to make it look flat and raw.
Step Four: Stain and Seal
Before you begin this step, you must ensure that all sawdust is removed so that it does not contaminate staining and sealing applications. After staining the floors, you need to seal them with a thin coat of sealer. Make sure the stain is dry before applying the sealer.