It may be a wonder to some people that it is possible to refinish a hardwood floor. This is easy to doubt if you have never conceived the idea of renovating your home by yourself. However, with the right materials, tools, creativity and condition, you or your local contractor can do a great job refinishing old hardwood floors.
The DIY process of hardwood floor refinishing
Refinishing your hardwood floor can be a wonderful yet daunting experience. On the flip side, nothing beats the excellence of a well-finished hardwood floor. The lustre that it adds to a home is almost incomparable to any other style of flooring. So the way a hardwood floor looks after a renovation will show whether or not the job was done well.
We will guide you on how to refinish your hardwood floor in a beautiful manner. Yes! You can do it yourself—read on. Consider the following procedure to refinish a hardwood floor:
1. Do an assessment of your hardwood floor
Yes, you have to make a proper assessment of the floor you want to refinish before renovations can begin. Having a good understanding of the type of hardwood floor you want to refinish will help you handle it appropriately. You can easily strip a portion of the hardwood floor to assess the size or thickness of the hardwood.
Hardwood floors have varying thicknesses, and each thickness determines if you can refinish it well; or better to say, which ones to avoid. There is solid wood as well as engineered wood. While solid wood can be easily sanded and repaired, it can be quite tough to work with, compared with engineered wood. However, refinishing engineered wood can also be risky.
2. Make a thorough preparation for the space you want to refinish
Many people, when making design choices for wood finishes, care about the environment and the process. Others do not pay so much attention to detail. We do not want you to act haphazardly, so repairing the floor for refinishing is necessary for a job well done.
You should remove any hindrances like rugs, carpets, or any covers from the hardwood floor. Use a hammer to drive in the nails protruding from the floor. Also, check for any squeaking planks in the hardwood floor. Seal all vents to prevent sawdust from entering other areas. Place a temporary covering over items in the house that you don’t want dust on.
While removing the baseboards and other important items, you should label them. It will prevent any complications that may arise from re-installing them again after the refinishing work. If there are holes or faults, fill them with wood fillers while wearing gloves.
3. Drum sanders are preferable
For those who may not have the confidence at the moment to control or use a drum sander, you can practice on a large sheet of plywood space to fine-tune your touch.
4. Use personal protective equipment
Your health is very important, and it is suggested that you use a respiratory mask and eye goggles to protect your eyes from wood dust.
Start sanding gradually. Don’t stop sanding suddenly as it will leave lasting marks on the hardwood floor that will persist even after finishing. Continually assess your sandpaper and be sure to change it when the surface looks worn out or had an excessive buildup of sawdust. Use the same kind of sandpaper if you want the finish to be similar to other surfaces in the house.
5. Spice up the refinishing with some beautiful stains
Sometimes, the beauty of hardwood refinishing is found in unique patterns formed by staining hardwood floors. This can be done using a staining sponge, hand brush or even a lambswool applicator. Make sure the room is ventilated and wear your safety PPEs like goggles and respirator to avoid dust.
Do the job cleanly and make sure to stain regularly and at regular intervals to avoid errors. Remove the excess stains. After this, you can allow drying a bit so that the patterns can stay visible after the work.
After the paint is fully dried up, apply a sealant like oil or water-based sealant to cover the entire work and give it a lustre look—more like garnishing. It is recommended that you apply these sealants biannually to preserve the wood’s strength and beauty for much longer.
Is it expensive to refinish hardwood?
Yes, there is a cost incurred when considering refinishing your floors. You can do that manually, but some other people maximize the use of a hardwood floor refinishing calculator to get a rough estimate of what it will cost to finish the entire process. On the flip, several factors like removal of furniture, helping hands, type of hardwood, damage concerns, and others can greatly affect the cost.
Summary
Hardwood floor refinishing can add so much value to your home and even increase the cost. Again, the interior decoration of your home gains more attraction and an ecstatic feeling. You can never go wrong with a well-done hardwood floor restoration.
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