Is It Possible To Restore The Finish On My Hardwood Floor Without Sanding?
So many times I have spoken with customers that say their hardwood floor needs to be sanded and refinished, when that is really not the case. There are a few reasons why the finish on your floor may be dull, and most will not require sanding at all. Some won't even require refinishing.
Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between sanding a wood floor and refinishing one. When we sand a floor we are using a large machine (sander) to cut not only the finish but some of the wood. Why would we cut the wood? Sanding is how we remove gouges or dents in the wood. We have to sand down the entire surface of the hardwood floor until an appropriate depth is reached to eliminate all of the gouges and dents. Is it worth all that work? Probably not. I would only sand a floor in an old house, maybe that has had carpet over it and has nail holes that need to be filled and stains that bother the appearance.
Instead I would first clean the floor with a stripper. Get everything off the surface. Then, after it dries, I would determine if what my floor really needs is a replacement finish on top of the old worn, scratched up layer of finishing. This process will not require sanding, just the addition of one or 2 coats of polyurethane.
As resilient as a wood floor is, after a certain amount of time it may require some maintenance to keep it looking beautiful. If done correctly, you can breathe new life into your wood floor, adding a wow factor to the room! Here are 5 easy steps to refinish wood floors.
1. Get the Right Clothes and Supplies
Before you begin, you have to collect all the necessary supplies. You don’t want to ruin your clothes, so just in case, make sure that you have some on hand that you don’t mind getting a little dirty. You should also get a dust mask to protect yourself when you are prepping the floors, and possibly a respirator to guard against the fumes of the finish. Wear some booties over your shoes as well so that they don’t get dirty. The task requires that you get a buffer and sandpaper to get the spots that the buffer misses. Of course, you’ll also need cleaning and painting supplies.
2. Select Your Finish For Refinishing Your Floor
The right finish can really enhance the natural beauty of your hardwood floors. It can also provide the desired effect if you are going for a specific look in one of your rooms or your home in general. You should also base your decision on factors like how durable you need the finish to be, and whether you need special moisture protection.
3. Clean the Room
Before you even start cleaning the room, you should clear all the furniture out of it. Once you’ve done that you can move on to sweep the floor, removing any dust bunnies. You may even want to go over everything with a vacuum if you have one with the proper setting for your floors. There are cleansers made specifically for hardwood floors and the next thing you should do is to wipe everything down with one of them.
4. Prep the Room
Once you’ve deep cleaned your hardwood floor, it’s time to start prepping the room for the next step. You should probably close all the doors and windows in this room to prevent dust from flying into the other rooms of your house. You will need a buffer to remove the old finish from your floors, and they can be found at home improvement or retail stores. Or you can rent one where you rent your sander. After you’ve buffed the room, you should go over any places it didn’t quite get to like corners and edges. You may have to use sand paper or a piece of the abrasive pad to reach these areas. When you’ve gone over the whole floor, let the dust settle for a few minutes and then come back to sweep it up. Once all of this is done, you can apply masking tape along the baseboards to prevent the finish from getting on them.
5. Clean the Hardwood Floors Carefully
This is important. Your floor may have a residue on it that is a result from the wrong cleaner being used. Use a floor stripper to get your finished stripped down to the original wearlayer. If a professional was doing this job he would use a buffer with a high-grit screen. You do not have that luxury so use the elbow grease.
This is important. Your floor may have a residue on it that is a result from the wrong cleaner being used. Use a floor stripper to get your finished stripped down to the original wearlayer. If a professional was doing this job he would use a buffer with a high-grit screen. You do not have that luxury so use the elbow grease.
6. Apply the Finish
You should start your hardwood floor refinishing project at the wall with your finish, cutting along the edges of it using a high quality brush. To avoid your coats looking uneven, stop after about 10 minutes and move on to the next step. Pour a small amount of finish in line with the grain of your floor and use a long-handled roller to spread it out. After you have applied your first coat, wait several hours and then apply another one. You should wait about a week before moving furniture back into the room to avoid any damage to the new finish.
Or You Can Just Clean Your Hardwood Floors
Many floors don't need refinished. Instead what they need is a good cleaning. So many customers have come to me asking about refinishing their floors that I knew did not require refinishing due to the short time that they had been installed. Instead I would ask my customer what they clean their wood with. Inevitably, the answer is "soap" or "oil". Dish soap? Really? Wash your hands with Joy and it takes forever to get all the soap off. What do you think happens when you use dish detergent on your wood floor then attempt to rinse it with a damp mop? I can tell you easily! You leave a lot of soap on your floor that builds up over time, and gets sticky, attracting dust and grime. That residue may be what is causing the finish on your floor to look like it needs restoring.
Instead, pick up a bottle of Armstrong's New Beginning floor cleaner, and strip the residue from your floor. Removing the buildup from your floors may restore their original look and you won't have to start that refinishing project. Then, after that, only use no rinse cleaners like Once m Done from Armstrong, or one of the great cleaners from Bona. Even an inexpensive vinegar and water cleaner from your supermarket will work great. Just no rinsing! And no floor polish.
Or Just Buy New Wood Floors from ReallyCheapFloors.com!
If you find that you’d rather replace your floors altogether, we would be happy to help! Shop all of our flooring options from engineered hardwood to utility grade flooring. We hope to do business with you soon!
