Refinishing your own wood floor

It takes very little effort to refinish your own wood floor provided that you have the equipment and you use the required procedure.

Preparation

First, you have to remove any carpeting from the floor and thoroughly clean the floor area and then hammer down any protruding nails. You can clean the floor by either scraping off debris with a putty knife or vacuuming it to make work easier. Cleaning the wood floor eases the refinishing procedure; repeat the cleaning process to leave the wood floor spick and span.

Removing the old finish

Sanding is significant because it removes the old finishing and also helps soften the worn or scratched wood. If the floor also has traffic patterns and other imperfections you have to ensure that they are completely removed before refinishing your floor.

Make sure that you also prep the perimeter; the area along the wall from the edge of your base boards and if there are certain areas that were not hit during the sanding procedure, use a floor sander to smoothen the areas. Do not discard the sawdust created during the sanding procedure because at the end of the refinishing process, it will ensure that you have an even and smooth finish.

You can also use any chemical stripper in lieu of the sanding because it will always give you a quick and clear fix. When using these chemicals, you have to ensure that you wear protective gloves. It is also important to ensure that room you are working in is well ventilated. Apply the stripper on the wooden floor and allow it to settle for a few minutes before wiping it out using denatured alcohol. Allow the area to dry completely before proceeding to the next procedure.

Applying the new finish

Before applying the finish, you have to ensure that all the debris is removed and there are any remaining holes on the wood floor you can block them using wood paste. To make your wood paste, mix the sawdust you collected in the initial process with a small amount of glue and apply it over the holes and allow it to harden before you refinish your wood floor.

Once the floor is ready, apply the finish that you selected evenly onto the floor and during this procedure you have to ensure that you are wearing your protective gear. It is also important to ensure that you leave yourself an exit area over the stained floor.

Wait for the finish to dry, once dry, you can apply another layer to deepen the color of your wood floor.