How to Refinish Hardwood Floors Like a Pro

Refinishing wood floors is a creative way to get rid of scratches that spoil the look and feel of hardwood floors as long as the horrible grazes do not go all the way to the wood.

Here are six easy steps to refinish hardwood floors.

1. Clean the floor

– This is a key task for anyone looking to refinish hardwood floors.

– Start by taking all the furniture out of the room. Spray the floor with a floor cleaner or a mixture of white vinegar and water – mixed in the ratio of 1 (white vinegar): 10 (water).

– Use a soft piece of cloth to wipe the floor.

– Close the doors and windows to stop dust from getting out of the room.

2. Hand-sand the boundary

– Use 180-grit sandpaper to hand-sand the boundary of the room and any corners that the buffer cannot access.

– Rub with the grain four to six inches out from the baseboard – rubbing over each board until the finish dampens and dust forms.

Editor’s Note: A sanding block should not be used to refinish hardwood floors as it can easily miss any uneven spots in the floors.

3. Scuff-sand the floor finishing

– Put on a dust mask and fix a maroon buffing pad to the buffer.

– Push the buffer from one side of the floor to the other in the direction of the grain overlapping each sequence by six inches. Do this until the old finish turns into dust.

– The buffer should be kept moving continuously for about five minutes after which you should stop vacuuming the pad before restarting the buffing task.

4. Vacuum and dry-tack the floor

– Get out of the room for about 10 to 15 minutes to allow dust to settle.

– Insert a clean filter in the vacuum, then vacuum up all the dust using a felt-bottomed vacuum attachment.

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– Using the flooring strips as your guide, sweep across the strips to remove any dust that settled between the baseboards.

Once this is done, dry-tack the floor with a microfiber cloth pushed with the grain.

5. Cut in along the edges

– Put on some protective shoes and cover your mouth and nose with a respirator that is fitted with organic vapor canisters.

– Strain the finish through a funnel filter into a clean plastic spraying can, without a sprinkler head, then discharge some strained finish into a small plastic bottle.

– Brush a 3-inch-wide line alongside the baseboards at a point farthest from the door.

– Stop after 10 minutes to avoid creating lap marks if the edge of the stripe starts to dry.

6. Roll out the finish

– Pour out an inch-wide stripe of finish in line with the grain. Be sure to pour out an amount of finish that you can spread in 10 minutes or less.

– Use a long-handled roller with a ¼-inch nap cover to roll out the finish with the grain, and then crosswise.

– Overlap each move while working swiftly to retain a wet edge.

– After working for about 10 minutes, brush more finish along the edge after which you should pour and roll again for another 10 minutes.

– Repeat until the entire floor is covered.

– Let the room sit for 3 hours before recoating and a week before returning the furniture.

Refinished hardwood floors cost

It costs between $3 to $8 per square foot to refinish hardwood floors depending on what needs to be done and the methods of refinishing.

The location, condition, and accessibility of floors are also key determinants of costs.

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