| Some people will tell you that sanding is the | | | | plain water to wash the old floor, taking |
| best thing to do while refinishing hardwood | | | | good care not to wet any part of the new |
| floors. However, that is not so. The fact is | | | | wood. Leave the floor to dry for a day. Next, |
| that your hardwood floor has a particular | | | | use a wax remover on the old portions, and |
| character that it has developed through | | | | leave it for another couple of days. |
| decades, and sanding destroys most of it. | | | | |
| Some of the wood is also removed, and the | | | | Here's a list of all the things you need in |
| floor becomes thinner as a result. And all | | | | refinishing hardwood floors. Visit a paint |
| the dust that sanding creates will prevent | | | | shop to get all of these - lacquer thinner; |
| you from applying a new finish smoothly. So | | | | denatured alcohol; and a corrosion- |
| is there another way of refinishing hardwood | | | | resistant, screw-top container that will hold |
| floors? Yes, there is. And a better one at | | | | both of these. You also need a quality oil |
| that. This alternative is inexpensive too, | | | | finish that matches the current color or is |
| apart from being much easier to handle. The | | | | very similar to it; some chemical resistant |
| floor's protection is renewed, its character | | | | refinishing pads; a floor polishing stick; a |
| is preserved, and you retain all the wood. | | | | chemical resistant pan; and a floor polishing |
| Now what could be better? | | | | machine with steel wool pads to fit it. |
| | | | |
| Start refinishing hardwood floors by making | | | | Make a half-and-half mixture of the lacquer |
| necessary repairs. Add new wood if required. | | | | thinner and denatured alcohol in the large |
| Try to match the grade, species, and the age | | | | can, pour some of it into a glass dish, and |
| of the new flooring to the existing one. If | | | | start working the floor in parts, staining |
| you feel it's needed, sand the repair area | | | | the new wood to blend them in with the old |
| lightly. Vacuum the room before you go on to | | | | floor. Leave the floor like that for two or |
| the next step. | | | | three days. The last step in refinishing |
| | | | hardwood floors is sealing the floor. |
| The Process Of Chemically Refinishing A | | | | Polyurethane is the most popular choice of |
| Hardwood Floor | | | | sealant. Applying three coats is the best way |
| | | | to go. So by the end of it, you have a |
| Use a mild Trisodium Phosphate solution or | | | | hardwood floor as good as new. |