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