| If you're lucky enough to find hardwood
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| | the wood, remove them first. The remnant
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| floors hiding under your tired carpeting,
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| | of a nail can tear up sandpaper, damage a
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| you might feel like covering the wood
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| | sanding pad, and do serious damage to the
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| back up. That's understandable because
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| | palm of your hand, so check carefully to
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| refinishing the floors yourself seems
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| | make sure all remnants of tacks and nails
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| like an impossible task.Hardwood floors
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| | are gone before you begin sanding. Fill
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| were a common feature in houses until the
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| | all nail holes with a quality wood
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| 1960s. Before that, having wall-to-wall
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| | filler, matching the color as closely as
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| carpet was considered a luxury upgrade.
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| | you can, and let it dry. Then you're
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| From the 1970s on, most homes had
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| | ready to begin sanding the floor with
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| wall-to-wall carpet in nearly every room.
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| | 220-grit sandpaper, whether by hand or
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| However, tastes change, and over the last
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| | with a sander. When you're done sanding,
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| couple decades, hardwood floors have once
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| | wipe the entire floor with a damp cloth
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| again become fashionable and desirable.
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| | to remove as much sanding dust as
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| Oftentimes, when I'm talking with someone
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| | possible. Damp cloths work better than
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| about fixing houses, they ask if
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| | vacuum cleaners. Let the floor dry, and
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| refinishing hardwood floors is something
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| | then wipe it again with a tack rag, which
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| they can do themselves. Unless the person
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| | is a cloth impregnated with resin to pick
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| has a physical reason why they can't do
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| | up fine dust particles. Again, your local
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| it, I generally say yes. However, I also
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| | hardware store will have what you
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| remind them that redoing hardwood floors
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| | need.After the floor is as clean as you
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| takes a great deal of time, sweat, and
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| | can get it, apply three coats of
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| elbow grease. As a general rule, floors
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| | polyurethane with a paint pad, allowing
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| of fifty square feet or less can be
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| | each coat to dry thoroughly, lightly
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| sanded by hand, but for any floor larger
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| | sanding with 220-grit paper, and wiping
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| than that, rent or buy a small orbital
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| | the floor with a damp cloth and a tack
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| sander. Everything necessary for doing it
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| | rag between coats. If you prefer an
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| yourself will be available at your local
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| | old-fashioned finish, you can use a 50/50
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| hardware store. You can buy a pretty good
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| | mixture of linseed oil and mineral
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| electric sander nowadays for less than
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| | spirits and then wax the floors with
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| $100, which can be a good investment,
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| | beeswax or paste wax. Take caution with
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| especially if you're planning to work on
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| | the chemical mixture and the rags because
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| your home on a regular basis.The first
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| | they can catch on fire. You can refinish
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| layer to be removed is often a thick wax
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| | hardwood floors yourself. It just takes
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| coating, followed by a coat of either
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| | time and effort--and a good set of
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| polyurethane or varnish. A heavy duty
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| | kneepads wouldn't hurt, either! Once you
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| commercial wax stripper can remove the
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| | finish, you'll have a gorgeous floor to
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| wax, and then a lacquer thinner or
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| | be proud of and ready for that next "do
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| acetone can be wiped on to prepare the
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| | it yourself" project--perhaps the next
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| wood for the next step. If there are any
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| | room with hardwood floors.
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| carpet tacks or pieces of old nails in
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