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