Tips for Refinishing Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors are a luxurious, classic flooring option.  They add warmth and a traditional feeling to your home, plus they're easy to maintain.  However, over time, your hardwood floors will develop some wear.  If you've had hardwood flooring for a long time, or have just moved into a home with floors that are in less than ideal condition, you might want to refinish them.  Sometimes you can restore the appearance merely by waxing or buffing your floors, but other times, a full refinish is what it takes to restore them to their former beauty.  Here are some tips on refinishing hardwood floors to show you the way and keep you from making a costly mistake. 

1.First, decide if your floor's a good candidate for refinishing.  If your floor mostly has shallow scratches or marks, a dull surface, or other superficial damage, refinishing could be the solution. However, if your hardwood floor feels spongy, has buckled or warped boards, or sagging areas, you'll need to replace some or all of it.  Remember that each time you refinish your floor, a little wood is taken off.  This means that a floor can only be refinished so many times.  Look at the edges of the floor to see if it's been refinished often and to find out how much wood is left.
2.Fill cracks before you start.  There's no specific procedure for this, except that you should only fill large gaps.  Smaller ones exist to help your floor expand and contract with temperature and humidity changes.  If you see a large crack in the summer, however, you should fill it in.
3.Have the right equipment on hand. You'll need an edger, a drum sander, a buffer, palm sander, a putty knife and a scraper, a shop vac, safety items like ear protection, goggles and dust masks or respirators, and brushes to apply new finish.

4.When the time comes to refinish, remove everything from the room that's not nailed down. Sweep, then use pliers to pull out any staples that might be in the floor from old carpet.  Then, use a hammer and a nailset to sink any nails that might be exposed into the floor.   Hang plastic over doors and windows to keep dust from leaving the room.
5.Now, it's time to sand.  Make sure you wear a dust mask or particle respirator, goggles, and ear protection.  Also, be sure you know how to operate your equipment.  Start with the drum sander and a coarse sandpaper, and begin sanding in an area that won't show until you get used to sanding.    Where you can't reach with the drum sander, the edge sander comes into play.
6.After sanding once, change to a medium grit, then go over the floor again.  For the final pass, use a fine grit sandpaper, and finish up with your palm sander around the edges.  Then, vacuum thoroughly, including the ceiling and walls. 
7.  Buff your floor with a fine abrasive screen.  This will tighten the grain of your hardwood floor before you stain it.
8.When staining, be sure to work in a ventilated area.  Take frequent breaks to avoid dizziness or other effects of fumes, or wear a chemical respirator. 
9.There are two basic kinds of finishes you can use when refinishing your floor.  Surface finishes are the most popular for do it yourselfers, but penetrating and wax finishes are more traditional.  Use whichever finish you're most comfortable with, and apply in small sections.