Mark asked:

I have wood flooring in my dining/living room ( they flow toegther) hall and three bedrooms. I would like to refinish the floors. I know I will need to putty the holes from cable installs, sand, stain and poly them. The probelm I have is that the only bathroom in the house is only accessable from the hall floor. I hear that I cannot do the floor in sections because it will discolor. I also hear that I have to let each coat of poly dry for 8 hours between coats. So, how can I refinish the floors? Is there something I can use to seal the floor after I sand and stain that doesn’t need so much dry time and is still durable? Could I just do sections of the floor without noticible differences in the color/finish? Any help at all, links too, is greatly appreciated.

I am also not a think in the box type….if there is some off the wall product that is safe and will get the job done, thats fine with me:) Like the stuff used to seal outdoor decks??

Reply:

Have you sanded hardwood floors before? it is a do-able project for a first timer, but if you think you are going to get all of the sanding done in 1 day by yourself, probly won’t happen.
If your alternative is carpet, you can hire a pro for around 2$ SQFT to sand,fill and finish the floors, which is usally much cheaper than carpet. If you do decide to DIY you will need to go to your local rental shop, and get a Drum sander, Edger, Scraper and a buffer. You will want to sand the entire floor with 60 grit first(unless you have some realy bad spots IE glue, warping, cupping) after that is all done you will want to fill the entire floor, just get a troul and start spreading it out on the floor, very thin. Then sand that off with 80 grit , Clean it vacume, wipe it down with a wet towel to get all of the dust up.
then Buff it with 100 Grit and then 120 grit screen. clean it again, this time you will want to get everything up because you are going to poly it next and everything will be sealed in (until the next time you take on this project) Work your way out of rooms so that you don’t end up spending the next 8 hours in the corner by yourself. but as far as sealing the floor in sections, I would not, you will be able to se a very distinct difference at those trasition places. as well as the odor that comes from the poly, you will not want to be sleeping in the house intil it has dried. I would let it cure for 8-12 hours before putting on the next coat, putting on at least 2 coats.
possibly plan this project for some time in the summer, and camp outside if you have no relatives or friends to stay with, or see if the kids could stay with one of thier friends for a couple nights.

Norman asked:

I have an old home with hardwood floors and would like to refinish them myself, any advice would be great.

Reply:

Here is the floor refinishing process:

If there are no old drum marks from the previous sanding job:
Try #40 grit sandpaper on a floor sander walking parallel to the boards. If the paper gums up, then the floors probably have wax or varnish on them. Remove it using #24 grit sandpaper, then #40 grit on a floor sander walking parallel to the boards.

If there are old drum marks the previous sanding job:
Use #40 grit sandpaper on a floor sander walking 15 degree from parallel to the boards, then #40 grit again walking parallel to the boards.

Use a flexible 4″ putty knife to press wood colored filler to fill any cracks and nail holes.

Resand with #80 grit sandpaper on a floor sander walking parallel to the boards.

The areas (mostly the 4″ along the walls) that cannot be reached by the floor sander must be sanded with a 7″ diameter floor edger. Try #80 grit edger discs on a while moving from side to side holding the edger perpendicular to the wall. If the paper gums up, use #40 grit edger discs, then #80 grit.

The area the edger cannot reach (mostly in corners and at door trim) must be hand scraped with a very sharp paint scraper. Use a metal file to frequently resharpen.

Use a 16″ diameter buffing machine (the machine that people use to wax linoleum floors) with a #120 grit screen on the whole floor.

Sweep, vacuum and tack up all dust.

If you want to stain your floors before applying finish, then paint the stain on parallel to the boards and wipe off within a minute or two. Let stain dry according to manufacturer’s instructions. There are many solvent-based and water-based flooring stains and finishes available. Hardwood flooring companies can provide better advice than your local lumber yard or paint store.

Apply 1st coat of finish. I use a small brush for nooks and crannies, and for most of the floor a 14″ applicator that is essentially a fixed roller that does not turn. The finish should be applied parallel to the boards as much as is possible. No matter how fast the finish dries, let it sit at least overnight before the next step.

Again use buffing machine, this time either with a maroon buffing pad or with a worn #120 grit screen.

Sweep, vacuum and tack up all dust.

Apply 2nd and 3rd coats of finish.

Numerous homes are being constructed with hardwood floors. These are simple to clean when compared to carpeting and give your home a rustic look. Because real wood floors can be costly numerous select engineered hardwood flooring because it is cheaper – but it still gives off the look of the real thing.