While you consider refinishing, you will be astonished to know that this is a task that you can do yourself without paying professionals high amounts of money to do it for you. But it would be worth to understand that you would need to have time to spend on your refinishing project to make sure that you end up with the effect you wanted to achieve.

Refinishing a hardwood floor is definitely a time-consuming project, if you want to do it by yourself. However, it does require you to move out of the home until you complete this task. Also, the coatings for refinishing these floors do not have any strong fumes that may be dangerous for anyone with respiratory problems. But the only thing you will have to remember is not to walk on the floor until the finish is dry.

If you forget our advice and jump on to the freshly refinished floor, your completed task will have your footprints all over it, and believe me it would be in more ways than one. There are many books you can buy on the subject and you can also get many useful resources when you search online.

Now when you have weighed all the possibilities, you can move on to the task. For this project you will need some equipments like the heavy-duty sander that you can always rent from your local supplier. When you begin with the project, you first have to move all the furniture and take up any rugs or mats that you have on the wood floors. If you have some sort of allergy with the dust, you need to wear a dust mask so that you won’t breathe in the dust coming out.

The most important equipment you will need for this project is the heavy- duty sander. When you use one, move gently back and forth over the wood floors. Move the sander in a straight line similar with the pattern of the hardwood boards. Try not to go across, if the flooring has a beveled edge with small grooves.

Also do not apply additional pressure in one place that in another. This will help you to avoid taking out the gouges from the floor. When the first finish is sanded off, you have to sweep or vacuum up the dust and give the floor a light washing.

This will help you avoid the staining marks if dust is present on the floor. When refinishing wood floors, it is essential that the first coat is dry before you apply another coat. The more coats you put on, the shinier your floors will be. But at the same time will more coats will result in added cost.

Wood floors have become increasingly popular over the years. When these floors start showing their age you have two choices. You can go the traditional route and have someone come in and sand he floor and then apply a new topcoat. This is the most expensive option and can leave your home full of dust and smelly fumes. It can also take days to finish leaving your house in chaos. The other option is to use a new technique that is now available. That techniques is dustless refinishing. The process is simple. The technician will lightly scuff the floor and use a chemical to etch it and prepare it for the new topcoat. Then they fix any minor scratches and damage to the wood floor. Finally they then apply the new topcoat and are finished without all of the mess. You can have your floors back in a day instead of days. This process is also much cheaper than traditional sanding only costing a fraction of the full price. This process is not for everyone though. If your floors are in very bad shape you might have to have them completely sanded down to good wood. This process is for floors that are worn but not damaged.

If you think you might be interested in having this process done to your floors, call a cleaning company in your area that performs it. It should not be too hard to find one. You will thank yourself when you see your wood floors shining again.

Several homes, especially centrally located homes, have hardwood flooring. A pristine hardwood floor is beautiful, but to restore one back to its original 60 year old elegance, the floor will need to be refinished.

Refinishing hardwood floors can be a challenging job for the do-it-yourselfer, but with some preparation and research, it can be done without the help of a professional.

Many older homes have gone through fads, and one that became a norm was wall to wall carpeting. If wood floors hide under a carpet, it will have to be removed. After all furniture has been removed, pull up carpeting and its tack strip, making sure to remove nails and staples that will hinder sanding performance later.

Sanding floors during the refinishing process creates a lot of sawdust. Prep the area by taping off doors and cabinets, and opening windows. Covering areas with damp sheets helps trap the sawdust.

After the area around the floor is completely prepped, use a drum sander to sand the floor. They can be rented at most home improvement stores. The purpose of the sanding is to cut the floor and remove the old finish. Start with a coarse grit sandpaper, such as a 20 or 36 grit paper, and move up to 60 and 100 grit. The lighter grit sandpaper is used to remove the scratch marks made by the heavier grit paper.

A drum sander can be daunting on its first use. They are loud and powerful, so wear ear plugs, eye protection, and a dust mask. A common first-timers mistake is gouging the floor, which is a hard problem to fix, and easier to prevent. Start by tilting the sander back before turning it on, and slowly lowering it to the floor. Find a good test area that may be covered by a rug or furniture, and move the machine back and forth, without keeping it in one spot, as doing so can damage the floor in a few seconds. Move the sander in the same direction as the grain of the wood floor. When the machine becomes difficult to maneuver, it’s time to move to a lighter grit paper. Edges of the floor can be hard to sand with the large drum sander, so either renting an edge sander, or doing these areas by hand, is recommended.

After the old finish has been removed, and the floors smoothed with the sander, the room must be vacuumed. It’s advisable to vacuum and dust the floors, walls, light switches, and every area that can be reached. Let the dust settle, and vacuum again to insure no dust will end up in the new finish. Running a tack cloth (also available at home improvement stores) along the floor after it’s been vacuumed is also advisable.

It’s now time to apply a stain to the wood, unless the natural color of the wood is preferred. If possible, test the stain on your floor, as color charts may be helpful, but not always accurate depending on the wood of your floor, and how it takes the stain. Apply the stain in a circular motion with cloth rags. Spread the stain as evenly as possible to keep the color consistent.

The final step on how to refinish hardwood floors is applying the finish. There are oil and water based finishes. Though oil finishes are less expensive, the water based dry quicker, finish clear, and do not have the solvent odor that oil based finishes contain. Make sure to not shake the finish, as it will create bubbles that will end up on the floor. Slowly stir it, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure to plan the final application finishing in a doorway, and after a few coats, the floor refinishing is complete.