Refinishing Your Hardwood Flooring

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If you have hardwood floors throughout your home, maintenance needs to be done periodically to keep them looking new and free from scratches and scuffs. In time, your hardware flooring may need a pick-me-up by refinishing the surface to make it look its best. Here are some instructions for you to use to refinish your hardware flooring on your own.

Making Preparations

Remove all furniture and personal belongings out of the room where you wish to start the job. If you will be working on flooring that goes into a closet, move your clothing out of the enclosure to protect it from getting sand all over your items during the process. Cover your light fixtures with paper bags to help keep sawdust from getting into the mechanisms. Remove the shoe molding from around the room by using a crowbar to pry it away from the floor and wall. Vacuum the entire floor in the room so there is no debris restricting the sanding machine.

Sanding The Floor

Rent a drum sander from a local hardware store or tool rental service. When starting to sand, use a course-grit sandpaper and work your way to a fine-grit sandpaper after several passes. Begin the job in an area where furniture will cover the floor do you can take time to gauge the amount of pressure needed to use the equipment. It is better to try the equipment on a piece of lumber away from the floor so you get familiarized with how to use it properly.

Start sanding in the middle of the floor, with the grain of the wood, moving from wall to wall and then replacing the sander along the edge of the floor you had just sanded, so that a two to three-inch overlap will be resanded as you go through on the next pass. Continue until you get close to the edge of the wall, and then do the other half of the room in the same way. 

Sand the corners by hand or with a detail sander, using the same grit sandpaper that you had used in the drum sander. After you finish with course-grit, clean the entire floor using a vacuum cleaner. Start the procedure again using medium-grit sandpaper. Finish with fine-grit sandpaper after you clean the floor again.

Adding Protection

After you have sanded the wood floor to a smooth surface, add stain or sealant to protect your flooring. Use a paintbrush to add the coloring or clear-coating of your choice. Some stains require another sanding be done after the first coat, so pay attention to the instructions on the packaging. After the stain or clear-coat is added, allow it to dry thoroughly before replacing your shoe molding and personal items.

Should you decide your hardwood flooring is beyond repair, your best option is probably to have it replaced. Explore your options through retailers and designers like National Carpet Mill Outlet.

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