Refinishing Hardwood Floors

Whether you've had wood floors for a long time or just discovered them under old carpeting, you've probably considered refinishing them.

Waxing and/or buffing often provide a good shine, but refinishing the floor is usually the only way to regain the original richness and beauty of the wood.

Refinishing is hard work and some people opt to hire a professional. But most of the necessary equipment is available at rental centers and the steps are pretty straightforward.

Is Your Floor a Good Candidate?

Refinishing a wood floor is a great way to increase the value of your living space. Sometimes, a floor with shallow scratches or a dull surface only needs a top coat of finish.

Other times, refinishing isn't enough and whole boards need to be replaced. If the floor feels spongy, sags, or if floor boards are buckled/warped, then consider replacing them.

If scratches or dings are in the wood, refinishing is the next step. However, a wood floor can only be refinished so many times because each sanding takes off more wood. Check at floor edges or around a heat register to see how much wood remains.

NOTE: Maple floors are difficult to sand and stain well. Consider hiring a professional to refinish them.

Filling Gaps & Cracks

There really isn't a definitive procedure for filling cracks and gaps in hardwood floors although there are some guidelines. Since variations in temperature and humidity cause the wood to expand and contract, small gaps and cracks do serve a purpose.

Winter months tend to be drier making cracks and gaps more visible. In summer, humidity rises, causing some cracks to virtually disappear. Large cracks in the summer however, only lead to bigger cracks in the winter.

Fill in the gaps at the ends of the floor planks because wood doesn't expand very much lengthwise. Which cracks to fill are really up to you. Just make sure to fill them before you sand.

Equipment For Refinishing

Refinishing a hardwood floor requires some specific items that can be found at your local hardware and rental centers.

Remove everything that isn't nailed down and sweep the floor thoroughly. Use diagonal pliers to pull out any leftover carpet staples and use a hammer & nailset to sink any exposed nails that may damage the abrasives or sanding machines.

Leave the baseboards unless you plan to replace them. If so, use a shim behind the pry bar to avoid damaging the walls.

To avoid spreading dust throughout the house hang plastic over the room's doorways and put rags or towels under doors and over vents.

Lastly, walk over the whole floor and seek out any squeaks, cracks, or other repairs that should be done before sanding.

Sanding Hardwood Floors

Sanding hardwood floors is a very dusty, noisy job. You'll want to wear a dust mask and eye and ear protection. Also ask for instructions/demonstration on how to operate rented equipment.

First, use a drum sander fit with a course paper (20 to 36 grit). Begin in a low visibility area like under a sofa. Start the sander with the drum off the floor and slowly lower it onto the wood.

The drum sander seems like an unruly piece of equipment and scares off some people from refinishing their own wood floor. Besides being big and loud, the drum sander can gouge the floor. It takes some getting used to, but with a little practice, you can do it as long as you're careful.

Simultaneously, walk the sander forward, sanding with the grain of the wood -- unless floors are badly warped. In that case, first sand diagonally to the wood grain.

Sand from wall to wall on one half to two-thirds of the room, making both a forward and a backward pass of each row.

CAUTION: Never let the sander sit in one spot. It can make a gouge or swirl mark in just seconds.

Where the drum sander can't reach -- such as wall edges, corners -- use an edge sander. Tip the edger back and slowly lower it to the floor. Use a left to right semicircular motion to feather out the sanding.

Finish Sanding & Buffing

After the rough sanding, change to a medium (50-60) grit. Go over the entire floor the same way. After this pass check again for cracks/holes using matching wood putty to fill them in. Also look for nailheads. Countersink these "shiners" and fill them in.

For the final sanding, use a fine (80-100 grit) abrasive and finish with a palm sander around the perimeter to feather sanding areas.

Vacuum the room thoroughly, including the walls and ceiling. Avoid using a damp rag because moisture will raise the grain of the exposed wood.

A rented buffer can take a little getting used to. At first it feels like it's pulling you all over, but after a few minutes it's pretty easy to handle. Make sure to start in the middle of the room until you feel comfortable and completely in control of the machine.

Buff the floor (going with the grain) using a fine abrasive screen (100-120 grit) to help tighten the wood grain before staining.