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How To Refinish A Hardwood Floor

Can I refinish my own hardwood floors?

Refinishing hardwood floors will add charm to any room and is a great way to make a space feel new. Refinishing hardwood floors will add charm to any room and is a great way to make a space feel new. Typically, a professional will charge anywhere from $3 to $4 per square foot to refinish floors.

How much does it cost to sand and refinish a hardwood floor?

If your hardwood floors are dull, scratched, and looking old, it’s probably time to refinish them. According to HomeAdvisor, the typical price range to refinish hardwood floors is between $1,074 and $2,485, with the national average at $1,757. This comes out to $3 to $8 per square foot, including materials and labor.

What are the steps to refinishing hardwood floors?

Your 9 Step Guide to Refinishing Hardwood Floors Step 1: Remove the Shoe Base Molding. Step 2: Fixing the Squeaks and Creeks. Step 3: Sand the Floors. Step 4: Sweep and Vacuum Between Sands. Step 5: Edges and Corners. Step 6: Screen Sand. Step 7: Dust Removal. Step 8: Staining Your Hardwood Floors.

Can I sand and refinish my hardwood floors myself?

If the scratches don’t go all the way through to the wood, you can scuff-sand your floors with a buffer and apply a fresh coat or two of finish. The hardwood floor refinishing process is easier and less expensive than sanding down to bare wood and takes less time. In a few hours, your floors will look as good as new.

What is the cheapest way to refinish hardwood floors?

Applying a revitalizer gloss is the simplest and cheapest way to refinish hardwood floors. This approach works best on floors that only have surface-level scratches and other minor wear and tear issues. You can get the job done without the need for equipment rentals or hard-to-find materials.

What is the best time of year to refinish hardwood floors?

If I had to pick an ideal time, I would say spring or fall when the indoor temperature is most consistent with outdoor temperature and it’s often easy to open the windows (after the work is complete) to help air out the smell faster. But, really, sanding and refinishing hardwood can take place any time of year.

Can I sand my floors myself?

Sanding wood floors is a time consuming but relatively easy procedure. Sanding wood floors & refinishing yourself will definitely save money, and even an inexperienced homeowner can likely do a better job than the lowest bidding handyperson who quotes on it.

How do you restore hardwood floors without sanding?

The best way to refinish wood floors without sanding is to use a technique called screen and recoat. This involves scuffing up the finish with a floor buffer and applying a refresher coat of finish.

Do you tip floor refinishers?

Should You Tip Floor Installers And Refinishers? You do not have to tip floor installers, but it is a nice gesture. Since floor installers are skilled laborers, they have usually received some training.

Can I sand my hardwood floors with a hand sander?

The process for sanding a floor by hand would be, as a general rule, to start on a 40 grit sandpaper and work your way up to 100 or 120 grit paper to leave a fine finish. It is important to keep any sander moving so it does not dig into or burn the floor. Trying to sand a floor by hand is a big no no in my book.

What grit sandpaper do you use to sand hardwood floors?

Start with 36-grit sandpaper for a floor that hasn’t been sanded in a long time or that has a lot of heavy finish on it. Floors that have been painted may even require you to go tougher and use 24 or 16-grit paper. Maple floors are so hard that they often require 36-grit sandpaper as well.

How many coats of stain do I need for hardwood floors?

How many coats will be applied? The standard for a hardwood floor is at least three coats. This consists of one seal coat (which may be the stain) and two coats of finish. Additional costs of finish may be applied depending on the need.

How do you tell if your hardwood floors can be refinished?

Water Test. Pour a spoonful of water onto the floor. If it forms droplets that stay on the surface of the wood, the floor finish is still good. If the water is slowly absorbed into the wood, the finish is worn and needs to be restored.

What kind of Sander should I use on hardwood floors?

Unless you plan to sand many floors in your lifetime, your best choice of floor sander is the random orbital sander from one maker in particular. Unless you plan to sand many floors in your lifetime, the best choice for do-it-yourself floor refinishing is the random orbital sander.

What is the difference between refinishing and resurfacing wood floors?

What’s the Difference? Refinishing involves sanding down the uppermost layer of the floor and applying fresh stain and lacquer over the existing wood. Resurfacing your floor involves more than just putting a layer of polish on top.

Can you sleep in house after polyurethane?

We recommend a minimum of 2 days of socks-only traffic for floors finished with oil polyurethane. The house is not inhabitable for a minimum of 2 days after the job is completed, and better to stay out for at least 5 as the fumes/off-gassing is not advisable to breathe in, even if there are other rooms to sleep in.

What is the next step after sanding hardwood floors?

After sanding, fill in holes in the floor with wood putty or wood filler. Be sure to work in well-ventilated rooms when sanding or applying stain or finish. Spot test the stain or finish to see what it looks like on the floor before applying a coat.

How soon after refinishing wood floors can you put rugs down?

Wait 3 weeks before putting area rugs on newly refinished/finished hardwood floors. Wait 48 to 72 hours after the hardwood has been refinished/ finished before “PLACING” furniture back in its place. Keep a steady temperature and humidity within your home.