There are many things that you should know about refinishing hardwood flooring before you get started. You will need tools and to learn techniques. This can take a little time but the results can be well worth it in the end. This can turn dull hardwood floors back into shiny newer looking hardwood floors all over again. This project can get quite messy however it will be well worth it when you see what your floors look like when you are done.
The first thing you will need to do will be to remove everything from the room. This includes furniture and rugs. After you have finished this you will want to check the floor for any nails that might be sticking up. You will want to hammer these nails back in to the wood until they are below the surface. If you see any carpet staples or tacks you will want to make sure to remove these. You should also remove anything else that might be present and capable of tearing your sand paper as this will ruin it.
You will need to get a floor sander from and equipment shop many times these can be rented. You can use traditional drum sanders but these are kind of hard to operate. This being said you might want to consider an orbital sander this tool is designed especially for floor refinishing. It is also much easier for you to control. One you have chosen the machine you will you use you will want to make sure that you get good sandpaper for the machine. You can often get this sand paper from the same place that you rent your machine from. Once you have equip the sander with the paper you will want to get started by running the sander over the floor but be sure to run it in the direction of the wood grain. Use straight even strokes and be sure that you do not sand across the grain. You need to be sure that you keep moving the machine when it is on. This will prevent gouging of the floor. After you have done this process with the heavy grain sandpaper you will want to switch out to the lighter grained paper and sand any scratches and lines till they are removed from the floor. You can then use a shop vac to clean up a little bit and go on to the next lighter sandpaper. After this you will want to stain the floor and then apply a finish. Then your floors will be back to looking great again.
The process of refinishing hardwood flooring can seem pain staking but once you are done you are sure to be satisfied with the results that you see. This is a great alternative to buying all new floors. It may be a little more time consuming but it is certainly worth it. However if you feel the floors are just too far gone then there are many great ways to get a deal on cheap hardwood flooring you will just need to look around to find the best possible price on new floors.
