Refinishing a Hardwood Floor

Having a hardwood floor can be one of the most beautiful homes you can find, when they are nicely shining and have colors that just vary in ways you can’t find elsewhere. Though after some time, they will eventually dull, wear, and stain bare wood. Eventually they do need refinishing. This article attempts to explain a little more about maintaining your hardwood floor, and more on refinishing them.

Normal use of a floor and the timely cleaning of it both wear at a hardwood floor. Some things such as high traffic areas, and parts where pets run a lot might wear sooner and stick out around the shinier areas. Putting some types of throw rugs can actually wear them worse, while others can do better than just keeping them bare.

Cleaning a hardwood floor differs from other flooring as well, and many cleaners that aren’t intended for hardwood actually eat away at the finish. When you are considering refinishing yours, you will also want to look at cleaning these floors. As it will help you determine the long-term picture while shopping at hardwood floor refinishing.

One of the first things when refinishing that you will want to consider is what kind of floor you have. Is it oak, pine, cedar, or maple? There are many types and within those, grades as well. Knowing what you have is a great start in refinishing it.

Refinishing hardwood will of course always start with sanding. You need to start with somewhat coarse paper, however too course will wear out the floor even more and score it as well. You will find many good suggestions on refinishing hardwood on the internet including the grit count of the sand paper you will need. For refinishing your hardwood floor you will need some tools as well. These will include a belt sander (not circular), as well as sanding blocks for finer finishing. With these you will work down to fine paper. When refinishing your hardwood floor, job one is sanding it down to the smoothest surface you can get.

After this comes refinishing your hardwood floor with stain as well as sealing it with a hard, clear coat that will take the wear and tear your world will give it. One consideration in the end is strong water proofing. Even if your hardwood floor refinishing is under your roof, there will always be spills. Again, based on the wood your floor is made of, you will have a few differences in your choices when shopping for hardwood floor refinishing supplies.

When refinishing your hardwood, you will want to maintain a dust free environment until everything has dried, and use good brushes/tools for the specific job. For this reason, when refinishing your hardwood floor, you will want to be well researched before you begin.

One place that you will likely want to be looking up hardwood floor refinishing is the internet. You will find many articles about hardwood floor refinishing, many products that give you many choices, and will probably save you money in the end while you look at your beautiful hardwood floor. Taking your time refinishing it, will bring you many years of both enjoyment, and good maintenance of it for even longer lasting floors.

Author:
Greg Culver
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