Simplest Way to Refinish a Wood Floor

Wood floors maintain their great looks through the years using routine care and cleaning. Over time, however, as your floors begins to show wear, it’s time to spruce up the finish. A total refinishing job entails sanding and applying a polyurethane sealer, which is quite a tedious and time-consuming undertaking. However, if your floors have just minor wear and light scratches you can rekindle the finish readily using a commercial floor recoating kit.

The Way It Works

Complete floor completing requires sanding off the old finish using a drum or orbital sander. Unless you’re experienced with these machines, the procedure can be difficult at best. A floor recoating kit, however, includes all of the chemicals you want to refresh your wood floors. The procedure involves having a liquid etcher to roughen the old finish so that the new one may bond to it. Then the floor is coated using a fresh urethane finish. Notice: This recoating method is appropriate just for floors with light wear and slight scratches or abrasions, and it will not work if the old floor was waxed, which averts a bond with all the new finish.

Get Prepared

Before beginning the finishing process, you need to take some time to ready the room for your own project. You will have to remove all of the furniture before starting to wash the floor. It isn’t necessary to remove pictures in the walls or transparent shelves as you do when you sand floors — just vacuum the floor and wipe down the baseboards. To remove as much dust as possible, examine the floor with a damp mop. In case you have any lingering grime or grime, remove it using a light scrubbing. Taking the time to prepare the floor correctly will make your task easier in the long term. Close blinds or drapes before starting the finishing process so that the sun does not cause the finish to dry too fast.

Step By Step

As soon as your floor is clean and dry, apply the floor etcher with an abrasive pad which is included in your kit. The etcher will roughen the surface slightly so the finish will adhere. Work in tiny sections at a time, wiping off excess etcher with old rags as you complete each area. You will have to cover the floor several times to lightly scratch the surface. Subsequent to the floor dries for approximately 30 minutes, damp mop with a solution of mild dishwashing liquid and warm water to remove remaining residue. Wipe up any water which puddles on the floor to prevent water damage to the timber.

The Finish

Now are prepared to apply the urethane finish. The finish should be applied at a thin coat in tiny sections at a time, overlapping as you go. If possible, have someone work together with you to apply the finish along the baseboards and difficult to reach areas. Work quickly, spreading the finish over the floor using a soft, long-handled applicator pad. The finish will be dry enough to walk on in sock feet in 8 hours, but you should wait 24 hours before replacing furniture. Wait at least 3 days before substituting heavy furniture and two weeks before replacing rugs rugs.

Tips

Before applying the finish, rinse the applicator in water and let it dry until it’s just moist to make the program easier. Work quickly so the finish is smooth and does not puddle. It will dry into a sticky phase in five to ten minutes and you should not try to smooth it becomes sticky. After pushing the applicator into the sealer, avoid squeezing out the excess, as this may create air bubbles which can mar the finish. 1 coat of finish should be sufficient for floors which have light wear and few scratches, but a second coat provides far better protection.

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