There are so many flooring choices to choose from today. What about if you have nice floors, that just so happen to look old, beat up or almost to trashed to salvage? Ever wondered how in the world you would be able to make your old wooden floors look new again? Well, not to worry! You’re not the only one and this is a job you can pay someone else to do or do by yourself for a fraction of the cost. So here are some step-by-step tips to help you get this dreaded task under way.
The first step is going to be that of stripping the old floor. More than likely there is probably going to be more than one layer of old finish that has to come off. This may sound like a really difficult task, but if you have the right equipment, it really isn’t all that bad.
To tackle this task, you are going to need a sander. Keep in mind that for an average size room you will need to allow yourself at least 4 to 6 hours. When deciding on what type of sander to use, remember that a random-orbit floor sander is much easier to use than a large drum sander and can be rented for about $60.00 to $100.00 at most any rental equipment company.
To strip the floor, you want to slowly work the sander back and forth across the entire room using a 36-grit abrasive disk. After completing this, you will want to turn the sander at a 45-degree angle and proceed to go over the entire room again.
Next you will want to vacuum up all the dust and fill in any holes and cracks in the floor with water-based wood filler. Now you need to put a 60-grit abrasive disk on the sander and sand the entire floor. Now change the disk to an 80-grit abrasive disk and sand the floor for the final time. Once again give it a good vacuuming and you are ready for the next step.
You want your floor to be clean before applying the polyurethane. A good way to clean them is to make your own cleaner using 10 parts water to 1 part white vinegar. Use a terry-cloth mop or a a towel wrapped around a mop head and gently go over the floor.
It would be a good idea to cover your shoes with booties and your nose and mouth with a respirator. The first step is the cut in along the edges by brushing a 3-inch-wide strip along the baseboards at a point farthest from your exit door. To avoid lap marks as the stripe starts to dry, stop after about 10 minutes and go to the next step
Now pour about a 1-inch-wide stripe of finish in line with the grain, just enough that you can spread in a 10 minute period and with a long-handled roller with a 1/4 inch nap, roll out the finish with the grain, then across it. You will want to overlap each pass quickly to keep the edge wet.
So after about 10 minutes, go back and brush more finish along the edge, then pour and roll again for 10 minutes and continue this pattern until the floor in completely covered.
You should wait at least 3 hours before putting your second coat of finish on. Just for good measure, I would wait about a week before replacing the furniture.
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