Refinishing hardwood floors?

Question

We have a house with hardwood under the carpet... if the wood is in good condition and we just have to take up the tack boards - is it really hard to refinish the floors??? do we just have to sand the edges or the entire floor.. how does this process work?

Answer 1

Like some of the others have said it is a lot bigger job then you might think you are getting into..  Not only do you run the risk of having damaged floors that need professionally repaired you also have a lot of prep work involved before you can even start to finish.  Especially if you currently live in the home I would call a local flooring contractor or painter and at least get an estimate or some ideas on what needs to be done.

Answer 2

I would ask a professional to take a look to see if it just needs a new coat of poly. doing the job is really not for amatures and its a mess, regular sanding machines are dusty, you can turn it on and instantly make a large groove in the floor, then you need a sanding edger to get close to the walls, then you have to apply the finish. (open windows-turn off furnace or kaboom!!!!!!)

Answer 3

if u like the way the floor looks like then just leave it alone....but if u want it all it look even then fill any holes in with a wood filler...rent a floor sander  and edge sander to sand down the whole floor ....vacuum clean and stain

Answer 4

ucluelet is right. It's very hard work though. My hubby and I refilled, sanded the whole floor (edges and corners too), and stained. But WOW - it looked great when finished.

The process:-

1. Pull out nails and refill with putty

2. We hired 3 sanders. A big one for the major floor area, a medium one for the edges, and a small one for the corners. (Don't sand it yourself if you have back problems.....hire a professional as the large and medium sanders can be very tough on your back).

3. When staining, paint it on, then rub it in with a cloth. ie. brush in one hand and cloth in the other. It gives a much better finish.

4. And lastly we sealed it with a varnish/lacquer.

Answer 5

Refinishing hardwood floors is quite a process, and if you decide to do it, be ready for a several day job.  Its common for hardwood that has carpet on top of it to have "moisture spots" from where things were spilled on the rug.  therefore some areas need more sanding than others.  But this is the process..... You need to rent 3 different sanders. A drum floor sander, a square buff floor sander, and a edger floor sander.  Use the drum sander to remove the majority of the old finish and to get the floor level and free of any "bowing".  BE CAREFUL WITH THIS SANDER!!!  you must use it correctly, or you WILL s***w up your floor, be sure when you rent it, the rental associate shows you how to properly use it.  Then you use the edger for the edges, then use the square buff to get the floor to a nice smooth surface.  Use 36 grit through 80 grit with the drum sander and edger.  Use 60 grit, 80 grit, 100 grit then a 120 grit screen.  Always sweep the floor after every change of grit sandpaper.   Be sure to clean the floor really well before attempting finishing the floor.  Keep renting the square buff sander you'll need it, and some 150 grit screen.  Apply polyurethane (3 to 5 coats). There's a certain way to apply so do your homework.  run the sander over the floor between each coat.  and thats a summary of how to refinish a floor.