.
.
Refinishing hardwood floors will enhance the look of your decor whether your floor is just lost its brilliance or you ripped out the carpet and found a beautiful solid wood floor that needs a little T.L.C. A little test that you can perform to see if its time to refinish your hardwood floors is – go to a high traffic spot where most of the wear and tear happens. Pour a tablespoon of water in that area. If you get beads from the water, the floor has the proper sealant, maybe just a little stain removal and cleaning is all that is required. On the other side, if the water takes a couple of minutes to absorb with slight darkening on the floor, you have a partially worn hardwood finish and should start to decide when in the future you will refinish, but do not wait too long. If your water penetrates immediately leaving a dark stain, then you should refinish your floor soon as possible as not to damage it further.
How to refinish hardwood floors
The first thing you want to do is remove the original top coat and stains by renting a sander and if possible, a belt sander. Read the instructions on these refinishing tools because if they are not used properly they can damage your floor. By starting with a good raw foundation you can fix any scratches, dents and cracks that may have appeared. Once this is done you should pick the type of stains you need. There is a wide selection of colors for staining your floor and the best is to try some samples of different colors on the same wood you have at your home. How to do this is: once you have narrowed it down to a few samples, go home and try it in a closet or somewhere inconspicuous. After you have chosen your stain, now its time to pick your topcoat. You have a few options.
Types of hardwood floor finishing topcoats
You can use an oil based finish or a polyurethane finish which is a water base topcoat. The oil based finish comes in satin, semi-gloss or gloss finish. The satin is a great choice to bring out the natural beautiful glow of the hardwood with out a lot of shine and can help hide minor defects. Your oil base finish will give you a warm amber glow. One last thing to note that out of the oil based and polyurethane finishes, the water base system will dry faster and will keep from yellowing.
How to find your hardwood floor finish
We here at Wood Floor Resources want to help you find all your refinishing resources. We have gathered reviews and comparisons that will assist you. Please take some time and read through our resources. Also below, we have gathered a few of the best merchants fro your online shopping.
|
Here are some articles on some freqently asked questions and more information on refinishing hardwood floors
|
|
Hardwood floor refinishing equipment When the time comes for you to refinish your floor, there some basic tools that help a lot.
Prefinished hardwood flooring Prefinished hardwood flooring is probably the easiest way for you to get your new flooring. If the idea of sanding, staining and finishing your floor at home send some shivers.
Stripping hardwood floors Stripping hardwood floors is not something most people like to do; but when it needs to be done there’s no way around it. Doing so requires some job specific equipment.
|
