Money Saving Tips About How to Refinish Your Floors

One of the reasons why people don't start home improvement projects because of the presumed cost of the project. Refinishing your wood floors doesn't have to be expensive. As a matter of fact, if you have some time, you can save yourself several dollars over what professionals will charge you.

Starting the project begins with the easiest part: remove all furniture, mats and rugs that are on the floor. A quick sweep of the floor and you are ready for the messy part - sanding. Get your dust mask ready as you're about to create one big mess.

Refinishing hardwood floors is an excellent way to restore existing hardwood floors to their former glory. You can buy many books on refinishing hardwood floors and you may find some in your local library at no charge, you can also find a great wealth of information on the subject online. You will need a heavy-duty sander for the task of smoothing out any rough spots and removing the existing stain. You will want to move the sander on the floor in one direction that moves with the line of the hardwood rather than going across it. This is especially important to do if your hardwood floors have beveled edges or small grooves. You also need to take care that you aren't applying more pressure in some spots than others as doing so will result in pits in your floor and more sanding in your future.

Once you've finished with your initial sanding you must sweep and vacuum the dust from your floor and lightly wash it. This part is often not given the proper care it deserves and is very important when refinishing hardwood floors. The reason it is so important is that the tiniest speck of dirt and dust will show up when you stain the floor. It is also important that you use only a damp mop for washing the floor rather than a wet mop. If there is too much water in the floor that has been sanded it will cause stains.

which comes in high gloss or low lustre. Another rule of thumb is that the more coats you add, the more gloss your floor will have. Important to remember as well is not to apply another coat until the previous one is completely dry.

The good news is that stains and the protective coatings used during the process do not have harsh fumes, and as such, are not dangerous to breathe. Just be sure not to walk on your refinished hardwood floors until they are completely dry. The result will involve wasting more time and energy in trying to fix the problem or even having to call a professional in.
Although refinishing your hardwood floors will be a time consuming and messy job, they will be worth it in the long run.

Thinking of refinishing your floors? Find out more about installing hardwood flooring, hardwood floor and tips for refinishing wooden floors before you start your project.