Refinishing Hardwood Floors

Floor Sanding Tips

Before starting your hardwood refinishing project – first, take care of any repair work that you need to. These might be areas that get heavy traffic, have exposed nail heads, stains, holes, missing quarter-rounds or thresholds, and any squeaks.

Tip: For fixing high traffic areas that have worn finish or stained. You may need to use a chemical cleaning agent to fix the staining.

Tip: To fix holes in the floor, you can use oak plugs and sand into place. You may have to drill the holes to make a bit larger to fill with wooden plugs. Use a little glue to secure in place. Line up grain in plug to grain in floor as best as possible and then tap into place. Sand flush once glue is dry.

Tip: For exposed nail heads, pound them down into place far enough so that filler can be placed on top. Be sure tap nails 1/4″ into place at same angle they were put in, and make sure to not cause any further damage to the floor. Fill nail holes by using saw dust from sanding and some white glue. Mix to consistency of toothpaste. This will ensure the best color match.

Rent a floor sander for your sanding work. Tool rental is a great option rather than buying tools. Be sure to pick a sander that will be a good choice for your particular project. Change sanding discs as often as needed, starting with a rougher grit to remove the finish. Next, use a medium grit for a smoother finish and then progress to a finer grit. You may have to use a smaller sander to get into the corners that the big sander doesn’t. Once sanded and patched, floor will be ready to apply your stain and/or finish.

Tip: Make sure room is well ventilated when applying stain/finish, and also wear a mask for additional protection. Start finish along edges first and then use a floor applicator pad to apply finish with the grain.

What is needed for the job
Supplies
  • Sandpaper
    (various grits)
  • Mineral Spirits
  • Glue
  • Rubber gloves
  • Rags
Tools
  • Orbital sander
  • Hand sander
  • Pencil
  • Drill
  • Hammer
  • Screwdriver
  • Bristle brushes
  • Floor applicator brush
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