The Little Things You Need to Know When You Refinish Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors are a great asset to the appearance of any home, but when they get worn down and need to be refinished, it is often a task that many home owners are intimidated by and dread.  That no longer need be the case as there are now plenty of products available that will allow you to refinish hardwood floors all on your own.  However, there are some things that you need to be aware of.

Choosing the right floor sander is the first step to success here.  The sanders themselves have come a long way and are no longer the big, bulky instruments that they once were and in actuality, they are a great investment for a home owner with hardwood floors to make.  The money you will save over the years by doing this yourself can quickly add up.

Looking for the right finish to use is the next thing that you have to look at.  This was another task that was quite daunting, but today the products that are out are much safer and much easier to use.  While a regular home owner will not have access to some of the stronger finishes that a flooring contractor can get (this is for safety reasons as some of them have very powerful fumes and must be applied with proper safety precautions in place), there are some great polyurethane-water hybrid solutions that will do a wonderful job.

The key to putting the finish on properly is getting the second coat down soon after the first coat dries.  Once you do this, you can let the entire room settle for a couple of days and then you are good to go.  This is probably going to be the most difficult task of the whole chore as you have to make sure you apply this properly so that there are no bubbles on the finish and that it is applied evenly.

Before you start the project, you need to realize that even though it has gotten easier for a DIY to handle, this is still a very messy job and you are going to have dust flying everywhere.  Before you ever start, you need to get everything covered so that you don’t spend another week cleaning up after the job.  Get some plastic tarp to cover lighting fixtures and such and tape up all of your outlets so dust does not get into them.

You are also going to want to tape up any ductwork that is in or around your work area.  If you don’t do this, all of the dust that is flying around will travel anywhere that duct work goes.  If you have any ceiling fans or any other moving fixtures that cannot be temporarily removed, cover them up to ensure that they do not get ruined.

Last but not least, don’t forget yourself.  This is a job that you need to protect yourself with and wearing the proper protective gear should be your number one priority.  You should have on safety goggles to protect your eyes from flying dust, gloves to protect your hands, full coveralls and a long sleeve shirt and of course a face mask to prevent breathing in the particles.  Now you are ready to get to work!