In Boise, Idaho, we love our hardwood floors. Although they are majestic and durable, sometimes they show their age. If you have a home with hardwood floors that are several years old, it’s probably time to refinish them. What is hardwood floor refinishing? Well, it’s a fairly simple process that involves sanding and applying new stain. Some people confuse refinishing with resurfacing. These two processes are not the same thing. Resurfacing involves removing old floor boards, grinding down uneven boards, and reinforcing the wood with new nails. Now, unless your house is very old, you’re not going to want to do this. You probably just need a refinish. So let’s get into the process of it now.
If you can see visible scuff marks and scratches or discoloration in your hardwood floor, it is probably time to refinish. Doing this will often eliminate scuffs and minor scratches as well as reducing the appearance of more major scratches in your floor. It will bring back that shiny new look to your Hardwood. When you refinish your floor, that means that you start by sanding down the top most layer of the hardwood and then put down a few coats of stain and lacquer over the existing wood. This requires a drum sander and the stain and lacquer products themselves.
Now, it is technically possible for you to do this job yourself. But when you look at it objectively, it is easy to determine that having a professional do it for you is the best way to go. This is because if you make a mistake, it will cost you. It could even cost you more in the end than having a professional just do it in the first place. There are many DIY projects available to do in your home, but refinishing a floor should probably not be one of them. A professional knows how to prep for refinishing a floor, as well as how to work efficiently and effectively so the job is done right the first time. A professional will be concerned about your satisfaction and about the results.
The steps to refinishing a hardwood floor are as follows:
First, prepare the floor. Move the furniture, and pull up any rugs or carpeting in the area. Then you will hammer down any nails that are sticking up. Next, check for any squeaks or loose floorboards with finishing nails. Then you want to move any debris off the floor by using either a vacuum or a mop. Finally, seal any air vents in the floor so that the dust from the sanding doesn’t get into your ducts.
Then the moulding has to be pried up. This is where it starts to get trickier and you start to see the reason why a professional is best. Someone with experience will know how to mark the pieces of moulding so that they can be put back in the proper order after the floor is done. Then comes the rough sanding, and also the sanding of the corners and edges. But there is more than one type of sanding that needs to be done. You also need to screen sand the floor. This is where you take a buffer and attach a fine grit screening pad so that you can level the uneven parts left by the drum sander. Then you remove all the dust and apply the stain and the finish. In Boise, Idaho, we take pride in our homes and therefore our floors. Hardwood floors are popular here. Make sure to refinish for the best look.