| REFINISHING A HARDWOOD FLOOR
Putting a new finish coat on a hardwood floor is a two-step process. First you lightly sand the floor surface. Then you apply a topcoat of finish. But it works only if the floor was never waxed. To prepare for recoating, remove all the furniture and clean the floor with a cleaner specially formulated for wood floors. The next step is sanding, which is called screening and requires renting a buffing machine.
Screening roughens the old finish so that the new finish adheres better. If your floor is stained, keep an eye out for uneven or warped boards. Screening may cut through the stain at high points, exposing the natural wood and ruining the floor's appearance. The solution is to screen these boards lightly by hand. The rental store can supply the special attachments that you need for a buffer: a drive brush, a special pad, and a 100-grit disc screen. If you've never used a buffer, practice on smooth, clean concrete, making sure to clean the pad before putting it on a wood floor. To use a buffer, center it on a 100-grit screen and move it back and forth in the direction of the wood strips. Check the screen every few minutes for grit. Remove any you find to avoid deeply scratching the finish.
For the finish, choose an oil-base polyurethane or a water-base urethane. Make sure it is formulated for floors. Oil-base polyurethane contains solvents; wear a painting respirator with a charcoal filter. Water-base urethane contains little solvent but dries quickly. You have to work fast and use special spreading pads.
How Is It Done?
- Scrape up any dried paint or grime with a putty knife. Then wipe the floor with specially formulated floor cleaner. Spray cleaner on the cloth, not the floor.
- Remove stubborn stains with a 100-grit screen and mineral spirits. Then sand around the edges of the floor by hand, using a 100-grit screen.
- Screen the floor with a 100-grit screen on a buffer. Keep the buffer moving, going back and forth with the wood strips until the floor has an even, chalky appearance. Vacuum thoroughly and wipe with a cloth dampened in mineral spirits (for oil-base finish) or water (for water-base finish). After it dries fully, apply a finish as directed.
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