Money Saving Tips About Refinishing Your Floors

We're all looking for ways to save a few dollars without sacrificing quality on every home improvement project.  Many people shy away from getting their hardwood floors refinished because of the high price that professionals charge.  If you have some time, you can save yourself a lot of money by refinishing your hardwood floors by yourself.  By knowing the right steps, you can have your floors look like they were refinished by a professional without spending a lot of your hard earned money.

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.

Your goal in refinishing your hardwood floors is to turn back the hands of time to when your hardwood floors were first installed.  In order to achieve this feat, you will need to start by renting a heavy-duty sander to smooth out any rough spots and to remove the current stain that is on your floor.  Move the sander in the direction that moves with the lines on your hardwood floor, paying particular attention that you do not apply more pressure anywhere.  It's important to make sure that you apply equal pressure to all parts of your floor as you want to avoid creating 'pits' in your hardwood floor, which will require more sanding.  Do not move across the hardwood floor lines, especially if you have small grooves or beveled edges.

At this point, have a look around you and you'll find that the room should be covered in dust particles. This is the part of the job that is never given the attention it needs.  Its important that after you sweep and vacuum your hardwood floors, you will need to lightly wash it to remove all dust particles. Remember: the tiniest speck of dust or dirt will show up when you stain your floor. That tiny speck will be there until the next time the floors get refinished. Save yourself time and aggravation by doing it properly the first time.

After drying the floor you will be ready for the next step in the refinishing process. You have many options for the color of your stain depending on the type of wood you have and your personal preference or you can choose to leave it a natural color. There's also a relatively new protective coating for hardwood floors called polyurethane. You can choose high gloss or low luster depending on how shiny you prefer your floors. The more coats you put on, the glossier your finish will be. It is vital that you do not apply additional coats until the previous coat is completely dry.

While refinishing hardwood floors is time consuming, you do not have to move out of your home in order to accomplish it. The stains and protective coatings do not have harsh fumes so they are not dangerous to breathe. You do want to take care not to walk on your floor until it is completely dry. If you do not wait you will have wasted all that time and effort and have to either start over or try to hide the footprints.