What Should I Watch out for if I’m Refinishing My Hardwood Floor Myself?
We always recommend that any hardwood flooring project, be it refinishing of your old hardwood floor or installing a new one, is done by professionals with years of experience and all tools readily available. Even though, if you decide to work on your wood floors alone, we don’t want you to get hurt or damage your floor, so we decided to share some best practices, warnings, as well as tips and tricks for refinishing your wood floors – more TIPS & DIY flooring projects to follow soon on our blog!
How Does Refinishing My Hardwood Floor Work?
Firstly, any work involved in a flooring project will require a lot of bending over, squats, and lifting heavy objects, so please – watch your back! A back injury may stay with you for the rest of your life, especially if you’re over 30 years old. So, please remember – always lift with your knees, never with your back! Also, please exercise common sense and look out for yourself!
Take your time when sanding wood – sanding takes time and cannot be rushed. You first need to start with lower grit and work your way up. Don’t rush it! If you’re impatient and go too fast, you can severely damage your floor. Any imperfections left after sanding will be visible on your floor forever – or at least until you install new floor boards.
Pay special attention to the corners. A regular sander will not be able to completely and evenly sand corners of your wood floor. Special equipment is necessary for both corners and edges. If you do not have the right sander, you might need to take the hands-on approach and sand the corners by hand with a scraper – it will take time an effort but will pay off in the end by looking good.
Make sure your floor is dust-free. If you leave any dust on your floor prior to staining or sealing, the dust can get stuck between the floor and the poly, thus giving your floor a dirty look.
Lastly, remember to stain the floor after you’re done! Thin layers with a staining pad will always be better than a thick one, you can always apply more stain if you want to make it darker. Also, make sure you think over your strategy – you don’t want to get stuck in the corner on the opposite side of the room from your door, otherwise you’ll be stuck there waiting for hours until the last coat dries! So always work at the side without the exit and work your way out the door.
Good luck with your project – if you decide to use professional help, please call us at (773) 209-7499!