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Use a random orbital sander to sand the floor three times, using a lighter-grit abrasive with each pass. Remove dust with a heavy-duty shop vac followed by rags dampened with mineral spirits. Apply stain to the hardwood floor in one 2-foot section at a time using a lambswool applicator.
Do I have to sand my hardwood floors before staining?
Yes. When you want to stain or change the color of your hardwood floors, you MUST fully sand and refinish the floors. If you don’t sand the floors first, the stain won’t properly penetrate the hardwood nor will the polyurethane properly adhere. This is the ONLY way to change the color of your hardwood floors.
How do you prep a wood floor for staining?
Prepare the Floor for Refinishing. Take the following steps before wood floor refinishing. Pull Up the Shoe Base Moulding. Rough-Sand the Floor. Sand the Edges and Corners. Screen Sand the Floor. Remove All Dust. Apply the Wood Stain. Apply the Finish.
Can I sand hardwood floors with a hand sander?
The palm sander is definitely the most common tool for sanding a wooden floor by hand. Palm sanders also oscillate, however, unlike orbital random sanders, the pad of the palm sander is fixed straight.
What grit sandpaper do you use to refinish hardwood floors?
Start with 36-grit sandpaper for a floor that hasn’t been sanded in a long time or that has a lot of heavy finish on it. Floors that have been painted may even require you to go tougher and use 24 or 16-grit paper. Maple floors are so hard that they often require 36-grit sandpaper as well.
Is it worth refinishing hardwood floors yourself?
If you only have some minor scratches and dings or a dull finish, you might be able to simply buff and add a new coat of varnish. But, even if your floors need a complete makeover, refinishing hardwood is a very manageable and rewarding do-it-yourself job that can save a lot of money.
What is the cheapest way to refinish hardwood floors?
Applying a revitalizer gloss is the simplest and cheapest way to refinish hardwood floors. This approach works best on floors that only have surface-level scratches and other minor wear and tear issues. You can get the job done without the need for equipment rentals or hard-to-find materials.
Can I refinish my hardwood floors without sanding?
The best way to refinish wood floors without sanding is to use a technique called screen and recoat. This involves scuffing up the finish with a floor buffer and applying a refresher coat of finish. The former is a proven floor restoration method, while the latter is the “Hail Mary” pass of floor care.
How much should you sand before staining?
On most raw woods, start sanding in the direction of the grain using a #120-150 grit paper before staining and work up to #220 grit paper. Soft woods such as pine and alder: start with #120 and finish with no finer than #220 (for water base stains) and 180 grit for oil base stains.
How many sandpaper do you need to sand a floor?
Most sanding jobs start with around 36 or 40 grit sandpaper, working up to around 120 grit for the final sand. If you or your contractor aren’t using a dust-free sanding machine, remember to remove all the dust with a vacuum cleaner between every sandpaper grade change.
Should I use mineral spirits after sanding?
Mineral spirits can also be used for cleaning wood projects, before applying any finish. This provides an excellent way of cleaning the wood’s surface. The best way to get a clean surface, which is ready for staining or varnishing, is to use mineral spirits after sanding is complete.
How do you clean 100 year old hardwood floors?
Spray a small amount of hardwood cleaner onto the floor, and then wipe the floor down with a dry terry cloth mop or dust mop. If your floor is riddled with spots, stains, scuff marks, or debris, remove them with mineral spirits and then mop the area thoroughly.
How do you sand and refinish hardwood floors yourself?
Can old hardwood floors be refinished?
The hardwood floor refinishing process is easier and less expensive than sanding down to bare wood and takes less time. In a few hours, your floors will look as good as new. With either finish, we recommend a fresh coat every two years or whenever the floor looks worn.
What kind of sander should I use on hardwood floors?
Unless you plan to sand many floors in your lifetime, your best choice of floor sander is the random orbital sander from one maker in particular. Unless you plan to sand many floors in your lifetime, the best choice for do-it-yourself floor refinishing is the random orbital sander.
What is the best sander for sanding a floor?
Top 5 Best Sanders for Floors Makita 9403 4″ x 24″ Belt Sander. Bosch 1250DEVS Random Orbital Sander. Clarke Ez-8 Floor Drum Sander.
What kind of sander is best for floors?
If you need to screen a floor in preparation for a new top coat of clear finish, an orbital sander is the right machine. These sanders typically have a rectangular sanding surface, so they’re better able to get to the edges of a floor and into corners than drum sanders.
Can you go from 60 grit to 120 grit?
That will actually take longer because the finer grit will be much less effective at removing the initial sanding marks. Perform a final sanding pass using a very fine grit – 220 to 240 (I prefer 220 grit).Going Through the Grits. Grit Coarseness Level 40-60 Coarse 80-120 Medium 150-180 Fine 220-240 Very Fine.
How long does it take to sand a floor with an orbital sander?
How long does it take to sand a floor with an orbital sander? Unless your floor is in flat and in very good condition, an orbital sander is going to increase your refinishing time but 2-3 times. Let’s say 2-4 days per room as opposed to 1-2 days with a full sanding kit. For handheld orbitals, double that again.
What is the best time of year to refinish hardwood floors?
If I had to pick an ideal time, I would say spring or fall when the indoor temperature is most consistent with outdoor temperature and it’s often easy to open the windows (after the work is complete) to help air out the smell faster. But, really, sanding and refinishing hardwood can take place any time of year.
