Table of Contents
How can I refinish my hardwood floors myself?
Prep the Room. Remove all furniture, window treatments and rugs. Patch and Repair. Check the floor for larger holes or cracks and repair using wood filler and a spackle knife. Sand the Floor. Buff the Floor. Prep for Sealer or Stain. Apply Stain (Optional) Seal the Floor.
Can I sand and refinish my hardwood floors myself?
If the scratches don’t go all the way through to the wood, you can scuff-sand your floors with a buffer and apply a fresh coat or two of finish. 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.
How much does it cost to refinish a hardwood floor yourself?
Refinishing your floors yourself can cost between $500 and $1,000 depending on square footage. You can expect to pay a professional $3 to $4 per square foot to complete the same project.
Can you refinish a wood floor 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.
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.
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.
Can I sand wood floors with a hand sander?
The palm sander is definitely the most common tool for sanding a wooden floor by hand. Use it with a coarser sandpaper grit for a lot of efficiency and quick results. Palm sanders also have a square edge, which means you can sand right into the corners of the floor.
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.
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.
How many coats of stain do I need for hardwood floors?
How many coats will be applied? The standard for a hardwood floor is at least three coats. This consists of one seal coat (which may be the stain) and two coats of finish. Additional costs of finish may be applied depending on the need.
When can I walk on refinished hardwood floors?
How long before I can walk on my refinished/finished hardwood floors? On average, you can walk on the floors 24 hours after the application of the final coat. We recommend you wear socks only.
Is it worth refinishing hardwood floors?
Is It Worth It To Refinish Your Hardwood Floors? Yes, it’s worth refinishing hardwood floors instead of replacing them. Refinishing is cost-effective, it’s quicker, and it’s a lot easier because it requires less labor.
Can you refinish floors one room at a time?
If your wood floors continue into other rooms of the home, you cannot sand, stain and refinish the one area. The only way to refinish one room is to install a transition piece (or if there’s one in place already).
What is the difference between refinishing and resurfacing wood floors?
What’s the Difference? Refinishing involves sanding down the uppermost layer of the floor and applying fresh stain and lacquer over the existing wood. Resurfacing your floor involves more than just putting a layer of polish on top.
Can you use an orbital sander on hardwood floors?
Random orbital sanders are the best choice for do-it-yourself hardwood floor refinishing. They take longer to remove old finishes than drum sanders, but they do not require a lot of experience to use and are less likely to damage your wood floor. Just be sure to keep the sander level at all times.
How much does it cost to sand and refinish a hardwood floor?
If your hardwood floors are dull, scratched, and looking old, it’s probably time to refinish them. According to HomeAdvisor, the typical price range to refinish hardwood floors is between $1,074 and $2,485, with the national average at $1,757. This comes out to $3 to $8 per square foot, including materials and labor.
How much does it cost to refinish $1000 square feet of hardwood floors?
Cost per square foot to refinish hardwood floors: Flooring square footage Average cost 751 – 1000 sq. ft. $2,100 1001 – 1500 sq. ft. $2,350 1501 – 2000 sq. ft. $3,500 2001 – 3000 sq. ft. $5,000.
What is the next step after sanding hardwood floors?
After sanding, fill in holes in the floor with wood putty or wood filler. Be sure to work in well-ventilated rooms when sanding or applying stain or finish. Spot test the stain or finish to see what it looks like on the floor before applying a coat.
Can you sleep in house after polyurethane?
We recommend a minimum of 2 days of socks-only traffic for floors finished with oil polyurethane. The house is not inhabitable for a minimum of 2 days after the job is completed, and better to stay out for at least 5 as the fumes/off-gassing is not advisable to breathe in, even if there are other rooms to sleep in.
