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Although refinishing hardwood floors can be a bit time-consuming if you do the job yourself, it can really save you a lot of money, and the results can be beautiful. Even if your floors are in bad shape, such as if your wide plank wood flooring has become worn and damaged, the efforts you spend on your hardwood floors refinishing project will pay off big with a shiny new look for your previously worn-looking flooring.

The first step to hardwood floors refinishing is to first remove all of the furniture from the room, and then remove any carpeting or throw rugs. In order to prevent injury or possible damage to the equipment, inspect the flooring carefully for any loose nails, and make sure to use a countersink to pound them below the surface of the wood flooring.

Depending on your level of skills, you will need to determine whether to use a drum sander or an orbital sander designed for hardwood floor refinishing. Although a drum sander works fast, it sometimes can be difficult and heavy to handle, and could cause you to sand more wood off the floor than you actually intended. If you are renting a sander from a rental shop, see if you can get a demonstration of both first, so that you can better decide what might be best for you. You will also need an edge sander for getting close to the edges of the room.

When using a floor sander, always make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Basic tips for using a sander involve always keeping the sander moving, to avoid over-sanding the floor, and following the grain of the wood. This means if you have flooring such as wide plank wood flooring, you will want to follow the pattern of the boards until you have the entire floor sanded. Start with a coarse grit sandpaper, then sand the floor again with a medium grit. Use the edge sander, fill in any cracks or dents with wood putty, let dry, and then sand once last time with fine grit sandpaper. Make sure to vacuum thoroughly to remove all dust.

Once the floor has been carefully sanded and cleaned, you can re-stain the wood floor, using a rag to apply it with the grain, and a second rag to remove the excess stain, changing to a new rag when it becomes too wet. After allowing the stain to dry overnight, or according to the manufacturer’s directions, you can apply the final wood finish, usually in several coats, allowing it to dry thoroughly between coats.

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