Sanding hardwood floors is done for many reasons some of which are, removing stains, refinishing old floors or just plain maintenance. This is a complex procedure no matter what some may say and it is strongly recommended to hire a professional. But, at the same time it will help you to know the details of how the job needs to be done well so you can make sure if all the necessary steps have been followed.

Preparing for Sanding Hardwood Floors

Check the floor for nail heads or any other hard object that may interfere with the sanding process.

Cover any lamps hanging from the ceiling to save it from being covered with dust.

Everything must be removed from the room prior to beginning the sanding process.

Sometimes varnish is used to remove as much as possible of the old finish before sanding but this is optional as it is yet another complex procedure that some professionals may not consider.

Tools for Sanding Hardwood Floors

Whether you are doing it yourself or you are hiring a professional the best tool to use for sanding hardwood floors is a drum sander. This machine is specially designed to work on the texture and grain of the wood plank on your floor.

There are a couple of disadvantages when using a drum sander and they are:

It cannot reach corners which means one will have to do those with a small sander or manually.

When stopped, it creates a slight dent with its weight if not handled appropriately.

Sanding hardwood floors needs to be done a couple of times with different types of sand paper such as:

The first round of sanding is done to remove any old finish and stains that are on the floor.

The second will achieve the desired finish you were looking to achieve. Sometimes a third and even a fourth round is needed depending on how damaged the floor is.

The finishing of sanding hardwood floors is done with special substances such as urethane for a great look and further maintenance.

Sanding hardwood floors is a long process that can take up to couple of days. Even if you do end up hiring a professional for the job, it will still include many small jobs for you such as cleaning the dust and other such things. However, the trouble is well worth it in the end.

Maintenance is crucial to assuring a long life for your hardwood floors as neglecting it can cost you a lot more in the future. So, why not invest today and start sanding your old hardwood floor to give it a brand new look.

Hardwood floors are designed to be strong and durable. They are meant to shine and continue to shine for many years, despite wear and tear. However, even the strongest of hardwood floors need to be restored and refurbished every now and again.

The following tips on restoring hardwood floor boards will give you the help you need to restore your floor. With these tips on restoring hardwood floor boards, you’ll learn what hardwood flooring’s worst enemies are, you’ll know what cleaners to watch out for and you’ll learn how to put the care and work needed to make your hardwood floor shine like new again.

Hardwood’s Worst Enemies

The first tip for restoring hardwood floor boards is to watch out for certain things dubbed as hardwood flooring’s worst enemies. These enemies include sand, dirt and grit. When a hardwood floor gets dirty, and you walk on this dirt, your feet act like sand paper, causing scratches and other marks that can mar your hardwood floor’s appearance. A scratched hardwood floor hardly resembles the shiny, durable floor you once had installed.

Wipe With a Damp Cloth

The fact is, when a hardwood floor is installed, a clear finishing coat is placed over it. When you walk on the floor, you’re actually walking on that finish, not on the floor itself. As the dirt under your feet scratches the floor, it scratches that finish. Over time, that finish can wear away and expose the wood underneath.

To prevent this from happening, when restoring hardwood floor boards, make sure the floor is free of dirt and dust. Whether the flooring needs restoring or not, you should occasionally run a damp mop or cloth over the finish to ensure that the wearing away from dirt never occurs.

Avoid Pools of Water

That brings us to the second tip for restoring hardwood floor boards. When cleaning your floor, only use a damp mop or cloth. Never pool water onto the floor as pools of standing water can cause the floor to warp or appear worn. Always mop up spills immediately and if your floor is next to a sink, consider placing a rug over that spot to prevent water damage from occurring.

The third tip on restoring hardwood floor boards includes buffing the finishing coat to a thin layer so that a new coat of finish will stick. You can use a small handheld buffer to do the job.

The fourth tip on restoring hardwood floor boards includes getting some hardwood floor finish. You should be able to find some do-it-yourself finish at your local hardwood store. A thin coat is all that is necessary and you should allow it to dry at least overnight before you subject your floor to heavy traffic.

Read Product Labels

The final restoring hardwood floor tip is to read the labels before applying anything to your floor. Before you use a cleaning or finishing product to your floor, make sure it won’t harm your floor. If you’re not sure of how safe the product is, ask the floor manufacturer or an expert in the refinishing field. By taking precautions, you can protect your floor from spotting, wearing or warping.

These restoring hardwood floor tips are intended to bring the shine back to your hardwood floor that you once enjoyed so much. A nice hardwood floor brings a certain element to any room that can’t be replicated with carpet.

Hardwood floors can be restored but the best way to keep a hardwood floor looking great is with a little preventative maintenance.

It is often known that a hardwood floor, no matter how good it is, would most probably give way to all sorts of problems after some time. Ranging from minor damages to major problems, these complications can sometimes cost a fortune; but not if you know about repairing a hardwood floor yourself.

Repairing a hardwood floor is not something very hard to do; basically you just need to do a little reading and purchase a do-it-yourself kit. Magazines like Floor Covering Weekly publish weekly lists of professionals and famous floor designers, who seem to offer this service at affordable prices.

Self-Inspection If you suspect problems with your flooring, you can just call for a professional inspection to determine the extent of the damage. Or if you have time, you can join the inspection schools yourself. One of the most comprehensive wood flooring inspection schools offered is through the National Wood Flooring Association Certified Professionals training program, which are offered throughout the country. They will teach you about identifying the problem, finding the sources and repairing a hardwood floor yourself, Known Problems Some known problems that occur in hardwood floors, that can be easily repaired, are split or cracked wood, gaps between planks, buckling wood, wash boarding wood, loose wood planks, scratches, and many more. Each of these problems basically needs a few simple steps before you are on your way to repairing a hardwood floor that doesn’t cost much money or time. For split or cracked woods, the easiest way to solve it is to repair with some angled nails to secure the two pieces and wood putty. If the crack is very serious, there might be a need to replace the whole plank rather than just changing the nails. Sometimes there might be gaps between the wood, and repairing a hardwood floor with this problem is not so hard as well. Mostly these gaps are caused by wet or humid weather, and the effect on the wood can be very nasty if left untreated. Just simply changing the planks would do; but before changing, make sure the place has been cleaned thoroughly. Sometimes, injecting adhesive to cover the gaps can also be a solution. This gap problem could also lead to loose wood planks. When it comes to this, repairing is almost similar; you can either replace the planks, or fix them with angled nails to secure the pieces to their places. Extremely loose planks should not be kept long, because they would generally lead to further problems.