I just housebroke two puppies, so I can finally rip up those smelly rugs and begin to refinish my hardwood floors. My husband and I ripped up the carpet last night and took the tack strip off as well as all of the staples. I just banged down all of the nails that were coming up. Now, I know I’m supposed to sand the floor down, but I honestly don’t know how. My hubby left me the electric sander and sandpaper which I figured out how to put together – but have no idea how to use it. I know you have to turn it on, that parts obvious, but I don’t know how much pressure to apply with the sander. There are stains of paint and who knows what to sand out. Also, there is some buckling in some spots from water damage. Can that be sanded down and finished like the rest of the floor, or do those planks have to be replaced? I’m a novice, so any advice would be helpful – any advice!! Thanks so much.
I have sanded, stained, poly’d, sanded, and poly’d again. My question is, what (if anything) should I apply to the floors once the last coat of poly has dried for a few days? Is there anything that needs to go on after? After I did the first coat the floor was like an ice skating rink, I dont want it to be that way after the last coat and stay that way. Thanks for the input.
Ok, thanks a lot EaglesDen.
My husband and I bought an old house built in 1950 . We have recently discovered that there is hardwood flooring under the carpet. We have since ripped it up and have decided to refinish the floor ourselves. We have called the local hardware store and have found they have a sander we can rent. Can anyone give me some advice on the proper method of getting these floors to look great again?
Hey I’m looking to refinish my room, it is all old old hardwood flooring rough, with 2 inch cracks inbetween the boards in places. What I want to do is smooth in all the cracks, sand it down and then add some clearcoat or something to give it the hardwood floor shine. I am not completely sure on the steps, but my plan is to use a belt sander to smooth everything out as best I can, and then add clearcoat. This would not fix the cracks though, how would you go about accomplishing this? Thanks.
