How To Repair Worn Wood Floors

UPDATED 31Jul2020 + video below

Q: Is there some like shooting fish in a barrel way to fix worn oak floors in our house? We'd like to do the work ourselves, ideally without renting a big floor sander.

poly shades — This close-upward images shows dark dark-brown stain being rubbed into a worn pine floor before recoating with urethane. This is much easier than sanding back to blank wood, and the results look amazing.

A: Too many people assume that worn wood floors need to exist completely sanded to wait practiced again, but that's not necessarily truthful. Sometimes at that place are alternatives. Before you resign yourself to the mess, disruption and expense of a full-diddled refinishing job, might too endeavour something simpler starting time. If it doesn't work, you've lost little.

Is the surface varnish still in identify over your floors and but scratched? This is the perfect state of affairs for a wipe-on flooring rejuvenator product. The one I've used most often is Minwax Hardwood Floor Reviver, and information technology hides surface scratching well. In that location are limits to what products like these can practice, and so you may need to footstep upwardly your efforts if in that location'south anything more surface clothing.

Is the varnish and stain worn through, exposing unstained wood? I've had great results only rubbing stain into worn areas like these, then recoating the entire floor with the same kind of varnish that was used originally. Yous'll terminate upward with a distressed look, but the colour will be even and the results are pretty attractive with minimal hassles. I apply a product called Polyshades for this and information technology works beautifully. Information technology'due south not officially rated for apply on floors, but don't allow that end yous.

If you find that complete resanding is necessary, several minor tools can exist used. I've used a hand-held belt sander, a pair of kneepads and a random-orbit sander to refinish floors and it works. Put a zippered plastic dust curtain over the doorway, then begin with an 80-grit abrasive for your initial set on. It's hard work, just less risky and more than convenient than renting a large machine.

Switch to a 100-dust chugalug and go over the floor again, but this fourth dimension with a floodlight shining across the forest at a shallow angle. This highlights areas you might have missed during the offset sanding passes. If you find that this hands-and-knees piece of work is too much for you, consider renting a walk-behind, vibrating pad flooring sander, rather than a drum-style floor sander. Vibrating pad models are easier to use and less likely to accidentally cut grooves in the flooring.

Click below to watch a video lesson on how I revive floors without sanding dorsum to blank woods. It'south faster and less expensive that a complete sanding job, and in some means it even looks better.