| |
Hardwood Floor Refinishing - For The Faint Of Heart
By Eileen Church
Are your beautiful hardwood floors not so beautiful anymore? Maybe they just need a refinishing job. It can be a daunting task, but here are some ideas to make it a little easier.
If your hardwood floors are in dire need of refinishing, get a few estimates from professionals. You may be surprised at the figures. You'll want to sit down when they tell you it will cost you $1200 to have your living room redone. You could carpet over it for less, but doesn't carpeting over beautiful hardwood floors seem, well, wrong?
Contrary to what you may have heard, the finish doesn't take days and days to dry. It's quite simple actually. Go to your favorite local home improvement store, Lowe's, Menard's, Home Depot or other. Rent a sander. You'll need a drum sander, a belt sander or both. They will explain to you how to use the machine and tell you what kind of sand paper to purchase. They will also tell you what kind of stain and finish to get. Make sure you also pick up some dust masks because you will have saw dust everywhere.
The sanders are very easy to use. They're a bit on the loud side. The key is to keep it moving at all times. Do not stop or you will get a divot in your wood. Think of it like a clothes iron. You need to keep it moving or you will burn your clothes. Same deal with the sander. It creates a lot of heat and you will burn or dent your floors if you hesitate in one place too long.
You will feel like a Zamboni driver smoothing out your surface. Word of caution, you do need to maintain control of the machine at all times. It is self propelled, like a lawn mower or a basset hound on a leash. When you power it up, hold on to the machine tightly. Don't be afraid of it and after a few passes, you'll start to even have fun.
First you need to remove the old finish, base coat, color, and top coat. You may opt to forgo the color (stain) and just use the nature color of the wood. You will still need to apply a finish to it.
There are basically two types of floor finishes: one is oil-based and the other is water-based polyurethane. Oil-based is available in a satin, semi-gloss or gloss finish. Satin works well on floors because it hides small flaws and lets the natural beauty of the wood show without a bright shine. Oil-based also produces a warm amber look that gives you the traditional glow of wood floors. Water-based polyurethane dries clear and resists yellowing. Water-based also dries quicker.
Make sure you let each coat thoroughly dry before applying the next; same as you would nail polish. Give your floor at least 24-36 hours before moving furniture back on it. It will continue to harden in the first couple of weeks.
Don't be overwhelmed. Instead of looking at refinishing your hardwood floors as a humungous job, look at it as giving your room a manicure, one step at a time. You'll also save yourself as much as $1,000 by doing it yourself.
About the Author
Eileen Church loves to work with wood. She is the webmaster of http://www.funwoodworks.com which is the premier woodwork and woodworking site on the internet. Please visit http://www.funwoodworks.com for some excellent woodworking resources.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/10446.html
| If you wish to add the above article to your website or newsletters then please include the "Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/10446.html" as shown above and make it hyperlinked. |
| Some other articles by Eileen Church | Keeping Tropical Fish - A New Adventure?
Did you know that the keeping of fish dates back to antiquity? It may be true but only recently has the activity become popular ...
The Maligned Potato: Respect At Last?
Ah, the poor, maligned potato! Beaten up by dieters (especially the low-carb variety), nutritionists and other experts as being "ok in moderation", the ...
Internet Romance - Good Idea Or Bad?
Mary's quest in finding a suitable partner for romance seemed impossible. She found the singles scene at clubs to be uncomfortable and her social circle seemed to consist of more ...
Belgium And Beer: Made For Each Other
In addition to some wonderful history, the country of Belgium is "The Beer country". Bordering France, Luxembourg, Germany and The Netherlands, Belgium is in the heart of Europe. This ...
Coffee: Is It Getting Too Complicated?
Plain coffee is fast becoming a thing of the past. It's now quite simple to whip up a gourmet hot beverage for guest, family, or just for yourself. Nowadays there are a ...
Common Sense Fire Safety
This will come as no great surprise, but did you know that the majority of house fires are the result of cooking? In fact, studies show that cooking ...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
