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Home, 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.
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You may want to try these websites for additional information
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The information provided in this article is the express opinion of the author. Exchangenet is not responsible for the content!
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.
These articles on lifestyle and more
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Return to the selection of home
You may want to try these articles on home
Home, Variety Of Choice Of Bathroom Countertop: Making Your Own Way by Cherdkiat Taesookavat Approximately 597 Words
Home, Carpet Care Basics by Marlon Allen Approximately 365 Words
Home, Hardwood Flooring On A Budget by Marlon Allen Approximately 341 Words
Home, Choices In Carpet by Marlon Allen Approximately 639 Words
Home, Relax With A Wind Chime Garden by Stephen Betzen Approximately 850 Words
Home, Choosing Wicker Furniture For Your Porch by Gabriel Adams Approximately 316 Words
Home, Good Hot Tub Maintenance by Thomas Oak Approximately 428 Words
Home, How To Spot Quality Furniture by Megan Cherry Approximately 472 Words
You may want to try these websites for additional information
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
http://www.usatoday.com/
http://java.sun.com/
The information provided in this article is the express opinion of the author. Exchangenet is not responsible for the content!