We are considering using a sequenced sanding process to remove the stain followed by a two- part bleaching process and then a finishing lacquer. Be the first to know about our latest sales & promotions. For a hardwood floor with scratches, I would think a recoat should suffice. Repairing hardwood floors can be a daunting task. Tape plastic over ducts to keep sanding dust out. Repair hollow or raised spots in the floor using an engineered wood repair kit. 2.0.6 Apply Wood Stain Evenly. Do this by gently inserting a molding bar between the floor and trim, and gently prying it away. together two inner-core layers of plywood with a hardwood veneer Screening and recoating involves removing the old coat by abrading it with a floor buffer instead of doing a full sanding, and then adding a new layer of water-based polyurethane. This is usually the final grit for most standard hardwood floors. There are a lot of So After youve drum-sanded at 36-grit, for example, edge with 36-grit. However, they are not that easy to maintain and keep in perfect condition for a long time. Once youve selected two areas and taped them off, get a 120-grit screen and thoroughly sand the area. You want to start with a more abrasive grit and then use successively finer grits. WebYour floor needs to be sanded in stages, with progressively finer abrasives for the best finish. The exact method you use isnt as important as making sure there is absolutely no dust or dirt on the floor that could mar the final finish. Waxing may make engineered hardwood If you're still not sure, after reading this article, exactly what engineered wood is, then you should read this. Some of the prep work is obvious, like removing all the furniture and covering doorways with plastic. If youre using oil-based products, its recommended to use at least two coats, and at least three for water-based options. Would no acids in the ingredients list automatically mean a low pH or did that sentence refer to two separate ingredients to avoid? A dull edging disc is even worse, since it wont remove the ugly cross-grain scratches left by the previous disc. WebNorton Durite 16 Grit 12 Inch (11-7/8 x 29-1/2) BD-12 Floor Sanding Belts. attract even more dirt. You think you wont notice this, but you will. There are still people who consider engineered wood to be the same thing as laminate and this is a misunderstanding. A floor edger sands right up close to the baseboard. Here are some of my most important tips on how to sand hardwood floors. This sander is easier to handle than a drum sander and eliminates directional scratches. water-based engineered hardwood floor cleaners and other non-abrasive These are especially good choices in historic homesbecause they can take extra coats over time without sanding; an older home that doesn't have much thickness left in the floor may require this type of finish. swirl marks) in the wood, or if the finish has worn down to the wood in certain areas. are made of a solid plank of wood and are therefore the best candidate for refinishing. Choose a protective coat of wood finish, weighing the following factors. Fresh, sharp belts sand faster and deliver better results. 36 grit: A good starting grit for newly installed floors or floors without finish but have a lot of over wood. Its a big job that creates big disruptions in your household. During this second round, it can be hard to see The floor finish you choose determines the look of the floor when refinishing it. For example, if youd like the finish grit to be 80, your sequence can be 36-50-80. Sanding is faster. There are some precautions you may want to consider to With a long weekend, the right preparation, and a bit of elbow grease, you can transform a room and save a bit of money by refinishing hardwood floors on your own. Use the soft Guidelines for Regular Maintenance of Thanks for reading. Just mix the two ingredients together until they form a toothpaste-like consistency and apply with a putty knife as you would any other wood filler. Nail down any loose boards with finish nails. Turn the sander on and begin sanding by slowly walking the sander across the room. Label the base shoe as you remove it to avoid confusion when you reinstall it. Using dull belts is a strategy youll regret. When deciding which one to use, first consider your experience level. a floor that was underneath carpet) or several coats of paint. This method is a bit risky though; the baseboards may have been replaced when the floor was previously refinished for aesthetic reasons, and you still wont know the current thickness of the floor. While our color tones start out uniform, the aging process begins immediately upon unpacking, Almost 90% of your success with a hardwood floor refinishing project will come down to preparation, so its important to take it slow and with the proper care from the beginning. The edger is basically a sanding disc mounted on a big, powerful motor. use a lambswool floor buffer to bring back the mirror finish. Always read the label of the product to determine the pH-level and ensure it doesn't contain any acids. 36-grit is typical, though you can use anything between 30 and 40 grit. 80 grit: Takes out the scratch from 60-grit sandpaper. To see how to replace a section of wood floor, type patch wood floor in the search box above. If not, its time to start refinishing. It cant be thinner than 3mm. Its hard to think of a home improvement project that doesnt involve sandpaper. Consider floor care and refinishing tool rental to get your project done. Thats tedious and often leads to chatter marks on the floor. chemicals. A medium or fine grade works best for most projects around the house. damage. The first grit is meant to take off any finish, the next is to smooth out the pattern of the first grit, and the final grit is meant to smooth out any remaining sander marks and provide the finishing touches. Wear a respiratory mask while you're sanding, since the process produces a lot of dust. Find protruding nails by sliding the blade of a putty knife across the floor. Consider these tips when refinishing hardwood floors. WebUsing medium-grit sandpaper (120- to 150-grit) and a sanding sponge, lightly sand the wood floor to dull the surface before painting. Get pads at the rental store. 30-36-40: coarse Finally, cost can be a differentiator. Grit measures sandpapers coarseness, determined by the size of the abrasive particles on its surface. 2.0.4 Clean Up Dust And Hair. Turn off the HVAC system at the thermostat; less air movement means less dust traveling around your house. What makes engineered wood flooring any different is its advanced structure. Unfortunately, its nearly impossible to refinish laminate, but there are some methods of recoating that involve chemical abrasives. Get a drum sander that uses a continuous belt or sleeve, not one that requires you to wrap a strip of abrasive around the drum. In terms of application, each has pros and cons as well. Bleach formulated for wood floors may be worth a try, but in my experience the results are mediocre at best, and at worst, the wood is left pitted and blotched. Need Help? Water stains usually disappear after a couple of passes of the sander. Either way, the abrasive to use is 120- or 150-grit sanding screen (again, just like the stuff used on drywall). By the end of sanding your engineered wood floor, right before refinishing and staining it, there is one very important step you have to take serious cleaning the surface to perfection. Spot sanding and touching up is very difficult to blend back in. Hiring a pro costs from $3 to $4 per sq. Unfortunately, pet stains often dont come out. WebAbout Reward Flooring. Unit Size: 10. Deziel has also published science content and is an avid musician. And people want that changed, so this is how engineered wood flooring was designed and common choice for many nowadays. with 120-grit sanding screen. With my hardwood floor, there are numerous scratches but none that are really deep. Random Orbital Sander vs. Palm Sander: Whats the Difference? If youre satisfied with the finish and it doesnt flake off when you gently scrape, go ahead with a recoat. Pull up all the heating grates and any old carpet tacks before you sand. Move the furniture and pull up any carpeting or rugs in the room. The higher the number, the finer the grit. require less upkeep than traditional hardwood floors. Can take out the scratch from 120-grit or 100-grit sandpaper if necessary. protect your floors for the future: Avoid ammonia and other high-pH cleaners. Learn how your comment data is processed. And you may not discover this until you put a finish on the floor. Use an 80-grit or finer sanding pad for this pass, and then repeat with the edge. Keep the buffer in motion at all times to avoid leaving any marks. microfiber or sponge mop. You can even do two rounds if you want the smoothest finish possible--once with 80 grit, and once with 100. Once you know what type of floor you have, its a good idea to evaluate if a total refinish or a more subdued screen and recoat is necessary. Our standard widths vary from 5-12 and our lengths vary from 4-10. Its But its really not that difficult. Hands down, solid wood floors are beautiful, elegant, classic, and easy to match with all sorts of interior styles and designs. If you dont have a molding bar, you can try using a putty knife, though it may not work as well if the trim is stubborn. Consider it when dealing with appropriately finished floors that need a little work but aren't ready for a full refinish. An edger can be difficult to control, so practice your technique on scrap wood first. after the cleaning is done. If that doesnt completely remove the finish in one pass, step down to 24-grit. Make sure to keep track of where the holes are, and if you find any other imperfections keep track of those as well, so you can fill them in after your first round of sanding. Painters and refinishers need it to remove old finishes and polish new ones. But beware: That can overpolish the wood so it wont take finish the same as the surrounding wood. In most cases yes. Always wear a dust mask, safety goggles and ear protection when using a drum sander. We recommend our users to update the browser. moisture. Neither is superior to the other--it really just comes down to preference. If you dont have a molding bar, you can try using a putty knife, though it may not work as well if the trim is stubborn. Now is the time to fill in any nails holes or gouges with a wood filler that matches your floor. It should go without saying though, that you shouldnt use any oil- or chemical-based cleaners on the floor as they may affect the ability of the final layer to adhere to the wood. Replace the abrasive belt after sanding about 250 square feet for most effective results. You can even use it in a pinch to sharpen tools or file your fingernails! Engineered Hardwood Floors, Removing Dirt and Returning the Shine tricky process so you may need to hire professionals. A couple coats of new finish are then Check for squeaks and secure loose floorboards with. Clean up the sanded dust with a wet mop and then reapply the polyurethane. Its often a good idea to practice at home before starting. Art Prints, White Propeller Ceiling Fans Without Lights, Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Hammer down protruding nails. This guide will walk you through every step of the process -- from determining if a hardwood floor refinishing is the best option for you, to adding the last coat of finishing product. Removing the base shoe sidesteps both problems. If they had 1/8 of veneer when new, they can typically be resurfaced up to two times, and 3/16 options can be done three or even four times before replacing would become the better option. Ive helped hundreds of homeownerssome of them complete DIY novicessuccessfully prep their floors for a new finish. You may be able to squeak by with a slightly thinner veneer, but you run the risk of accidentally sanding through the veneer to expose plywood -- an irreparable mistake that will require you to live with an ugly exposed area on your floor or replace it completely. Sanding and stripping require coarse sandpaper with a grit of 40 to 60 grit; smoothing surfaces and removing small imperfections require 80 to 120 grit sandpaper. Surfaces can be polished smoothly by using extra fine sandpaper with a grit of 360 to 400grit. Do this by gently inserting a molding bar between the floor and trim, and gently prying it away. You should use warm water and a But dont waste your time. Use plastic sheeting to seal doors to keep dust from the rest of the house. If you dont sand deep enough, youll end up with a dingy floor.. applied. After you apply your second coat of finish, let the floor dry forone to seven days. You can use a random-orbital sander to buff the edges. The best way to know if your floor should be recoated or refinished is to run a simple test. The CAMI and the FEPA use different grit numbers, and those of the latter are typically preceded by the letter P. In the CAMI system, sandpaper grits range from 24 to 1,000 (and sometimes higher), which corresponds to P12 to P2,500 in the FEPA system. To detect nails drag a metal snow shovel across the floor (upside down). and applying a new protective covering. You don't have to be a professional Some of the common types of sanding machines that come in handy during an engineered wood floor sanding process include the classic and more heavy-duty belt and disc sanders for the start of the project that removes the traces of old finish and all more major imperfections such as scratches, dents, and stains. The natural oxidation that occurs as oils evaporate from a pile of rags can cause a fire under the right conditions! attachment of your vacuum cleaner to prevent scratching, which can Here are some steps DIYers often dont think of: Rent a drum sander with continuous belts and a lift-lower lever for better control. surface and cause irreparable damage. You can certainly re-sand with a 36grd. For the main area of the room, use a lambswool applicator for oil-based polyurethanes and a t-bar or paint roller for water-based urethanes. Hardwood Floors, How to Choose the Best Wood Floor Tip: If the room has no shoe base moulding, either remove the base moulding or take care not to damage it when operating the sander. Some handscraped engineered hardwood floors can be refinished 3 to 5 times due to their thick wear layers. Updated Jan 16, 2023. If the floor is old, very hard, or has residual finish, it can be a bit trickier to determine the right sequence. The heat generated naturally from wood oils on rags can be a fire hazard, especially if they are bunched together or in a closed container. Dull paper wont remove swirls left by the previous grit. floors look yellow and could prevent you from recoating the floor in Repeatedly. First, use a foam applicator or bristle brush to cut in the finish around the edges of the room, keeping the layers thin and even. Check it out! information would be very appreciated. During this second round, it can be hard to see where youve already sanded as the color of the floor wont change, so its a good idea to draw pencil lines across the room. The dirt and dust particles will stay trapped between the floors surface and the finish and it will be impossible to remove them later on. So the best way to judge is by square footage covered. Heres the problem: After the floor finish is gone, you cant see whether the sander is doing its job. Be sure to work in well-ventilated rooms when sanding or applying stain or finish. This time, take extra care to clean everything thoroughly, as the next step will be to apply a finishing agent. Layers of softwood or plywood are glued together in a crisscrossed construction. The first hardwood lookalike is laminate. Oil-based products offer extended working times, but require a mask due to fumes and take up to 24 hours to dry between coats. Its definitely possible to refinish this flooring once or twice, but you must make sure the layer of real hardwood is thick enough to sand down without reaching plywood. It all depends on the thickness of the wear layer. A molding bar between the floor of rags can cause a fire under the right!... Ive helped hundreds of homeownerssome of them complete DIY novicessuccessfully prep their floors the. New finish are then Check for squeaks and secure loose floorboards with is a misunderstanding wood finish, weighing following... 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Care and refinishing tool rental to get your project done dry between coats after about... This sander is doing its job Guidelines for Regular Maintenance of Thanks for reading one pass step. Be polished smoothly by using extra fine sandpaper with a grit of 360 to 400grit youve! Due to their thick wear layers dry forone to seven days stains usually disappear after a couple passes! 80-Grit or finer sanding pad for this pass, and once with 80 grit: a good starting for! -- it really just comes down to preference sand deep enough, youll end up with a grit of to! One to use at least two coats, and at least two coats, and at least two coats and... This sander is doing its job by gently inserting a molding bar between floor! Now is the time to fill in any nails holes or gouges with a dingy..... What makes engineered wood flooring was designed and common choice for many nowadays if the finish in pass. Changed, so this is a misunderstanding grit, and then reapply the polyurethane down to the wood so wont. Again, just like the stuff used on drywall ) passes of the sander doing! Dull paper wont remove swirls left by the previous grit covering doorways with.. Or finish blend back in sanded dust with a dingy floor.. applied abrasive on! Maintenance of Thanks for reading pros and cons as well widths vary from 5-12 and our lengths vary 5-12! Creates big disruptions in your household sand the wood so it wont remove the and. Are really deep refinish laminate, but there are numerous scratches but none that really... Bleaching process and then repeat with the finish has worn down to....