Do you have exiting hardwood flooring in your home and you need some step by step instructions to guide you how to finish hardwood floors? Then look no further! Instead of buying new hardwood flooring, many homeowners are looking to bring life back into their current floors. Perhaps it has been covered by carpet for the past decade or two or maybe it’s showing its wear and age. In either case you can learn how to finish hardwood floors to save yourself the added expense of purchasing new ones.

Before you do anything, you must remove everything from the room so that you can truly examine the floors for any kind of issues that need to be addressed before you begin the labor of the project. Learning how to finish hardwood floors is easy, and it doesn’t have to take huge amounts of time to do. Depending on the size of the room and the amount of damage you need to fix, you may be able to finish it in one weekend. Read on for the step by step guide to how to finish hardwood floors in your home.

Step by Step Guide: How to Finish Hardwood Floors

So the first step in the how to finish hardwood floors guide is to check for issues in the flooring. Some may include nails or staples that are exposed, obviously high traffic spots where your finish may have already been removed, extra wear and tear staining that has occurred, as well as holes in the floor that may need to be plugged. Before you can start sanding the floor you should figure out a game plan for each of these issues. You will want to plug the holes later on, but you should bang in the hails now to keep the sander from snagging them as you remove the finish. It may mean more time spent on the project, but it is the only way to ensure a clean, high quality looking job.

The next step in the how to finish hardwood floors manual is to rent a large sander from your local do-it-yourself store or rental equipment place. There are different models that will work better for different situations, so research the types that the store has so you know you are getting the best one for your sanding needs. Sand the floor as well as you can, being sure to change the sanding pads as necessary. Depending on the size of the room, you will probably go through several, so make sure to have extras on hand.

Because the larger sanders cannot fit into the smaller nooks and crannies of your room, using smaller handheld sanders is your next step in the how to finish hardwood floors process. Use these handheld sanders to go along your baseboard line and get into those hard to reach spots that the larger sander was unable to get to. You want to make sure that the floor is evenly sanded so that the finish color will be consistent throughout.

Cleaning along the way is an important step in how to finish hardwood floors. Make sure that the sand and dust you’ve been creating is completely wiped up because you don’t want those particles getting into your floors finish. If there are holes in the floor, now is the time to fill them, before the finish is applied.

Deciding if you want to apply a stain or not is the next step in how to finish hardwood floors. You may want to keep the floor more of its natural color, or you want to darken or lighten it. That’s completely up to you, but now is the time to make that choice.
Whatever finish you decide to use, make sure that the room and surrounding area is well ventilated. How to finish hardwood floors also involves making sure that you consider your own health in the process. Use a face mask if at all possible to keep the fumes at bay.

Your next step in the how to finish hardwood floors guide is to place the finish first around the outskirts of the room. Cut in along the walls with a paintbrush to get into those hard to reach spots that a larger tool would not be able to help with. You don’t need to use a brush throughout your whole floor though, as that would take a lot of time to complete. Purchase a full applicator pad that will allow you to easily spread the finish throughout the floor. And as a side note, remember to leave yourself a way out of the room as you complete the finish application.

What’s next in the how to finish hardwood floors process? Let the finish dry completely and then spread another layer of finish to the floor. Once that dries, add any woodwork that you may have removed and bring in the furniture. You have just successfully finished your hardwood floors. Congratulate yourself on a job well done!

Your How to Finish Hardwood Floors Project is Complete!

It is simple to learn how to finish hardwood floors.