How To Improve Wood Floor After Sanding

On older floors the first step when sanding is to choose an aggressive grit like 24 grit per square inch to level the boards one to another and remove imperfections if possible.

How to improve wood floor after sanding.

Spot test the stain or finish to see what it looks like on the floor before applying a coat. Wipe a white rag over the spot. Close the windows and doors to keep dust contained in the room you re sanding. After sanding fill in holes in the floor with wood putty or wood filler.

These seams will appear darker than the rest of the floor if you stain over them. Start by vacuuming the floor to remove any dust left over from sanding or buffing. Some homeowners choose to finish the floors with a stain and a. Photo by reena bammi remove all the furniture and spray the floor with a hardwood flooring cleaner or your own mix of 10 parts water to 1 part white vinegar.

After sanding the floor will need vacuuming and wiping with a tack cloth prior to applying the new finish with a long handled roller. On some sanders hooking up to a vacuum doubles the sanding speed. When you sand your hardwood floors you use coarse sanding equipment to remove all of the finish and stain from your floors as well as smooth out the wood underneath those layers of stain and sealer. Be sure to work in well ventilated rooms when sanding or applying stain or finish.

Step 1 check your floor to make sure it doesn t have a wax finish. A step by step video for a home owner on how to use various wood floor sanders and how to apply the finish. Instead use a simple chemical etching technique and apply a new topcoat of finish. This is an intensive process that strips everything from the floor by grinding it down to the natural wood underneath all that shine.

Apply paint thinner or mineral spirits to a small inconspicuous spot that s been cleaned. Gently wipe the floor with a terry cloth mop or a towel wrapped around a mop head. Be sure to get all the dust out from between the floorboards. By the diy experts of the family handyman magazine.

Even with the sander s built in dust collection system the sander rides on a thin cushion of dust that prevents full contact between the grit and the wood. The result is a fresh new looking wood floor. If your floor has been finished with wax rather than oil or lacquer buffing and recoating won t work because the finish may end up leaving ugly bubbles. So by increasing dust removal a vacuum improves sander efficiency.

It also works on plastic laminate floors. Don t be afraid to use new belts and more than one. We call this process rough cutting.