Refinishing Wide Plank Hardwood Flooring
Refinishing hardwood floors is an excellent way to add value to your house, whether you are looking to maximize your selling price, or make a house into a home for yourself and your family. Many consider refinishing, but ultimately decide against it due to concerns about cost or the amount of work involved. However, the end result can be well worth the effort.
Because it is such a time-consuming job, those who can stand the expense often hire professionals. This can cut down the amount of time necessary to complete the refinishing, and guarantee an attractive result. However, for those do-it-yourself types, or those who are unable or unwilling to afford professionals, the task of refinishing hardwood floors is well within the ability of most any homeowner with the necessary time and patience.
The first decision that must be made is whether or not your floor is a good candidate for refinishing. For some floors, a full refinishing may not be necessary; a fresh finish on top of the old one, or a good waxing and buffing may be all you need. Other floors are so worn and damaged that a refinishing would be inadequate. If you find your hardwood floors to be in this state, you might consider having them replaced. Attractive (and often inexpensive) wide plank flooring is available from a wide variety of manufacturers and retailers, most of whom will also professionally install your new floor for you.
If refinishing is the way to go, and you decide to do the job yourself, seek the advice of someone you know who has experience refinishing hardwood floors, or at least consult detailed instructions from a home improvement text or a trustworthy internet source.
Before you start, you will need some very specific, specialized equipment, all of which you should be able to rent from a hardware store. You will need to rent a floor sander. When you do, make sure you also get sandpaper in a wide range of grits — heavier to remove the old finish, lighter to smooth the floor and remove scratches and other imperfections. You might also need a smaller orbital or palm sander to touch up spots you are unable to get with the floor sander.
You may find some planks in your old floor that cannot be saved with a simple sanding so replacing a bad plank here and there while keeping the rest of the floor to refinish is not a problem. Most retailers of hardwood floors sell by the plank, and many sell wide plank flooring that has been recycled or reclaimed, making it easy to match the look and feel of the rest of your old floor.
Once the original finish is off, you will need a shop vacuum to clean up the mess. You will probably also want a floor buffer, so that once the new finish has been applied you can bring it to its fullest, most beautiful shine.
No matter what step of the process you are currently on, remember to wear ear, eye and respiratory protection, and to ventilate the room as much as possible.
Done properly, refinishing hardwood floors can transform a room, or even an entire home. It is a big job, but also a rewarding one — rewarding for the money you can save doing it yourself, and rewarding for the result of your labors: a beautiful refinished hardwood floor that can be enjoyed for years and years to come.
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