Many of the old houses employ hardwood flooring. The use of hardwood for floors was popularized in the circa 1960s. Today, there is a resurgence of hardwood floors because people find these floors to be very relaxing to the eye. Hardwood floors are very attractive because of their natural look.

For people who purchased an old house with withered hardwood flooring, they would probably want to look into refinishing the flooring. Carpets cannot hide the hideous truth forever, and at some point, these homeowners need to refinish the flooring. A bad hardwood floor can literally ruin the whole theme of the house therefore lowering its value.

Refinishing a hardwood flooring is a great idea. Yes, it is a great idea indeed and that is why professional refinishers of hardwood floors charge exorbitant fees to their clients. These clients can't do anything but to succumb to the demands of the contractors because they don't have the know-how of proper hardwood refinishing.

Given the proper know-how and techniques for hardwood refinishing, homeowners can be liberated from the financial burden of paying professional contractors to refinish their hardwood flooring. If one is able-bodied and can follow simple instructions, then there would be no reason at all why he can't refinish the flooring himself.

Let's take a look at the pertinent steps that one needs to do to be able to successfully refinish his hardwood flooring.

1) Do the preparatory stuff

Before engaging into sanding the floor or being too excited and buying all the necessary equipment and tools for the refinishing process, one needs to lay down the foundations and do the preparatory steps in the process.

First, one needs to decide what look he would want to give his hardwood floor. There should be a design and color scheme plan that should be laid out before one starts to sand. Knowing what one really wants is as important as doing the process properly. This is to ensure that he knows what he would want to do so that he knows how he can achieve his desired look.

After the plans have been laid out, make sure that all the furniture and other things in the room are taken out and stored properly.

2) Take out the nails

Sanding is perhaps one of the most important steps in the whole process of refinishing a hardwood floor, but don't get too excited yet. Before sanding, make sure that all the nails in the hardwood. The nails need to be taken out because they will eventually damage the sand paper or the sanding discs and perhaps one's hands if they are not taken out. The holes that are left by the nails should be filled with wood fillers that are of the same color as that of the wood.

3) Sand, sand, sand!

If the area of the flooring is not too big, then one can actually sand the floor manually (by hand). But if one deems that there is a need to use an electric sander, then he has two options: one is to buy a new one, the other is to rent. One can buy a pretty decent hardwood floor sander for under 100 US dollars. This can be seen as a good investment, but it really depends on how frequently it will be used. One can also choose to rent a sander from the local home depot or borrow from his neighbor.

One should sand the floor at least 3 times. The first should be made with a heavier grit and the grit level goes down each time. This will ensure that the wax and the coating will be removed thoroughly.

4) Stain the floor

Try to get the correct color that you would want to apply to your hardwood floor and test it in a small wood plank that is similar to the wood that is used in the flooring. Make sure that the stain is applied equally to the floor.

5) Refinish

Refinish with a polyurethane finish. Make sure that the container is stirred and not shaken to prevent bubbles from forming. Apply the solution equally throughout the flooring and wait for it to dry. It usually takes about 3 hours for the solution to dry.

Refinishing your own hardwood flooring is not an impossible task. One only needs the right materials and the right implementation of his plans to be able to successfully refinish such floors.

Refinishing hardwood floors is something that you can do yourself without paying professionals high amounts of money to do it for you. However, you do need to have time to spend on your refinishing project to make sure that you end up with the effect you want to achieve. Many places that rent equipment have the heavy-duty sander that you need for the refinishing job. To start to refinish hardwood floors, you first have to move all the furniture and take up any rugs or mats that you have on the wood floors. You also need to wear a dust mask so that you won't breathe in the dust when refinishing hardwood floors.

Older wood floors can be restored to their former glory when you find out how to refinish hardwood floors. There are many books you can buy on the subject of refinishing hardwood floors and you can also get valuable information when you search online. You do need to have a heavy- duty sander that you move gently back and forth over the wood floors. It is best to move in a straight line with the pattern of the hardwood boards instead of going across, especially if the hardwood has a bevelled edge with small grooves. You also have to be mindful not to apply more pressure in one place that in another because you could take gouges out of the floor.

Once you have the initial finish sanded off, you have to sweep or vacuum up the dust and give the floor a light washing. This is an important part of refinishing hardwood floors because the least little bit of dust and dirt will show up when you apply the stain and finish. In the information you have about how to refinish wood floors, you will find out that you should only use a damp mop to wash up the floor. Excess water, especially on the sanded hardwood, will cause stains in the floor.

When you dry the floor, then you are ready for the next stage of refinishing hardwood floors. You can choose to stain the wood floor in different colors suited to the type of wood. You may want to leave the wood in its natural color, but when you read about how to refinish hardwood floors, you will also learn about the need for a protective coating. The polyurethane coating adds protection to the floor. You can choose a coating that will give you a gleaming floor or one that has a low lustre. When refinishing wood floors, it is essential that the first coat is dry before you apply another coat. The more coats you put on, the shinier your floors will be.

Refinishing wood floors is a time-consuming project. However, it does not mean that you have to move out of the home until you complete the refinishing. The coatings for refinishing hardwood floors do not have any strong fumes that may be dangerous for anyone with respiratory problems. The only thing you have to remember is not to walk on the floor until the finish is dry. If you do, your refinishing project will have your footprints all over it - in more ways than one.

I don't know about you but I love polished floorboards. They look so shinny and clean and go with any decor. They are easy to clean and do not house dust like carpet does. Now with saying this it doesn't mean that you never need to maintain your beautiful floor. Even for the best of us there will come a time for hardwood floor refinishing and that is not something I look forward to at all.

You have to move every piece of furniture out then either hire someone who knows what he is doing or you can yourself sand the floor and revarnish it. This can take a few days and the smell is not so good to live with. But once it has been done you will absolutely love your new floor. Many people do this every year but most like myself wait until it sends me crazy to look at and then I send my husband crazy by nagging him and then we save the money and then we go ahead with some hardwood floor refinishing.

Of course it really does not need to be done every year but I think some people just like it to look one hundred percent all the time. If you have floors like this you can use some mats to break up the space and save some of your floor space from becoming damaged. You can however minimalise damage by not moving furniture around too often or having felt or rubber placed under the legs or feet of your furniture to stop scratching. Try not to have the sun shine too often on your floor as this can discolor and when you want to move some furniture you will see the difference.

Animals can be destructive also as they scratch the boards when they run and slide. Another thing to be wary of is high- healed stilettos. These can dent the boards as well. When you wash your floor make sure you do not use any harsh chemicals or detergents, as this will lift the varnish prematurely. If you use these precautions and take care you will lower the need to do hardwood floor refinishing.

Now you may be thinking wow are floors like these any good. Well I am here to tell you yes they are. Especially if you have an asthmatic in the home. By not having carpet you are lowering dust and dust mites dramatically. This in itself is a great reason to have floors such as these. Plus if you have a home with carpet already and you need a change then it is usually cheaper to pull the carpet up and polish the existing boards underneath.

This type of flooring is also a very natural looking style and gives your home a very warm and comfortable look. Just about
any style of decor from classic to contempary will go nicely with polished boards.

Refinishing hardwood flooring can be easy once you know how. It is not expensive and you do not have to spend hours sanding if you do not want to. There are other methods of doing it which keep the character of the flooring so try and research more if that appeals to you.

Refinishing hardwood flooring can be costly and time consuming but it is something that needs to be done. There are various stages which you need to complete when refinishing a hardwood floor and generally you need to know what you are doing before you can attempt any of them.

How to Successful Refinish a Hardwood Floor

Sanding is often one of the main things which people do when they refinish their hardwood floors. However, if you did a little research you would find that sanding destroys the character of the floor. Also if you think about it logically, when you sand down the hardwood flooring you are losing some of the wood as it chips off. This in turn means that the floor becomes thinner. Another disadvantage includes the fact that sanding can make a potentially big mess and the sand which comes off the flooring can make it hard to finish it off smoothly.

So you really should avoid sanding at all costs if you really want to look after your floor, but what other alternatives are there? Well there are some which are equally cost effective, which do not make a mess and which are incredibly simple to do!

The first thing that you need to do is make as many repairs to the floor as you need to. Over time hardwood flooring can chip and so you may need to either repair it or replace parts of it completely. If you do need to replace some of the flooring always ensure that you get the exact same one if possible or take along a sample of the flooring you are replacing and try and find the closest matching flooring to it. That way it will not look odd when you put it down. It might sound obvious but some people have put down the completely wrong color flooring and it has looked completely out of place and been a complete waste of money too.

Once you have replaced the ruined wood, the next step is to chemically refurnish the old floor using a mild Trisodium Phosphate. Be careful not to go over the new flooring as it does not need to be treated. Once it is all covered you will have to leave it for a day and then you will need to use a wax remover, again only on the older sections of wood and then leave again for another few days.

Overall it takes time to properly refinish hardwood flooring but it can be done and once you know how it is quite easy to do. Just ensure that you know what materials you need and get everything in before you start.

With more Chicago condo and home owners deciding to remodel and upgrade their current residences instead of buying a new house or condo, one of the projects that many decide to tackle is refinishing hardwood floors. Not only will refinishing your hardwood floors give your home a great new look, it will add value if you ever decide to sell. Hardwood floors that have a beautiful finish are one of the top selling points that many prospective buyers look for when shopping for a new condo.

Refinishing your hardwood floors isn't as complicated as you might think, although it can be time consuming and a little labor intensive. There are a few tools and supplies you will need though. Nearly all can be rented if you don't want to lay out the money to buy them or think you won't have a need for them in the future.

The basic tools you will need are some kind of sander, which we'll cover in the next section, safety glasses, dust mask or respirator, ear plugs, sand paper, masking tape, drop cloths or plastic sheeting, stain and plenty of rags or tack cloths.

Before you begin sanding, you need to determine the thickness of your wood flooring. It needs to be at least 3/4 inch thick before sanding, otherwise you risk sanding too deeply and damaging the floor. Older wood flooring is normally fairly thick, but some of the newer engineered wood floor material can be thinner, so check before you start to sand.

Start by emptying the room of all furniture and sweeping your floor to remove any debris that might cause scratches while sanding. Since there will be a good deal of dust generated from the sanding process it may be wise to also take down any window coverings, pictures on the walls, cover ceiling lights and also put a plastic sheet barrier over any doorways to other rooms to prevent dust drifting. You should also tape off heating and cooling vents and electrical outlets. The trim along the edge of the floor should also be carefully removed and sanded by hand. If you can open some windows and even place a fan to draw out the dust it would help a lot.

You can rent a drum sander at most hardware stores. This tool takes some getting used to if you've never used one before, so it's wise to practice a little in a part of the room that won't be seen as easily until you get the hang of it. Always tip the drum sander up before you turn it on. Never start it while it is still flat on the floor. Gradually lower it and then move it back and forth or from side to side, never let it sit still or it will sand out a deep pocket and you'll ruin your floor. Keep moving until you've covered the entire surface.

If your floor has a lot of scratches or needs a lot of sanding, begin with about 20 grit sandpaper. The lower the grit number, the coarser the grit and the higher the number, the finer the grit. So you should progress from low to high, and usually finish with about 120 grit. It's best to save the edges for last and do them by hand. Once you are finished sanding, vacuum thoroughly and it's also a good idea to wipe the floor down with a tack cloth to be sure you get all the dust up

Now you are ready to actually stain your hardwood floor. Depending on what type of water-based or oil-based stain you decided upon, you may have to apply more than one coat and do a light sanding between coats. Be sure to read the instructions on the product before starting. And remember that the color on the can label or in the store won't be the exact color of your floor, so try out a small patch in an area that isn't easily visible to make sure you are satisfied with the color. Be sure to have plenty of ventilation while staining as the fumes can be strong.

Once you have all the coats applied and the floor is completely dry, you should probably rent a buffer to really give the stain job a great finish. Just like the drum sander, start slow until you get the hang of using the tool. The final step then is to reattach any molding or trim you removed (after staining it of course) and apply a polyurethane finish. You may have to give the floor more than one coat with drying time between. You can do this by hand with rags, but using a tool with a long handle similar to a sponge mop will save both your back and time. Read the label for recommended drying time, but it's always a good idea to wait an extra day or two especially in high humidity before moving the furniture and any rugs back into the room.

Refinishing your hardwood floors will add beauty and value to your condo or house. Most Chicago real estate agents have noted that units with hardwood floors like the ones listed in these new construction condos http://www.bestchicagocondos.com/new-construction-condos/index.html sell better than homes without hardwood floors. This not only is a great selling point that many buyers look for, but something you can enjoy yourself for years to come.

How to refinish hardwood floors?

If you have done small sanding projects, a little bit of carpentry it is time for next step and refinishing hardwood floor. I recommend to start with one small bedroom, don’t start in the hallway or whole house. Sanding wood floors is a time consuming project and it is better to learn on the small bedroom.
Tools you will need:
1.Good dust masks. Rent a good tools that have dustless refinishing system.
1.Main sander , this can be a drum sander or belt sander.
2.Edger which is to refinish the edges, close to the wall.
3.Buffer for the final smooth sanding of you hardwood floors.
4.Sand paper for each machine. For a small bedroom buy 40 grit 60 grit 80 grit 100 grit for the main sander, buy just one of each grit, for the edger the same grits but you will need 5 discs of each grit. If the supplier is close you can always buy  more if you need it, the use of the sandpaper depends on the finish that has been used on the hardwood floors. Some hardwood floors have been painted. If you would like to refinish painted hardwood floor make sure you buy a lot of paper. It is not recommended to sand paint since most of the paints will cause respiratory problems when sanded.
5.One 150 buffer screen and one 180 buffer screen.
5.vacume
6.Sealer, finish, brush and finish applicator.

You can rent those tools and the local rental tools place. In Hawaii especially on Oahu you can find couple places in yellow pages.

1.Vacumme the room first.
2.You will use the main sander first using 40 grit, make sure to sand wood floors with the grain(run the sanding machine the same direction that boards run)
3.Make sure you are sanding steady, don’t stop with the sander working.
4.Main sander will not get close to the walls, this is where you have to use edger. Use the same grit which is 40.You can take of the baseboards and install them back after the relishing is done. If you don’t want to install baseboards you will have to be very careful not to touch baseboards with the edger and then will have to manually scrape the unhanded area close to the baseboards.
5.Sand with main sander with 60 grit after that edger again with 60 grit.
6 Repeat the process using the 80 grit.
7. Reset the nails
8.Vacuume the floor very well.
8. Apply the wood filler with a large spatula.
9  Wait an until wood filler is dry. Drying time will be different depending where you are , of course in hot climate such as Hawaii, Texas, California at the hot sunny day after one hour filler is dry and wood floors ready to sand again.
10.Sand off the filler with 100 grit. If the filler did not came off completely after one cut, sand floors one more time.
11. Sand with edger close to the wall using 100grit.
12.Vacume sanded hardwood floor well. Make sure at this point to keep the floor dry and clean.
13.Using buffer sand with 150 grit.
14 Vacuum again and sand with 180 grit.
15 Vacuum again very well.
16 Apply hardwood floor sealer wait until dry.
17 Apply two coats of finish, follow manufacturer directions .

This is a simple way of refinishing hardwood floors.
Here are couple more things you should know. White oak and red oak floor are easy to refinish. Cheery and Brazilian cherry is easy too but is it a harder wood might need more paper. Maple is rather difficult to refinish and extremely hard to stain. Staining is a little bit more complicated then refinishing, the wood has to be sanded perfectly before you can apply stain. Bamboo floor can be sanded as well , it is better to use water based finishes on bamboo. Very popular environmentally friendly floor cork can not be sanded.

Is your wood flooring already worn out? Has it already gone through the tough tests and is now looking old and pale? It may be time to refinish your wood flooring and make it look new again.

How do you know it is time to refinish the floor? You can do this simple step. Go to the area where the floor is mostly used, your living room perhaps. Get a tablespoon of water and pour it onto the floor. If the water forms beads and can easily be wiped out, there is no need to refinish it yet. Your floor is still in good condition.

If the water that you just poured slowly seeps into the floor and creates a visible spot, it may already need refinishing touches. You may want to keep it in your to-do list and schedule a time when you can do the refinishing. However, if the water seeps in as quickly as you had poured it, then don't waste more time. Your floor definitely needs refinishing, and soon.

Refinishing your wood flooring would require equipments such as a drum sander. Other equipments may be needed for other more detailed tasks in the finishing process. You need not buy those equipments, though. These equipments are available for rent in your local home shops such as Home Depot. You can rent them on a daily or weekly basis.

Different grit papers are used in the drum sander for different floor types. The lower the grit paper number is, the coarser it is for use on more damaged woods. Once you have chosen the right grit paper, you can now start sanding the wood using the equipment. It is suggested that you do the sanding diagonally on both ways then along the grain.

Once you are done sanding the whole floor with that procedure, repeat the process again using a finer grit paper (one with a higher number). After sanding the whole floor again, you can now sand the edges using a spinner/edger machine.

Vacuuming is the next step to clean off the sand dusts. Should there be gaps present after the sanding process, fill them in using the sand dust mixed with varnish to form a paste. Then leave the floor alone for some time.

After a few hours, repeat the sanding process again, this time doing it along the grain with a much finer grit. Do this twice using the highest grit number on the last sanding. After which, vacuum the floor once more and sweep off the sanddust.

Once the floor is dust-free, it is now time to apply the coat. You would need a roller to do this. Before using the roller, make sure it is clean first using a stiff brush to remove dirt and loose hairs that might get into the finish.

The urethane coating can now be applied across the floor grain by strips. Once the whole array of strips is completed, go back to the starting strip and make sure there are no roller marks or urethane build up.

Let the first coating dry for some time. When the coat is completely dry, the next step is to sand the whole floor using an orbital sander. Vacuum and sweep the floor afterwards to remove the dust.

Finally, the second coating can now be applied using the same procedure as the first. When you do the second coating, make sure the sun doesn't shine through the window to any part of the floor to avoid uneven marks.

Refinishing your wood flooring is relatively easy as long as you have the right equipment. The rent may be a little costly though, but not as expensive as replacing your whole floor. You can even save more doing it yourself than hiring somebody to do it for you. Also, wouldn't you be proud to show off your work and tell your friends you did it by yourself?

Nicely finished or refinished floors make your home look more beautiful. It is also a healthy alternative than carpets. Carpets are known to cause allergies because they are difficult to clean. Having just bare, nicely finished wood flooring will help you have a healthy environment inside your own home. Dusts, pests, molds, and animal stains can easily be cleaned up as well.

If your home has a cherry hardwood floor, occasional maintenance and regular care should ensure that it maintains its beauty for decades. Like any hardwood floor, though, years of neglect or extremely heavy use will damage cherry similarly to softer woods such as pine. To salvage your cherry hardwood floor, you need to follow a careful process of refinishing. The following steps will outline the process for refinishing the cherry hardwood floor in your house.

First, vacuum and clean your floor. This will ensure that the refinishing process does not ingrain dirt or debris into the refinished floor. Once the floor is clean, rent a sander and load it with 40-grit sandpaper. Use this sander to sand the floors with the grain, in the direction of the boards. Be cautious to avoid using the sander too close to the edges of the floor, as it can damage walls and baseboards.

Once the main surface of the floor has been sanded, use an edger with 40-grit sandpaper to sand the edges of the floor. If you wish, you can remove the baseboards to reach the edges of the floorboards more closely. Repeat the entire sanding process with 60 grit and then 80 grit sandpaper. In between each sanding, vacuum the floor again to remove any stray sawdust that may accumulate and inhibit even sanding.

With a hammer covered in felt, gently reset any stray nails in your cherry hardwood floor. Vacuum the floor again and identify any holes or gaps in the floor that will need to be filled with wood filler. Use a spatula to fill these gaps with wood filler and allow it to dry.

Once again, sand the floors with the main floor sander and the edger, this time using 100-grit sandpaper. From this point, avoid all unnecessary contact with the floor. Especially be sure to any moisture or dirt from coming in contact with the cherry hardwood floor. Use a buffer to sand the floor with 150-grit and then 180-grit sandpaper, vacuuming between each sanding.

Apply cherry stain to the floor with a rag, ensuring an even coat across the entire floor. Rub off any excess stain and allow it to dry completely. Apply a hardwood floor sealer, such as a sealing wax or tung oil to the entire cherry hardwood floor. Apply up to three coats, allowing the floor to dry completely between coats.

You have a wide range of stain shades and colors for hardwood floors. You can depend on color charts for different colors but the colors on the surface still looks different from the colors printed on paper. In addition, a particular stain has different effect on different types of hardwood floors so it is best to consider hardwood species.

Moreover, stain also looks a bit different on newly installed wooden floor from on refinished flooring though the right sanding is helpful to have a better stain effect. It is recommended to try different kinds of stain colors on a certain sample of wood in order to get an idea of the result.

Hardwood floor has different kinds of shades and colors and some of the most popular stain choices are the following:

1.The natural stain of hardwood floor looks like bare wood.
2.Light shade is a popular hardwood floor shade since it adds a fine tone to the wood as well as it darkens the grain.
3.Another popular choice is the medium shade, which is darker than the light shade.
4.The dark shade is often very dark in color and has a rich feel.
5.Hardwood floor custom color is any color aside from brown, sand of tan.

Most people choose deep green or bright red that can give striking results. Usually, it is best to select a vibrant color when it comes to smaller rooms or areas.

When you find the shade that you want, make sure to try it in not noticeable places such as inside your closet. Make sure to let the stain dry before making a decision. Remember that the color of the paint tends to become lighter when it dries.

One of the most practical materials used for flooring is hardwood. Its protective finish can wear off especially in areas that are often used so it is necessary to refinish the hardwood floor. Dulled areas of hard wood that are hidden for a long time must be refinished in order to freshen up the hardwood floor.

Hardwood finishing job may be quite difficult and messy because you first need to remove the previous finish of the floor. If you do not have any experience in this field, it is best to hire a hardwood flooring professional who has the knowledge in refinishing floors. These hardwood floor professionals have the appropriate tools to do the job such as power sanders to eliminate the existing finish of the floor and to accept the new stain.

Make sure to do a refinish test to know if the hardwood flooring is dirty or shot. Here are the ways to do a flooring refinish test:

Focus on the high-traffic areas where the finish is more abused. Pour one tablespoon of water to the floor and if the water forms beads it means that, the floor is sealed properly. Usually, you need to cleaning and stain removal. On the other hand, if the water takes several minutes to be absorbed and leaves a slight dark mark on the floor it means that the finish is partly worn. You must not wait long to refinish your floor. In addition, if the water soaks right in and then leaves dark spot it means that you need to refinish the floor immediately.

For those who adore the hardwood floors in their homes, the refinishing comes as a routine task so that the floors will be maintained properly to look new and sparkling. Refinishing hardwood floors can sometimes be a tedious task, which can consume lots of money and time. But this is the price you need to pay to maintain your precious flooring.

While you consider refinishing, you will be astonished to know that this is a task that you can do yourself without paying professionals high amounts of money to do it for you. But it would be worth to understand that you would need to have time to spend on your refinishing project to make sure that you end up with the effect you wanted to achieve.

Hardwood floor refinishing is definitely a time-consuming project, if you want to do it by yourself. However, it does require you to move out of the home until you complete this task. Also, the coatings for refinishing these floors do not have any strong fumes that may be dangerous for anyone with respiratory problems. But the only thing you will have to remember is not to walk on the floor until the finish is dry.

If you forget our advice and jump on to the freshly refinished floor, your completed task will have your footprints all over it, and believe me it would be in more ways than one. There are many books you can buy on the subject and you can also get many useful resources when you search online.

Now when you have weighed all the possibilities, you can move on to the task. For this project you will need some equipments like the heavy-duty sander that you can always rent from your local supplier. When you begin with the project, you first have to move all the furniture and take up any rugs or mats that you have on the wood floors. If you have some sort of allergy with the dust, you need to wear a dust mask so that you won't breathe in the dust coming out.

The most important equipment you will need for this project is the heavy- duty sander. When you use one, move gently back and forth over the wood floors. Move the sander in a straight line similar with the pattern of the hardwood boards. Try not to go across, if the flooring has a beveled edge with small grooves.

Also do not apply additional pressure in one place that in another. This will help you to avoid taking out the gouges from the floor. When the first finish is sanded off, you have to sweep or vacuum up the dust and give the floor a light washing.

This will help you avoid the staining marks if dust is present on the floor. When refinishing wood floors, it is essential that the first coat is dry before you apply another coat. The more coats you put on, the shinier your floors will be. But at the same time will more coats will result in added cost.