Hardwood Floor Refinishing - Comments - Tips 313

frankvvv (65) 6 years ago

You remind me of that guy from the TV series "Home Improvement".

$0.05

3 votes

mysearchisover (70) 6 years ago

Tim the tool man Taylor. lol

3 votes

sunlit7 (59) 6 years ago

You'll definitely want to rent a edger that gets close up to the walls, the machine you have there won't get that close. With that machine you will use a lot of sandpaper and it might not be enough to remove all the holes from the staples or any stains on the surface of the wood. Start out with course then go to a fine to put a smooth finish on the surface. Remember staining the wood is going to be the same result as mixing two different colors since wood colors vary, like pine is more of a yellow color if you put mahogany or cherry color on it may have a more orange based appearance....so it's critical to identify the wood you are going to stain and pay close attention to the charts at the store that will tell you if you use this color on pine this is what it will look like. Remember also that a darker color wood is going to grab a dark color like dark walnut and make it appear way more darker then you may like so you may just want to go with a regular walnut stain. If you are going to go through all that work the best advice would be to use a polyurethane, if you don't want the high shine use a no shine formula, for the best protection and long lasting durability I'd recommend three coats, since you have to slightly scuff the floor with fine sandpaper between coats it can be quite the job but in the end you will stand back and just be in awe of how great it came out. The only other thing I'd recommend is if you can leave the room set for several days when you are done that would be the best hardening option, otherwise choose a light traffic pattern after initial drying time if you can't avoid walking on it for several days.

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mysearchisover (70) 6 years ago

Are you in Michigan? lol

sunlit7 (59) 6 years ago

Yup. No I am not coming to help do the floor....lol. (something tells me it wouldn't pay enough and I am just not that into Flint....might run into the ex and his family)

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1 vote

mysearchisover (70) 6 years ago

But if you come do my floor I will give you some 100% upvotes. ;) lmao
What part of Michigan are you from again?
Right now I am in the very painstaking staple removal process. :( Hopefully with about another 10 hours of staple removal labor I will be done. I did consider paying someone like $10 an hour to do it which would probably be like $20 an hour since you pretty much have to take breaks when you are doing it.

sunlit7 (59) 6 years ago

Nah, that's one job I don't care much for. I love wood floors, always had them, so much easier to maintain. When I switched sides on my duplex I had to pretty much do what you did because the other side I lived on for seventeen years already had wood floor exposed I just had to stain and varnish it before I moved in. Over here I had to deal with sanding it down which was a job in itself, those machines weigh a ton, which you'll find out...lol, and there was nothing worse then finding out the first machine I rented wasn't cutting it taking out staple holes and light stains on the surface and having to return it and get a different one. I went with a drum roller which was a learning process in itself, you have to keep moving and letting off the lever before stopping or you can grind a hole that will show up once you varnish it. I definitely don't envy you but I will admit it's worth it. Doing it this time of year with the windows closed...not a pleasantry for sure, that and contending with the dust...make sure you close off the rest of your house from whatever room you are sanding. If you have a Menards they are cheaper with their rental machines then Home Depot, at least here in grand rapids. After all that work test a small area first with your color, I ended up going back and getting the sander again because I choose a mahogany color which came out more of an orange then a redwood look...that's crucial if you don't want to find yourself repeating steps. I already knew from many, many years prior when I was a renter and my landlord let me strip the floor and stain it that going dark doesn't always come out good if it grabs to dark to the wood so testing a small corner is always a good idea .

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mysearchisover (70) 6 years ago

I want to avoid using a drum sander so I might repeat your mistake. I'm hoping 4 hours on one room with low grit with a finishing sander will be enough.
You could make a blog post about your remodeling experience.
I really hope I get the color right.
Menards is a lot cheaper but I will probably overpay at home depot because I want to try the machine they have but If I do end up using a drum sander which I probably will have to I will go to Menards.
Sounds like you started with the orbital floor sander. I hope Home Depot's sander cuts more.
I would have liked to be able to just use mineral oil on the wood but I don't think that would look good. I do like darker slightly cherryish floors.

sunlit7 (59) 6 years ago

One other thing I thought about the other day that I forgot to mention is I used a method where you slightly dampen the floor with a sponge before applying the stain, it keeps the stain uniform and keeps it from grabbing to dark. You don't want to saturate it though, I'd take the sponge and do several boards then apply the stain, repeat the process as you go along. I did use the orbital, I rented it from Home Depot, they didn't have a drum sander handy when I took it back and that's how I ended up at Menards. I see why these places rent you equipment...they make a small fortune off selling you the supplies needed, the sandpaper cost are pricey. Yeah I had planned on doing a blog when I taught my son this last summer how to do underlayment and install vinyl flooring but they came up with that crazy RC bull crap which just wasn't sitting well with me, if I spend time doing something the last thing I want it some pop up telling me I have to wait I've run out of credits. I had that blog, one about new gentrification happening down the road and a blog composed of all our family outings we do during the summer to different parks and the versatility that each offered in activities. I just said to heck with it. Bad enough you spend time doing stuff for a couple pennies, if that, then be told sorry you are out of resources.

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1 vote