Hardwood Floor Refinishing NJ are the epitome of classic elegance, but even they need a little tender loving care now and then. Refinishing breathes new life into your hardwood, restoring its beauty and adding precious years to its lifespan.
Choose a water-based polyurethane finish. It dries more quickly, is environmentally friendly and emits less of an odor.
Preparation
Hardwood floors add to the overall value of a home, and they are an asset that can last a lifetime if properly maintained. One of the best ways to preserve hardwood is through refinishing. Refinishing is like a magic makeover for hardwood flooring, breathing new life into them and adding precious years to their lifespan. Refinishing can also fix minor issues such as gouges, dents and scratches. Major scratches and dents may require additional repairs or sanding, depending on the severity of the damage.
Choosing the right stain color is probably the most important step in refinishing your hardwood floors. Once you have selected a stain and applied it, the decision is permanent (unless you fork over more cash to have the floors restained). Before beginning the project, be sure that you are happy with the color. It’s a good idea to have a sample of the stain on hand for reference.
Before starting the refinishing process, remove all furniture from the room. It’s also a good idea to take down any curtains, pictures or register covers. Also, it’s a good idea to plan out where you’re going to stain so that you can get back into the room without walking across wet stain.
The next step in the refinishing process is to sand the floors. This can be a labor-intensive job that requires the proper tools and skills to do correctly. If you aren’t comfortable doing this yourself, hiring a professional is a good option.
It’s important to sand in a dustless manner. This will prevent the buildup of fine dust that can cause problems with the finish. Using a vacuum with a soft brush attachment or setting that’s designed to pick up fine particles is ideal.
Once the floors have been sanded, they should be thoroughly cleaned to remove any residual dirt and debris. This will help the final product look its best. Afterward, the floor can be stained with an oil or water-based polyurethane. Water-based polys are more durable than oil based ones, and they dry faster. It’s a good idea to allow the floors to cure for at least 48 hours before moving in furniture or placing area rugs.
Sanding
During the sanding phase of floor refinishing, the old finish is removed and any dents or scratches are smoothed out. This is an important step because it creates a blank canvas for the new stain. The sanding process can take two to four days, depending on the size of the room. This is one of the most labor-intensive parts of the refinishing process, but it’s necessary for a professional job.
Before starting, it’s essential to remove all furniture from the rooms being sanded. Covering up fixtures and appliances with plastic tarps is also helpful to prevent damage. You should tape up outlets, cracks under doors and other areas where sawdust may enter. It’s a good idea to wear a dust mask and gloves during the sanding process.
When sanding, make sure to use the correct disks for your machine. The grit size should be matched to the type of wood. For instance, 80-grit disks are best for pine floors, while 100-grit is ideal for oak. Moreover, you should always keep the sander moving. Stalling or standing still will leave noticeable swales on the floor. It’s also a good idea to change the sanding paper often. It will make the process quicker and more efficient.
After sanding, the floor should be wiped down and vacuumed thoroughly to eliminate any remaining sawdust. Once the floors are completely dry, you can begin reinstalling baseboards and rugs. You should also reattach any door and window casings. It’s a good idea to wait two weeks to reenter your home after the floors have been refinished.
Then, the floors can be stained with your choice of color. Be sure to test the stain on a small area of the floor before applying it to the entire surface. Also, different types of wood react differently to stains.
Lastly, you should apply a polyurethane topcoat to protect the hardwood floor. It’s best to choose a water-based polyurethane, as oil-based ones can lead to discoloration on some woods. This is a great way to prolong the life of your hardwood floors and improve your home’s value.
Filling
Hardwood floors add a warm, classic elegance to a home that’s difficult to match. But just like anything else, hardwood floors need a little love and care to keep them looking their best. That’s where refinishing comes in – a magical makeover that restores the look of your floors, adding to their longevity.
Refinishing involves much more than just sanding the floor to get rid of scratches, dents and gouges. The refinishing process includes addressing any water damage that may have occurred to the wood, replacing warped or swollen boards and ensuring the wood is thoroughly dry. This ensures that the new topcoat will adhere properly and extend the life of your hardwood floors.
One of the most common problems with hardwood floors is gaps. These are caused by wood expanding and contracting – especially when the weather is hot or humid. Gaps are often not a problem if they don’t get too large, but you might want to fill them in if items are easily lost between the planks or you notice that the gap is becoming wider over time.
There are several ways to fill gaps in a hardwood floor, including using a wood or rope filler. Wood and rope fillers can be mixed to a putty consistency and introduced into the gaps using a spatula. This method offers a very sturdy end result, and can be stained to match the finish of the floor. However, it can become brittle over time, and is not recommended for gaps that are exposed to significant floor movement.
If you’re going to use a wood or rope filler, it’s important that it be moisture-resistant, so the filler can expand and contract with the floor without being forced out of the gap. You’ll also need to apply a coat of stain over the filler to help it blend in with the rest of the floor.
Alternatively, you can fill gaps in a wooden floor by using a powdered wood filler that’s mixed to a paste-like consistency. This is a fast and inexpensive option, but can be prone to shrinking and cracking over time. If you choose to use this method, it’s a good idea to use a waterproof stain that will protect the filler from moisture and prevent it from causing additional damage to your floors.
Finishing
There’s nothing like a beautiful hardwood floor to add warmth and elegance to a home. But over time, stains and scratches can diminish their appeal. Fortunately, it is possible to rejuvenate these floors by refinishing them. However, the process is time-consuming and requires a certain amount of know-how.
The first step in refinishing is to closely examine your floors to determine if they are even candidates for refinishing. If they have an extremely thin top layer, it may not be possible to sand them down enough to get rid of the blemishes. In this case, the best option may be to re-coat the floors rather than refinish them.
Before starting the refinishing process, it’s important to thoroughly clean your floors to remove any dust and debris from the surface. This can be done by vacuuming or mopping the floors. In addition, it’s a good idea to close the windows and doors in the room you’re working on to contain the dust.
Once your floors are clean, you’ll need to sand them down to create the proper bond for the new finish. To sand the floors, use a drum or orbital sander and start with coarse-grit sandpaper, then move on to finer grits until you’ve achieved the desired level of smoothness. It is essential that you don’t over sand the floors because you can damage them.
When the sanding process is complete, it’s important to thoroughly vacuum and wipe down the floors to remove any remaining dust. This will help to prevent any snags or imperfections in the final result. After the floors are dry, they can be re-coated with polyurethane. It’s generally recommended to apply at least two coats of polyurethane, but some experts believe that three coats are preferable.
It’s also a good idea to tape masking paper around the doorways to prevent dust from blowing into other areas of the home. Finally, it’s essential to wait for the floors to dry completely before moving back in. It can take four to seven days for the floors to fully cure.