No one really wants to contemplate finishing hardwood floors, however there comes a time when your floor will have lost that shiny look and begins to exhibit the wear and tear from many scratches and other damage from long use. While an old hardwood floor that has lost it’s luster may seem charming to some, most consumers like to have a floor that is shiny and new looking. It may be time to refinish your floor.
A floor that has just been refinished also adds to the resale value of your home. If you are planning on selling your home in the near future, you might want to get an opinion from your real estate agent regarding the state of your floor and what your plans should be regarding finishing the hardwood floor. They will give you advice on whether it is worth making the investment in time and money to refinish the floor or leave it for the next owners to decide.
Finishing Hardwood Floors
Many people avoid doing their floors simply because they shudder at the vision of all the dust that is generated and the cleanup that is required afterword. The wood dust is very fine and without taking any precautions, there is going to be dust in every room, every nook and cranny of your home. It will go everywhere and if you happen to a forced air furnace or air conditioning and it is running, the dust will absolutely coat everything. The clean up job is immense unless you move everything out of your home.
Fortunately there are steps you can take to reduce the dust and control were it goes inside your home. It is very important that you follow these steps if you are doing your own hardwood floor. Or even if you are having professionals do it for you. Always discuss with the professionals exactly what steps they will take to prevent dust from entering the rest of your home before you sign the contract.
In this post we are assuming that you are sanding the hardwood floor when it comes to finishing your hardwood floors. If your floor has been sanded previously, take a look at the thickness of your floor to make sure that there is sufficient wood left for another sanding. Each sanding removes wood from the floor and leaves it a little bit thinner every time. There are other approaches, however they are not being discussed in this post.
Procedures to Take to Reduce Dust Distribution Inside Your Home
The following procedures should be followed. Regardless of whether you are doing the work or hiring a professional to do the work:
- Remove all furniture and accessories from the room
- Seal off every doorway and vents that enter the room to be sanded
- Use a high powered vacuum system attached to the sander
- Locate the vacuum outside of your home
- Turn off the central air system in your home
- Make sure that the fan is shut off
- Wipe down all walls and floor once sanding is finished
- Always sand with the grain , never across the grain of the wood
- Never use an orbital sander on hardwood floors
- Hand sand all areas you cannot reach with a powered machine
Applying the Finish
Once all of the sanding and cleaning of the floors is completed you are now ready to apply the finish to the floor. Make sure you use a tack cloth to get all of the finer particles off the floor. Do this before you apply your finish to avoid thee particles marring your finish. Follow the manufacturers instructions to obtain the look that you desire. Your floor will look fresh and new and add tremendous pleasure and value to your home.
If you decide to hire professionals to do this work for you, always interview them. Ask them to explain in detail exactly how they will complete the job for you. Pay particular attention to the dust exhaust. Also the cleaning part of the job as well as the final finish of the floor. Otherwise you may end up being disappointed with the work. As well as the cleanup that you may have to do after everything is done.