How to Refinish Wood Floors You can clean and refinish a scratched wood floor without having to sand down to bare wood Q: My oak floors are covered in scratches. Do I have to sand down to bare wood to get rid of them?—Susan Bankhead, Meridian, Idaho A: The Editors of This Old House reply: Not necessarily. If the scratches don't go all the way through to the wood, you can scuff-sand your floors with a buffer and apply a fresh coat or two of finish. The process is easier and less expensive than sanding down to bare wood and takes less time. In a few hours your floors will look as good as new. The job requires using a buffer, which you can rent at a home center, and a vacuum to suck up dust. If you've never used a buffer before, practice in the middle of the room until you get a feel for how to maneuver it. Once the finish is roughed up, we put on a water-based polyurethane, which can be recoated in 3 hours. Oil-based polys are cheaper, but each coat takes about 8 hours to dry.

With either finish, we recommend a fresh coat every two years or whenever the floor looks worn. Stick to that routine and your floors will never wear out. Remove all the furniture, and spray the floor with a hardwood flooring cleaner or your own mix of 10 parts water to 1 part white vinegar. Gently wipe the floor with a terry-cloth mop or a towel wrapped around a mop head. Close the windows and doors to keep dust contained in the room you're sanding. Using 180-grit sandpaper, hand-sand the perimeter of the room and any nooks that the buffer can't reach. Rub with the grain 4 to 6 inches out from the baseboard, working over each board until the finish dulls and a powder forms. Don't use a sanding block—it might miss uneven spots in the floor. Stick a maroon buffing pad to the buffer, and put on a dust mask. Move the buffer from side to side across the floor in the direction of the grain, overlapping each course by 6 inches. The old finish turns to powder as you go, so it's easy to see the areas you've covered.

Keep the buffer moving at all times, but stop every 5 minutes or so and vacuum the pad. Leave the room for 10 to 15 minutes to let the powder settle. Put a clean filter in the vacuum, and sweep the floor using a felt-bottomed attachment. Work in line with the flooring strips, then sweep across them to get any powder that settled between the boards. Finally, dry-tack the floor with a microfiber cloth pushed with the grain. Cut in Along the Edges Cover your shoes with booties and your nose and mouth with a respirator that has organic vapor canisters. Strain the finish through a cone filter into a clean plastic watering can, minus a sprinkler head, then pour some strained finish into a small plastic container. Brush a 3-inch-wide stripe beside the baseboards at a point farthest from your exit door. You'll have lap marks if the edge of the stripe starts to dry, so stop after 10 minutes and go to the next step. Roll Out the Poly Pour out a 1-inch-wide stripe of finish in line with the grain—only as much as you can spread in 10 minutes.

Using a long-handled roller with a ¼-inch nap cover, roll out the finish with the grain, then across it. Overlap each pass and work quickly to keep a wet edge. best vacuum cleaner laminate wood floorsAfter 10 minutes, brush more finish along the edge, then pour and roll again for 10 minutes. best way to clean dust hardwood floorsContinue until the floor is covered. air duct cleaning cost las vegasWait 3 hours before recoating and a week before putting back furniture.laptop cpu fan doesn't spinCleaner YardCleaner DawnCleaner 2Cleaner RecipeHardwood CleanerDiy Wood Floor Cleaner HardwoodPergo Floor CleanerWood Floor CleanersHomemade Hardwood Floor CleanerForwardIn my apartment we have hard wood floors through most of our place. buy lg vacuum cleaner

During the spring time I could NOT keep my floors clean. Every single time Scout (our pup) came in he would dirty the floors with muddy paw prints! best vacuum cleaner for pet hair ukI had purchased a hardwood floor cleaner but it would not clean up these …Buff Up Those Hardwood Floors so its a Selling Point That ShinesWood flooring typically takes some special care for to keep it looking as good as the day it was installed. In fact, cleaning up after the flooring installation process of wood floors can take some special care as well. There are so many different facets to keeping the flooring in our homes clean and cared for that we are usually going to need some kind of help. Instead of paying an arm and a leg to the "professionals," why not get the same results yourself. Here are money- and time-saving tips that you need to get that professional look yourself. The following articles are available for the 'Wood Floors' topic.

Click the article's title (shown in bold) to see the associated article. Caring for and Cleaning Painted Wood FloorsA painted wood floor can add a contemporary and fresh feel to a worn out wooden floor, but it does present some unique cleaning circumstances. If you have a painted floor in your home, or if you are considering painting a wooden floor and want to know what you are getting into before you start, rest assured that it is much simpler than you may have imagined. Cleaning Brazilian Redwood FloorsBrazilian redwood floors are a beautiful type of flooring that can bring a beautiful exotic look to any home. However, they can also be a bit of a hassle to get clean. If you are thinking of installing some, or you currently have some, read on to learn a little about cleaning Brazilian redwood floors. Cleaning Cherry Wood FloorsIf you are looking for an exotic look in your home decor, then one of the best options you can choose is cherry wood flooring. However, in order to be able to get the most out of your cherry wood floors, you should know the basics of cleaning them.

Cleaning Cork FloorsIf you are looking for an environmentally friendly and still beautiful flooring option, then you really can't go wrong with choosing cork. The question then arises, after having choosing cork floors, of how to clean them. Luckily cleaning cork floors isn't all that difficult. Cleaning Engineered Wood FloorsEngineered wood floors are becoming more and more common in today's homes. The reason is due to their relatively low cost, easy installation, and relatively low level of care that is needed to maintain. If you just moved into a home that has engineered wood floors, or just had some installed, and you need a little guidance on how to properly clean them, then you have come to the right place. Cleaning Hardwood FloorsHardwood floors make any home look great, but won't do much to help the look of your home if they're not kept clean. If you're unsure about how to clean your hardwood floors, keep these tips in mind, and you'll find success! Cleaning Laminate FlooringLaminate floors are a beautiful and inexpensive option that more and more home owners are starting to use.

Laminate floors can get tricky in terms of care, but if you clean them the right way they'll last you for a very long time. If you're extremely careful, they will still look like new for years. Cleaning Light Oak FloorsOak floors can be a beautiful addition, and element, of any home. The amazing thing about this wonderful wood is that it can come in a variety of different colors. Perhaps the most beautiful of all the colors is the light oak, with its gorgeous honey colored grains. However, cleaning light oak floors can present a few difficulties if you don't know what to do. Cleaning Painted Wood FloorsWood floors that have been painted are a lovely way to make a room more interesting. This type of floor must be properly cleaned to ensure they stay beautiful for a long time. Cleaning Spilled MilkGrowing up we were always told to never cry over spilled milk. But what about the stains left behind? Crying over those won't get them clean either, but here is what you can do.

Cleaning Wood FloorsWood floors are great and can make any home look better. If you don't keep those floors cleaned, however, you risk your house looking run down. You need to clean your wood floors and clean them well. Fixing "Smeary" Hardwood FloorsWhile wood putty can help you safely restore and preserve your hardwood floors, when it is not used correctly you can end up with a smeary problem. If you have ever found yourself faced with "smeary" hardwood floors, here's what you need to do to fix that problem. Hardwood CleanerDo you have hardwood floors in your home? Keep it looking its best by cleaning it the right way. Hiding Scratches and Scrapes on Wood FloorsWood floors gather tiny scratches and scrapes over time. You can hide these by scrubbing the blemishes with steel wool soaked in wood floor cleaner. Once you're finished, just dry it and polish it like the rest of your floor. Removing Candle Wax from WoodRemoving candle wax from wood can be tricky. Read more for tips on how to keep your wood floor looking nice.

Removing Christmas Tree Stains from Hardwood FlooringHardwood flooring can lose its finish, luster, and shine if you use caustic chemicals to remove stains. If your Christmas tree has left behind a holiday reminder when you take it down, follow these techniques for removing stains from your hardwood flooring. Removing Food Stains from Hardwood FlooringHardwood flooring, while a beautiful addition to the home can be a serious pain in the butt. That being said, they are easy to care for as long as you know what you are doing. That's were this step by step guideline comes in. Removing Stains from Wood FloorsYou can use various methods to remove stains on wood floors. For water stains, use toothpaste, fine grade steel wool, or sandpaper to rub it out, then recoat the area with wax. For other stains, use bleach, ammonia, or other methods to buff out stains. Finish cleaning by waxing your floor to restore its original shine. Removing Stains from Wood Floors - VideoHardwood floors are beautiful, attractive additions to any home.

In short, they are great. The only problem with them is that any stain or damage to them can be expensive to fix, and that is not great. Here is how you can get rid of those stains without spending a fortune. Removing Wood StainsWood stains need to be cleaned carefully, since many solutions can damage wood flooring or furniture. Try using corn oil and salt to remove water rings. Grease can be removed with ammonia, dish detergent, and water. Many other stains can be cleaned with a mixture of trisodium phosphate, bleach, and water. Plain bleach is also a great tool, but only if you plan on refinishing the surface of your wood. Restore Shine to Wood FloorsWood floors can be a beautiful decoration in your home, but as they get older, they can become dull. To restore the shine to your wood flooring, mix equal parts vinegar and oil in a spray bottle. Spray portions of your flooring and wipe them down, piece by piece, to shine your floor. Wood Floor CleanerWood flooring is a popular and attractive option to install in many homes.