Do you have hardwood floors that are in a state of disrepair and you want to refinish the surface? If so, it will help to know these tips for how to get the job done.

Preparation Tips

You'll need to prepare your floors before you start the refinishing process. This involves removing all the furniture from the room so you don't have to work around it. Then you will want to make sure that all nails and other sharp objects are not sticking out of the floor because they can cause damage to your sanding equipment. It will also help to take off the baseboards so that you can sand right to the edges of the rooms.

Sanding Tips

You will need to sand the surface of the floor several times to smooth out the floors. If you are refinishing your entire home's flooring, you'll want to consider renting sanding equipment so that you can get the job done much easier. However, if you have a small room that you are refinishing, you could do it with handheld sanding equipment.

The trick to sanding is to start off with a heavy grit of sandpaper to get the surface smooth, clean up the dust, and then repeat the process again two or three times. Consider using 40, 60, and 80 grit sandpaper if you are doing three sanding passes, but you don't need to use those exact grits of sandpaper either. Just know that you shouldn't follow one sanding pass with a heavier grit of sandpaper.

It will help to wipe down the surface of the floor to pick up all of the remaining dust on the floor. You may be surprised at how much dust is on it. 

Finishing Tips

You can finish the floor by using a water- or oil-based polyurethane. Know that a water-based polyurethane is going to dry quickly, and you can put multiple coats on the same day because of this. Water-based polyurethane doesn't have a strong odor to it as well, which will make it easier for you if you are staying in your home while the floors are being refinished. However, some people like the glow that an oil-based polyurethane leaves and will take the time to apply it over multiple days. 

Not feeling confident that you can do this job on your own? Hire a contractor in your area that can handle the hardwood floor refinishing project for you.