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Refinishing Hardwood Floors

JoeJoyce | Posted in General Discussion on May 3, 2015 11:48am

Hi,

 

This question has probably been asked a million times….but I want to redo the floor in my bedroom, I believe the wood is fir, abput 3.5″ wide and has a lot of scuffs and surface scratches. I read that I can rent a buffer and use that to buffer hte floor and then resurface with ureathane (sp?). I don’t have the time to bring it all the way down to the wood, so that that might be a good alternative. What do people think of that? How many coats? If I add a number of coats – 3-4, does it mean the surface will last longer or be more resistant to scratches, etc?

Any advice welcome!

Joe Joyce, Boston MA

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Replies

  1. User avater
    deadnuts | May 03, 2015 03:08pm | #1

    If you don't have any major wear or scratches, then buffing and recoating is an economical alternative to refinishing. If there is major wear, then chances are buffing will not remove them and you will lock those blemishes into the new film finish.

    Most floor film finishes wear from abrasion. Therefore it stands to reason that the thicker the film finish, the more protection and less wear with respect to the natural wood. However, keep in mind that  UV protection generally doesn't apply to film finishes on interior floor finishes. Also, there are diminishing returns when building film thickness. 2-3 additional coats after buffing is typical. Try to keep a wet edge when your recoating and re-coat evenly for best results.

  2. junkhound | May 03, 2015 04:17pm | #2

    dont have the time

    How much time do you have? 

    I did 280 sq ft oak floor in about 10 hours total over 3 days.  First day is 6-7 hours.   Less time with 2 people obviously.

    plastic blocking doorways or doors closed, plastic or drop cloth over stuff that can get dusty , big fan in window for dust control.

    50 grit 7" disk in angle grider for first removal (maybe 80 will work OK on fir), then hand held belt sander for finish sanding.  Remove drop cloths and plastic and vaccum, then wipe floor with thinner.

    1st coat first day, then 2nd and 3rd coats with OIL based polyurethane the 2nd and 3rd day.  Ready to walk on in 2 more days.

    Personally, I'd not try to put a coat of poly over any thing 'buffed', to much risk of wax remaining and no adhesion.

  3. User avater
    Mike_Mahan | May 03, 2015 05:18pm | #3

    Drinking wine is important.

    This is the traditional French method. Notice the bottle on the right.

    1. DanH | May 03, 2015 06:33pm | #5

      Problem is that by the time I was drunk enough to try it I'd be too drunk to do it.

  4. JoeJoyce | May 03, 2015 05:54pm | #4

    Dont have the time.....

    Hi,

    Aren't you talking about sanding the whole floor down to the wood?  I am trying to redo the floors since I just repaired the cracks in the walls (horse hair plaster). Was going to buff/sand BEFORE I paint for obvious dust reasons.....

    1. User avater
      coonass | May 04, 2015 09:13pm | #6

      Joe,

      Home Depot and others rent a 3 head random orbit sander that is very easy to use. I would guess you could sand down to bare wood in 2 or 3 hours and get a very nice surface. A finish I used last year was Old Master's Tung oil. Easy to apply and you can recoat with no sanding if you get a scratch later on. Be sure to dispose of the sanding dust and any rags in a safe manner because they sometimes spontaneously combust.

      KK

  5. User avater
    deadnuts | May 04, 2015 10:53pm | #7

    huh?

    Not recalling what you seem to recall?? Is that like having a premonition of deja vu?

    Wiping the floor with a liberal amount of denatured alchohol before buffing is generally a good way to clean the floor and remove  possible wax dresssings without dissolving the acutal  film finish. Buffing will most likely get the rest and prepare the floor for good film adhesion. You can alway test a small area of your new film for adhesion by using the ol' fingernail or masking tape tests  (after proper curing). If it passes those, chances are your new finish will hold up just fine.

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