Armstrong Flooring Care
Hardwood floor refinishing can restore your warn and stained wooden floors and make them look new again. But it’s hard work and requires a lot of patience as well as skill. Another option is cleaning hardwood floors instead of refinishing. Whichever route you decide to take with your wood floors, there are a few important details to keep in mind.
From start to finish, sanding and refinishing your wood floors will take up to a week if you’re going to do it right for best results. Depending on how many coats of polyurethane, and whether it is oil-based or water-based, drying time will be a factor. Also if you’re staining or keeping it natural, how much square footage is being refinished, will decide the length of time you will need to plan for your hardwood floor refinishing project.
The first day, start prepping by removing furnishings, then sand the floors all the way down to the raw hardwood. This will be a multiple step process. Start by sanding with a large sanding machine using a coarse grit sandpaper, and work down to hand sanding with a finer grit sandpaper. Sanding machines are available for rent from hardware and home supply stores.
If you are choosing a stain for your hardwood floor refinishing, then apply the stain on the second day. If you are planning to keep the hardwood floors a natural finish, then “water-popping” will need to be done just before staining, replacing the first step of applying the poly. Water-popping is when water is applied to reopen the pores in the grain.
The third day of your hardwood floor refinishing job apply the first coat of polyurethane onto the stained hardwood, or when keeping the floors natural, apply the second coat of poly on the hardwood floors.
On day four wipe down the hardwood floors with natural mineral spirits, then apply the second coat of poly, but make sure the first coat is dry first. Sometimes the climate can affect the drying time. More humid climates will take longer for the polyurethane coating to dry, sometimes as often than 24 hours or longer, especially with oil-based poly. If you are keeping the hardwood floors natural, then the fourth day is the last day for the process, when the final coat of polyurethane is applied.
The fifth day for stained hardwood floor refinishing is a repeat of day four inasmuch as you again wipe the floors down with mineral spirits and then apply the final coat of polyurethane. Then wait at least 24 hours for the floors to dry. The floors will be okay to walk on with socks, and after 48 hours you will be able to walk on them with shoes without worry, but you need to wait a full 4 days before you put the furnishings back.
As an alternative to hardwood floor refinishing, it may be that a good cleaning will be enough. Knowing how to clean hardwood floors properly in order to protect them is essential to maintain their beauty and your investment. Following are a few pointers to keep your hardwood floors looking their best.
Every day your should sweep or dust the floors with a good microfiber mop. This is the best defense at keeping dirt and grit that can cause scratches and damage to the wood floor surface. A broom will help but the microfiber cleaning pads do a better job by trapping the dirt particles.
Vacuuming your hardwood floors every week, getting into the hard-to-reach corners and spaces where dust accumulates and using a wet mop, are an ideal way to maintain the floors. But use caution when using a vacuum cleaner; it should have a softer-bristled brush beater bar to prevent damage to the floor. Always use a gentle touch when cleaning hardwood floors.
We recommend that you polish your hardwood floors every two or three months, and use rubber-backed rugs and pads to protect the surface, especially in the high-traffic areas. Deep clean once a year, and sand or refinish about every five years for long-lasting beauty.
If you find that the job of hardwood floor refinishing or cleaning hardwood floors is more than you are ready to tackle yourself, call Armstrong-Citywide to do the job for you. We are experts in the Kansas City area. Give us a call today at 816-765-7777 or visit us online at https://armstrgcitywd.wpengine.com/ for a free estimate for providing hardwood floor refinishing in your home.
Armstrong-Citywide, Inc.
4011 E. 138th St.
Grandview, MO 64030
816-765-7777