What are the steps to sand and polyurthane hard wood floors.?
Question:I know i have to rent the sander and different grades of sandpaper & keep the sander moving. What are the grades of paper I need and what other pointers can you give me. Please be as detailed as you wanna be.
Answers:
We did ours about 4 years ago and they are still looking good.
If I remember correctly the rental place had the paper, which was expensive for sand paper by the way. We actually rented two sanders, a big drum sander and a trim sander for the sides of the room where the big one wouldnt reach.
When you get to the end of the end of the room whith the drum sander start to pull up on it so you dont hit the wall, this will dig the sander into the floor and ruin them. Keep a steady pace when walking behind the sander so you keep the floors even. Also, progress the grits of sandpaper from corse to fine and the finer the grit the better your floors will look. Seal off the rest of your home cause dust will get every where and you will need to clean the dust as often as possible and keep checking your sand paper to make sure dust doesnt mat up on it recducing it's effectiveness. Also change you paper when it looses its corsness so you get your floors even.
When applying the clear coat make sure to sand between coats and wipe the dust with cheese cloth, the more coats you sand and apply the prettier your floor will be. I did mine three times and the fourth coat was the final coat.
We used a water based poly because it doesnt yellow over time and it is very easy to apply, fast drying and drys just as hard. We used a semi gloss to hide some imperfections and it doesnt show scratches as much as a glossy finish would.
Oh and remember to remove your corner round and maybe baseboard befor you start other wise you may damage it when sanding.
Here is a link I found. Good luck with the dust!
http://www.ehow.com/how_1856_refinish-ha...
The firm you rent your sander should be able to advise. It depends on the type of wood surface for one thing. It is vital you keep the sander moving or hesitation can burn the wood leaving a mark. If you have very hard wood, it may be best to have done professionally.
depending on the condition of the floors. if they are descent then you should start with #80 sand paper 1st to rough it up. next go to #150, then finally to #220. clean and vacuum floor then wipe with damp cloths to remove any dust. apply at least three coatings of polyurethane (more if you want a really durable hard finish). sanding lightly between each application. note: keep each application thin to avoid running or splotching also drying time will be minimized.
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