Uploaded March 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
TIME LAPSE photography showing what is involved with refinishing wood floors (hardwood flooring). Total time 4 days (2 days with 2 people) plus waiting time for drying of top coats.
1. Turn off A/C and furnace. Remove base molding or tape it off.
2. ORBITAL SANDERS: Sand wood floors. Sand paper grit depends on floor integrity. Uneven, poor condition wood floors could require a starting grit of 40, maybe even 20. Whereas, good condition, lightly stained wood floors could start at 60 grit then 80 grit. Fill any cracks or holes with wood putty. Use 120 grit as the final sanding. Use putty before the last sanding. Cover large areas with putty to ensure complete filling of gaps and cracks. For staining keep the grit lower than 120 and this will provide better results. DRUM SANDERS: You can sand more aggressively with a drum sander to remove deep gouges, but then you will need to use an orbital sander to get the floor level throughout.
3. Keep floors clean between sandings. Use a belt sander and palm sander for the edges. If you use a belt sander across the wood grain (perpendicular to the planks) then you'll have to use a palm sander to remove the scratch marks. Using the belt sander ALONG the grain does not leave scratches.
4. Use a wood conditioner which ensures that the stain will absorb evenly regardless of the excess application of stain in different areas.
5. Stain entire sections without pauses to avoid flashing or uneven depth of color. Follow directions for product used.
6. Use a satin or semi-gloss top coat. Apply a minimum of 2 coats. Applying a top coat on a fully cured top coat will cause flaking in the future because the top coat has difficulty adhering onto a smooth surface. If you let the layer cure, you will need to lightly sand with 320 grit sandpaper and apply the last layer of top coat.
3 coats are ideal with a very light sanding between coats using 220 grit, however, 2 coats is also just fine if you prefer to get it finished quicker.
Donations are appreciated and accepted at Patreon: patreon.com/Heavyboxes
TIME LAPSE photography showing what is involved with refinishing wood floors (hardwood flooring). Total time 4 days (2 days with 2 people) plus waiting time for drying of top coats.
1. Turn off A/C and furnace. Remove base molding or tape it off.
2. ORBITAL SANDERS: Sand wood floors. Sand paper grit depends on floor integrity. Uneven, poor condition wood floors could require a starting grit of 40, maybe even 20. Whereas, good condition, lightly stained wood floors could start at 60 grit then 80 grit. Fill any cracks or holes with wood putty. Use 120 grit as the final sanding. Use putty before the last sanding. Cover large areas with putty to ensure complete filling of gaps and cracks. For staining keep the grit lower than 120 and this will provide better results. DRUM SANDERS: You can sand more aggressively with a drum sander to remove deep gouges, but then you will need to use an orbital sander to get the floor level throughout.
3. Keep floors clean between sandings. Use a belt sander and palm sander for the edges. If you use a belt sander across the wood grain (perpendicular to the planks) then you'll have to use a palm sander to remove the scratch marks. Using the belt sander ALONG the grain does not leave scratches.
4. Use a wood conditioner which ensures that the stain will absorb evenly regardless of the excess application of stain in different areas.
5. Stain entire sections without pauses to avoid flashing or uneven depth of color. Follow directions for product used.
6. Use a satin or semi-gloss top coat. Apply a minimum of 2 coats. Applying a top coat on a fully cured top coat will cause flaking in the future because the top coat has difficulty adhering onto a smooth surface. If you let the layer cure, you will need to lightly sand with 320 grit sandpaper and apply the last layer of top coat.
3 coats are ideal with a very light sanding between coats using 220 grit, however, 2 coats is also just fine if you prefer to get it finished quicker.
Donations are appreciated and accepted at Patreon: patreon.com/Heavyboxes
