The option of using hard wood for your floor contains unlimited advantages, which makes it essential for almost every home. It can bring elegance to every single room, as it consists of a classical and timeless element. It is durable, easier than any other type of floor to clean and even when it reaches the point of looking dull and damaged, you can restore your wood floor easily without putting too much effort on it.

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How to understand when you need to restore your wood floor

Ideally, the refurbishment of a floor should take place once every five to ten years, depending upon how well it has been treated. If your wood floor starting to show its age and marks due to years of foot traffic, restoration is the solution that you are looking for.

At this point, this is a necessary procedure in order to bring your floor back to life and make it look natural and shiny again. Additionally it will bring grace to any type of room (kitchen, bedroom, living room) and overall, your home will regain much of its original value in the process.

Wood Floor Before Image courtesy from hardwoodfloorrefinishers.com

Steps of the restoration process:

The first step is to examine your floor and find out whether it can be renewed or not. Having a quick look under a corner, will tell you a lot about its condition and whether you need to restore your wood floor or not.

Once you decide to move on with it, you'll need to find the type of restoration that is appropriate for your floor. There are different types based on your own personal needs.  If what you see is only a few minor surface scratches, then it probably needs just a good cleaning.  On the other hand if there are lots of deep scratches, which will stay there after even cleaning and polishing the floor, then you know that this is the right time to start sanding the floor.

Restoration is also necessary when you decide to change the colour of flooring. Before you get any kind of disappointment, we'll like to tell you that you'll be amazed with the fact that even floors that are in the poorest conditions, can be refurbished and look like new again.

Since there are not dark stains on the wood, mold, or any other damage that will be hard and costly to fix, the next step is to remove absolutely everything from the room for the refurbishment to begin. By emptying the room, you'll have a clear image of any areas that might need extra care. It is important to mention that this is something that needs to be handled with a lot of attention, as you might damage the floor by moving heavy furnishings.

As soon as everything is out now, remove the carpets, tacks, rugs, fittings and nails out of the wood. This will prevent you from damaging the surface of the floor. You can easily now examine your floor for any scratches or holes that need to be sealed with wood putty. Replacement of some boards might be necessary when these are heavily damaged.

Moving on, the third step is sanding. This is definitely the most important part of the whole process, as if you get it right it will bring your floor back to its beautiful best and if not, it can lead to a ruined floor with a much bigger cost to repair.

hardwood floors Image courtesy from homesolutionssandiego.com

Obviously the first part of the sanding process encompasses hiring a drum sander. This can be found on a hire agency and it usually costs around £60 per week. It is a very efficient tool which purpose is to remove the old stain and smooth out the surface of the floor. You'll need to be extremely careful with it, as one second is enough to cause a huge damage to the floor, which will also have a big impact in your pocket.

It is essential that before you start sanding the boards, you'll need to clean carefully all dirt and dust from the floor. Also make sure that there is always a window open and you are wearing a dust mask, vinyl gloves and eye protection as this is a very dirty process and you definitely don't want to have yourself exposed.

Then, start working slowly with the floor sander across the room, overlapping one row at a time. Use an edge sander after finishing each stripe, to sand areas like edges or corners that the machine did not reach. By the end of this process, you should be able to feel the smooth surface of the floor even with the hand. Usually, you'll need to overlap the floor with the sander two-three times, depending on its condition.

When this is done, the final step of the restoration process will be staining. This is something that needs to happen straight after sanding. Before you start, ensure that the floor is vacuumed and all traces of dust have been removed.

Following, wet the floor with a mop, in order to certify that it will absorb the stain and colour easily.

Staining Floor image courtesy from canfloor.com

As the surface is wet now, apply the stain to the floorboards by moving from one side to the other and by working at one row at a time exactly like you did with the floor sander. No matter which colour you are going to use, apply the same amount to each board for a better, natural look. Your selection should be mainly based on the aesthetic perspective of your house.

After a few minutes, wipe the floor to remove possible excess stain. This will determine how dark will be the colour of your floor in the end of the process.

In addition, you'll have to allow some time for the wood to dry fully. This is extremely significant, as if the floor is still wet, it can get smudged when disturbed.

Lastly, if you desire, apply a coat of polyurethane for a slick appearance and durable finish.

You are ready now to move the furniture back to the room, and finally enjoy your hardwork.

Image courtesy from sunshinehardwoodfloors.com Image courtesy from sunshinehardwoodfloors.com