How to Refurbish Solid Wood Flooring

Hardwood flooring is both beautiful and tough. However, over time it can start to lose its looks as its surface is worn down through wear and tear. Rather than replacing the planks, it is cheaper and easier to simply refurbish them.

If you are looking to give your solid wood flooring a refresh yourself, it will take a decent amount of time and effort. Here, you’ll discover how to refurbish and restore solid wood flooring safely.

Tools & Equipment Required

When taking on a DIY project like this you will need to make sure you have everything you need before starting. There is nothing worse than being in the middle of the job and realising you forgot something important. So things required to restore your wooden floor:

• Safety equipment - goggles, gloves & we recommend steel toe cap boots.
• Vacuum & brush
• Professional electric floor sander
• Large & small paint brushes for staining
• Wood floor stain (you will need to calculate how many tins you will require)
• Roller & paint brush for applying the polyurethane / lacquer
• Roller tray (for the lacquer)
• Cloth for wiping any excess laquer / oil from the floor.

Sanding Solid Wood Floor Planks Down

If you don’t have a sander already, it’s worth hiring one from a local hardware store. Prior to starting, give the floor a clean to ensure there isn’t any dirt or debris that could get in the way.

Remove all furniture from the room and ensure you have a clear space to work in. Then, attach a heavy grit piece of sandpaper to the sander and begin using it on the planks. Make sure you’re using the sander in the same direction as the wood grain.

After you’ve sanded the entire floor, replace the heavy grit with a lighter grit paper. Again, ensure you are using it in the same direction as the grain.

Staining Solid Wood Flooring

Once the floor has been sanded, you have the option to stain it. You don’t have to do this if you prefer the natural look of the wood. However, if you would like to give it a little colour, you’ll want to start by giving the floor a hoover to remove the debris from the sanding.

Locate a small area of the floor which can be easily covered up if needed, to test the staining. This will ensure you are happy with the colour before you apply it to the main floor.

Follow the directions on the staining product you purchased to stain the entire floor. Then, wait until it dries before finishing the refurbishment.

Finishing The Floor

When you’re ready to finish the floor, you’ll need a roller or a brush. This will help you to apply either a lacquered or oiled finish. You’ll need to give it approximately four hours to dry. For best results, consider adding another layer of oil or lacquer once the first has dried.

Tips To Remember

Refurbishing a solid wood floor does take a lot of time and effort. There are also a few things that can go wrong. So, to ensure you are doing it correctly, it’s a good idea to follow a few tips.

Firstly, you’ll want to ensure you are following the manufacturer instructions oh how to refurbish your solid wood floor if they are provided. Each finish and stain you choose will have its own instructions on how it should be applied and maintained. So, familiarise yourself with the instructions you’ll need to follow.

It’s also possible to give solid wood floors a brand-new look without sanding them down. If there is no damage on the planks, you can simply clean the floor before applying a stain or finish.

As you can see, refurbishing a solid wood floor isn’t as difficult as you might think. The above are the main steps and tips to follow. Solid wood may be time consuming to refurbish, but the process helps it to last a lot longer.

For our full range of solid wood flooring available to buy online please visit here: https://storiesflooring.co.uk/collections/solid-wood-flooring