Hardwood floors can be stunning, yet over time their sheen may fade over time. Refinishing can restore their splendor to like-new condition.
Yet you may not want to sand your floors due to its lengthy process and potential damage it causes to wood flooring. Below are a few ways you can refinish hardwood without resorting to sanding.
Screen and recoat
People may use terms like screen and recoat just to sound knowledgeable, but this time around it has actual meaning: this term describes the process of topping-coating an existing coat of polyurethane for extra shine and protection.
Buffing, commonly performed using a buffer, lightly abrades the wood surface to help adhere a new coat of polyurethane.
Floor refinishing can be an ideal way to revive dull or light colored floors; applying a fresh coat can bring them back to life and restore them with vibrant hues. However, this technique doesn’t work on floors with deep scratches or changes in coloration as the new coat may cover them up too quickly and cannot cover all imperfections in their entirety.
Before screening hardwood floors, it is necessary to remove all furniture, rugs and other items from the room. Any nails protrusions could get caught in the sanding screen and cause irreparable damage to the buffer system. Furthermore, it may be beneficial to sink any nails not flush with the floor surface and fill in deep gouges that might remain.
Wood stain or paint
Wood stain or paint can fill deeper scratches on hardwood floors without the hassle, labor and expense associated with sanding. You must apply multiple coats and wait for each to dry thoroughly; also important is matching colors as closely as possible.
Before beginning, it is a good idea to remove furniture and clean the floor using commercial wood floor cleaner or reviver products. This will remove dirt and other debris that could prevent proper bonding; additionally make sure there are no residue from furniture polish, insecticide sprays, paint or any chemical cleaners left on it. Furthermore, testing your refinishing material on a small section of floor will help avoid making common errors like applying too much polish resulting in cloudy or hazy appearance which could eventually cause flaking or not sticking permanently leading to additional expenses and time cleaning up effort later on.
Buffing
Surface scratches and scuff marks on hardwood floors can generally be repaired without needing to refinish the entire floor; however, in extreme cases such as extremely old floors that have been refinished numerous times before or if damage occurs frequently may necessitate replacement of all or parts of it altogether.
Start by buffing the floor with a buffer and fine abrasive screen, followed by applying a fresh coat of water-based polyurethane finish. This quick and straightforward method can bring life back into your floor, giving it that “like new” look again. Before walking on it or replacing furniture, allow the finish to dry fully (this could take anywhere from hours to days depending on which product you use) before vacuuming regularly and possibly placing rugs in high traffic areas to protect wood and prevent scuffing scuffing; this method provides ongoing maintenance between professional refinishing jobs while saving money and time both.
Chemical abrasion
With some time and a modest investment, you can quickly restore your hardwood floors without incurring the expenses associated with sanding. Before commencing with any refinishing processes, however, it is imperative to clean your floor thoroughly, eliminating all dirt or dust to ensure the new finish adheres well.
Mark off areas that need special consideration before beginning to refinish your wood floors, to avoid oversanding and dull or patchy surfaces. Additionally, vacuum and sweep regularly to keep dust and dirt at bay and use rugs or mats as protectors against scratches and other forms of damage to protect surfaces from overexposure to sunlight.
Before beginning any refinishing work on your floor, be certain that it can stand the process. If it has been coated multiple times with wax or recoated with recoated layers of varnish or resins, it may not accept new finishes well. Apply mineral spirits or paint thinner to a small section of floor for testing purposes and see what results.