Calling in the Contractors

Steps to Breathing Life Into Your Hardwood Flooring

24 October 2017 by Frank Elliott

Natural hardwood flooring is a sought-after material as if offers a classic and elegant touch to any residence. Nonetheless, despite how stunning your hardwood flooring was when first installed, it will gradually lose its lustre due to ageing, environmental factors and more. Rather than settle for dull floors, you should employ measures to restore its shine and subsequently boost the visual appeal of the room they are installed in. The following steps can come in handy in breathing life into your hardwood flooring.

Step 1: Prep the hardwood floors

Before any restoration can begin, the hardwood flooring needs to be spick and span. The first thing to do would eliminate any items on the floor by thoroughly sweeping it with a thick bristled broom. Once the cleaning is complete, inspect each of the floorboards for any structural problems. These damages could be in the form of moving boards, protruding nails, loosened fasteners and more. Ensure that all these issues are fixed either by driving the nails back into the wood and securing loose boards before you can move to the next step.

Step 2: Sand the surface of the hardwood floors

No matter how rigorous you are with the maintenance of your hardwood flooring, it is bound to acquire nicks, chips and dents on the surface. Thus, it is essential to ensure that these cosmetic damages are attended to so that the refinished flooring will have a sleek and smooth appearance. For easy sanding of the floors, you may want to consider hiring a drum sander. This type of equipment is designed to easily eliminate the top layer of the floor without compromising the integrity of the hardwood. Once done with the drum sander, you will have exposed the natural grain of the hardwood flooring while also eliminating any unevenness.

Step 3: Stain the hardwood flooring

The last step to breathing life into your hardwood flooring would be to stain the surface. Before you begin, you should employ a technique referred to as water popping. Water popping entails mopping the natural grain with plain water so that the wood can absorb some moisture that would help it acclimatise. However, make sure that you do not waterlog your flooring. Once the water has dried, you can then proceed to apply the stain of your choice on the flooring. An easy way of doing this would be by using a paint roller and aiming for smooth and even strokes that will produce an even finish. Lastly, when the stain dries, apply a coat of varnish to seal your new hardwood flooring finish.

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