Best way to refinish wood floors.


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Old 04-20-09, 01:59 PM
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Best way to refinish wood floors.

I have 100 year old oak floors that have some deep scratches and need refinished. I have been told by people that the flat plate floor sanders work well and help to avoid the gouges caused by drum sanders.

Second question is I have been told that I should only use oil based urethane as opposed to water based. If so, is there any finish difference between the quick drying oils and the more traditional?
 
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Old 04-20-09, 02:42 PM
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Flat plate=vibrating sander? It may not get the deep scratches out.
The average oil-modified polyurethane (Parks at Home Depot is a good choice) is a 12 to 24 hour dry time, with a 30 day cure time. It will require 3 coats.
Moisture cured Polyurethane cures a little faster than oil-modified and requires only two coats- sanding sealer then urethane. The stuff is very toxic though, and you will need a very good respirator to work with it.
Good water based poly (not the stuff you get at Lowes or Depot) dries in about 3 hours and cures in a couple of days. It requires 4 coats- sealer then 3 coats of poly.
 
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Old 04-20-09, 06:49 PM
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Go for a drum sander and don't worry about gouges, as long as you use it right it will turn out great!. Drum sanders are the only thing to get out the deep scratches if you have any?.

If your floors are not that bad and all you need to do is knock off the finish, the vibrating sander will be fine for that project.

My personal opinion is to use the oil based poly, it gives a much richer color tone to the floor, and also show off the grain nicely. Water based is good if you want to do things quickly.
 
 

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