Resurfacing hardwood floor

Hello,

I am redoing my hardwood floors. I will be sanding them down and then staining with Wood Finish Golden Oak Oil-Based Interior Stain link below and then poly with Semi-Gloss Super Fast-Drying Polyurethane for Floors link below.

I been researching online how to redo hardwood floors and everyone does it different. So my question is how do I do them so they are nice and smooth?

In my head I will sand with 60, 80, 100 (orbital), then 1 coat stain, then 1 coat poly - light sanding, then 1 more coat of poly?

Are there sealers I should use or others things im forgetting? I do have little dime size gaps through some of the boards that I will just fill in with the 100 grit dust and some squeaks that I will nail down. any help would be appreciated.


Minwax 1 gal. Semi-Gloss Super Fast-Drying Polyurethane for Floors (2-Pack)-13024 - The Home Depot

Minwax 1 gal. Golden Oak Wood Finish 250 VOC Oil-Based Interior Stain (2-Pack)-71071 - The Home Depot

 

You'll kill yourself if you use an orbital sander. You can rent the proper sander & an edger. Don't rent it from Home Cheapo. They rent the sanders, on a 4 hour basis instead of 24 hrs.

The procedure is sand everything with 36 paper & a second time with 80. Vacuum the dust. Put a coat of sealer & a coat of poly. Buff the floor with a screen, vacuum again & do a second coat of sealer. Of course, fill all the gaps first.

 

What do you mean by the term sealer, is that stain and poly? I have to use a 3 disk orbital floor sander because that's all they have.

 

No way on the stain and poly in one!!!

 

Joe... the OP has separate stain and poly listed. Can you explain your comment.

 

Here's an example of a wood filler. I don't believe HD sells this type of professional sealer, or only in small quantities.

DuraSealÂ*|Â*Trowelable Wood Filler

I think Pulpo is talking about another type of sealer (wipe on), maybe he can elaborate.

 

I'd do three coats of poly myself - light scuff sanding and dust removal between coats.

 

It's been so long since I worked on that crew that I forgot what coats were in what order. However, I remember the sanding procedure which I described.

 

So the process is sand, stain, poly, light sand, poly?

 

If two coats of poly, yes, that would be the process (as long as it is implied to remove the dust after each sanding).

 

So I don't want to rent a buffer to do the light sand. Can I just use an orbital floor sander with 220 grit instead of a screen on a buffer?

 

I wouldn't even do that - all you're trying to do between coats of poly is scuff up the surface a little bit to create nooks and crannies for the next coat of poly to flow into; this creates a mechanical bond between coats and lowers the chance of the layers peeling. Manual sanding with 220 grit is all that's needed - quick swipe over the whole thing.

 

Okay so final verdict is sand (3 diff grits), stain, poly, sand - quick 220 grit, poly, done.

 

If your floor is oak, it should be sealed. I'm not a floor refinisher, the only filler I know is the one I referenced above (or other brands). This is what the professionals use here. I believe there are other sealers that are easier to apply, liquid versus the "paste wood filler".

If the oak isn't sealed, the grain might still be open after several coats of poly.

If you go with the paste filler, it's applied after the first cut.

 

The initial sanding is the most important! You need to remove ALL of the previous finish before you can apply the stain. The coarser grits help to remove the old finish and then the finer grits are needed to remove the sanding scratches. It's best to fill the cracks/voids in between the 2 final sandings prior to stain.

IMO 3 coats of poly [sanding and removing the dust prior to the 2nd and 3rd coats] gives the best looking finish.

 

can the stain be considered a sealer? Also, i will be doing 3 coats of poly on top of that.

 

So i cant get 220 grit for the 3 disk orbital sander. The finest I can get is 100. When I coat with poly can i just use the 100 grit quickly to texture the floor?

 

While stain will somewhat seal the wood it is not a sealer. Not all sealers are compatible with all polys but you can thin the 1st coat of poly slightly and it will seal the floor. IMO 220 grit is too fine to use on floors, 150-180 is the finest I'll use. Is that a full size stand behind orbiter sander/buffer? Sanding screens work well over the poly.

Is that a typo?

 

The sander is Orbital Sander - E-Z Edge Multi-Disc - Eagle Rental - Waterville, Maine 04901

Do they have screen pads for this type of 3 disc orbital floor sander? I know the rental places doesnt.

 

Also whats the best thing to thin the poly for the first coat?

 

I don't know anything about that sander - I thought it was one of the buffer type units.

If using oil base poly you'd thin it with mineral spirits or naptha. Water based poly gets thinned with water.