What to Do When You Uncover Hardwood Floors |
Posted: April 3, 2017 |
You’ve bought an old house, which has dingy carpet and broken tile on the floor. As you begin renovations, you’re pleased to discover that underneath is a hardwood floor. Now, all you have to do is pull up the old flooring and refinish the wood to have a brand new floor.
Remove the Old Floor
First, you will need to remove whatever is on top of the wood. Pulling up the carpet shouldn’t be too hard, but you may have to take up the padding as well. Tile may be more difficult, but you can break it up. Just be careful that you don’t damage the wood.
One issue you may have to deal with is multiple layers. In a lot of these old homes, you’ll find three or four layers or even more on the floor before you get to the hardwood flooring. When this is the case, you may have to take up each one individually.
Clean up the Hardwood Floor
After you have removed all of the old flooring, you’ll need to clean up the hardwood. There may be bits of carpet or padding and glue attached to the wood that will need to be removed. Get a sander and lightly sand the floor to remove all imperfections.
If the wood has damage, such as dents, scratches or other problems, you may need to sand even more to ensure it’s smooth. You’ll want to finish with a high-grade sandpaper to make sure there are no splinters in the wood.
Stain the Floor
Your next step is to stain the hardwood floor. If you want to keep it natural, you’ll probably still want to put a clear top coat on it to prevent water and spills from damaging the floor. You may need to use several coats of stain to get the color you want. It’s better to put multiple thin coats on the floor than one heavy coat.
You’ll also need to allow the stain to dry between coats, so be prepared for this project to take several hours. If you have never stained a floor before, make sure you schedule enough time when no one will need to walk on it.
One thing that is important to remember is that you can always lightly sand the floor again if you don’t like the color you choose. Most older floors were thick and made to last a lifetime. They can handle multiple sandings with no damage to the actual floor.
One of the most exciting finds for many homeowners is when they discover wood under the carpet or tile of their floors. Removing the flooring to uncover a hardwood floor can mean increased value for the property, especially after you have refinished it.
Just remember that true hardwood floors are usually easy to work with and hard to mess up. However, if you feel overwhelmed by the process, you can hire a professional to do the job for you.
Canada's premier hardwood flooring store. Proudly selling Hardwood Flooring in Toronto since 1977. We have hardwood, laminates, engineered, and exotic flooring; we also provide hardwood flooring installation.
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