How To Resurface Your Wood Floors – Sandless Method For Wood Floor Refinishing

If your hardwood floors have lost their shine, started to get scuffs and scratches on the surface, or are just in need of a little cleaning and sprucing up, then unsanded coating may be just what you need. This process works for all types of hardwood floors including; unfinished solids (floors that were finished on site), prefinished solids (floors that were purchased already finished from a factory), and engineered wood flooring. Depending on the type of hardwood floor you have, this process can vary a bit.

I will cover the steps required for each type of flooring.

* Bona “Prep” brand or Basic Coatings “Tycote” brand (these are etch solutions that help ensure a new coating will bond to your floors – note: only needed for prefinished solid or prefinished engineered floors)

* A wood floor finish that is compatible with the engraving product; if you get the Bona product I would recommend the Bona Traffic HD finish or the Bona Woodline finish, or if you get the Basic Coatings Tycote I would recommend their Street Shoe finish.

* floor buffer – You can rent a floor buffer at almost any tool rental store and some home improvement stores. If you’ve never run a standard buffer, you may want to consider getting a square buffer, as these vibrate rather than oscillate.

* Vacuum cleaner – I recommend one with a soft bristle or soft felt brush.

* Microfiber dust mop

*Applicator – I recommend an 18″ T-bar style appliqué made by Duratool. Lambswool appliqués and smaller wool paint rollers can also work for this.

* Brush – I prefer 3-4″ wide foam brushes.

* BufferPad – White pads (1-2) also available at rental tool stores (additional red or maroon pad if you have prefinished engineered or solid prefinished floors)

* 150 or 220 grit sanding screen – These are also found at tool rental stores or online. An alternative to these are Norton brand sand dollar shock pads.

Duties

The first thing you’ll want to do is prepare the space you’re doing. You will want to remove all furniture and any other items that are on the floors you are doing. It’s also a good idea to use painter’s tape to tape baseboards and adjoining surfaces/floors you want to protect. You may also want to hang plastic wrap over doors to help contain any dust that is generated. You’ll also want to clean the floors and make sure there are no bits of debris, as these things could get caught under the polish and scratch your floors.

Polish

After preparing the space, now is the time to polish the floors. Take the white damping pad and place it on the bottom of the damping unit head. Then place the sanding screen under the white pad (the screen is what you want to be touching the floor). Now start the sander and move back and forth over the floors trying to follow the grain of the wood. Try to cover every inch of the floors very well.

After sanding the floors, you now want to take a used piece of sanding screen and lightly hand sand any areas of the floor that the sander wouldn’t reach, such as corners, under cabinets, under radiators, etc. This is just to etch the surface of these areas as well.

The next step will vary a bit depending on the type of flooring you have.

If you have prefinished floors, the next thing to do is sand the floors again. This time you want to use only the red or maroon cushioning pad. Now what you are going to do is a wet or wet polish. You want to spray some of the Bona Prep of Basic Coatings Tycote onto the floor using a spray bottle. This step is to etch the flooring surface and ensure that a new coating will adhere to the coating that is on the finished factory flooring product. You will want to do this very well to ensure that you get every inch of the floors and that every inch has an etched or dull look. You’ll even want to take a piece of the buffer pad and get into corners and other tight spots that the polisher wouldn’t reach.

(note: you can use this step on hardwood floors that were also field finished, especially if you have any concerns about whether a new coating will adhere to your existing finish or if you have used wax-based cleaners or freshening products to wax based). as they can prevent new coatings from sticking to floors)

Cleaning

After completing the polishing part of the project, you now want to give the floors a really good clean. You will want to vacuum the floors very well and then clean them very well.

Coating

Once you have cleaned the floors, you are now ready to apply the coatings. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the amount of square feet of coverage per gallon. Apply the finish with the grain using whatever type of application you have chosen. Be sure to work in sections.

let dry

After you’ve applied the coating now, you’ll just want to wait the manufacturer’s recommended drying time before walking on the floors. You can find this in the final container. Then you’ll want to wait the manufacturer’s recommended cure time before putting the furniture back into place.

Repeat if you want

If you wish, you can also buff the floor again and apply a second or third coat for added protection. I recommend buffing after each coat with a 220 grit sanding screen and following all other instructions in addition to using the etch products as they won’t be needed once a coat is applied.