Ep. 103 Tools For Finishing Hardwood Floors Yourself

This is actually part two of my miniseries on hardwood floors - see the episode on sanding them here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/yourlancasterhome#p/f/21/22GRK9RoW6M

We are working on a red oak, relatively smooth hardwood floor that is common in Lancaster County PA homes and beyond, particularly in the mid-century era (this home is 1967). If your floor is rougher texture or a softwood material, the preparation phase may take longer. I used all off-the-shelf products for this job.

Once you've got a smooth surface, use a wood filler matched to your floor to fill in nail holes, cracks and gaps. I filled holes a big as 3/4 inch across with the stuff. Then select a polyurethane product - I've used a couple of different polys in the past and like the Ecoprocote Poly-Soy product, see the blog article here:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1901927/refinishing-wood-floors-the-green-way...

For this project I went with an oil product from Home Depot, semi-gloss. Research whatever works best for your needs. Listen to the video for how I applied the poly to the hardwood floor.

One important point is to take pains to avoid heavy spots and letting sections dry too much before over lapping them. You WILL see these in the final product. I went back and forth between wet edges often and kept things under control.

The key IMHO is sanding the floor in between coats! Use your orbital sander with 150 or 220 grit and hit the whole thing, feeling for lumps with your free hand. Sanding this way really, really makes a difference in the final sheen. I did two coats which was recommended - didn't see a reason to do a third although you might want to.

Get to it , and have fun watching it come together! Keep in mind how much you just saved if you find yourself obsessing over minor imperfections in the final finish (I speak from experience).




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