Maybe you’re thinking about sanding old hardwood floors. You examine your own floors and admit, “it’s time.” But then the image comes to mind of sanding and refinishing—what a messy and expensive job.
Even with the right intentions to get the best comfort out of your home, there are plenty of reasons why homeowners avoid the inevitability of getting their hardwood floors refinished.
The thing about sanding and refinishing hardwood floors is that they don’t necessarily have to go together every time. If you live in O’Fallon, Belleville, Shiloh, Edwardsville or any other neighboring community, we’ve got you covered.
To keep you informed on your options and see what specific process sounds best to you, these are the best options to refinish hardwood floors without sanding:
1. Screen and recoat
This technique starts with scuffing up the old finish with a floor buffer and then applying refresher coat of the finish. This does not refer to the practice where some hardwood floor refinishers use chemical etchers to do the buffing—it’s totally manual and chemical-free.
After buffing and “scuffing” the old finish, the floor is mopped and left to dry. The buffing will produce some dust, and any remaining dust after the mopping can be vacuumed away. Even though there is some dust, it’s frankly negligible compared to what dust is produced when sanding hardwood floors.
The buffed and cleaned floor is then given two coats of the finish you’ve chosen.
2. Use a kit for hardwood floor refinishing
If you do look at a “chemical etching” method, the necessary products also come in hardwood floor refinishing kits. The products work to “de-gloss” the existing finish.
If you are sold on the DIY approach, be sure the etcher is applied to a professionally-cleaned floor. The kit will come with the additional tools you need.
If you have any uncertainties about how much of the existing finish to work away, call a professional to inquire about doing the work for you. These etching chemicals can do permanent damage to your hardwood floors if you aren’t completely confident in how to use them.
Once the etching dries, it’s time to apply the finish. Again, the kit usually comes with application tools.
If the thought of sanding (and all the mess you imagine) is a factor holding you back for your refinishing project, give me a call today. I think your options might surprise you.
