Refinishing hardwood floors is not a difficult job, but you do need some experience working with power tools and enough patience to be thorough. If you have an older home and the hardwood floors have been under carpeting for a decade or three, you will find that they will have a depth and character not seen in newer hardwood flooring. It is worth the mess and work to restore them, as they can add significantly to the charm and value of your home.

Tools Required
Shop vacuum
Plastic sheeting
Masking tape
Drum sander
Edge sander
Palm sander
Paint applicators
Ear protection
Respirator
Stain
Varnish
Sealer
Old towels and rags

Preparing the Room
Remove everything from the room, including window coverings and blinds. Even with a dust collecting bag on the sander, you will still create a lot of sanding dust. For this reason, tape sheets of plastic over openings and doorways wherever it is practical to do so. Remove vent face plates and seal those with plastic or old towels to prevent dust getting sucked into your ductwork.

There is no need to remove the baseboards, but you will probably want to replace the quarter round shoe molding. Decide whether you want it to match the floor stain or painted baseboards. Whichever route you decide upon, get enough to go around the room and finish or paint it before installing it.

Check your floors for nailheads above the surface and staples from carpet padding, since these will tear expensive pieces of sandpaper immediately. If there are any loose or defective boards, now is the time to replace them. This can get tricky, because it’s almost impossible to match new flooring to older flooring and you may encounter variations in thickness or width with newer flooring materials. If you’re dealing with outdated flooring and you simply must attempt to match it, look for a lumber yard in your area that can custom mill pieces of wood to replace the damaged boards. This can be expensive, but you’ll get the best results.

Don't try to fill all the cracks. You can leave all the joints unfilled, or just fill the especially wide ones. If you plan on staining the floor, use wood putty that will accept a stain. If you are going to leave the floors natural, choose a filler that will best match the finished wood.

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