Wood floors are timeless, beautiful, and look great, no matter the décor. When they start looking shabby, all you have to do is call a company that does hardwood floor restoration to refinish it. There is another option, though, and that is to refinish it yourself! This is a task you only want to take on if you are ready for a lot of work and elbow grease, not to mention a great sense of accomplishment.

The first step to hardwood floor restoration is to remove the top layer in order to smooth out the floor and allow the new coating to take hold, or a new stain to soak in. This can either be done by sanding the hardwood or using a liquid “chemical etching” process. The liquid etcher should be available at your local hardware or home and garden store. If you decide to sand the floor yourself, make sure that you rent or buy a power sander. This is not something that you want to try sanding manually!

After you have sanded the hardwood, all of the dust needs to be removed. This has to be a very precise clean, so you will want to go very slowly over the floor with your vacuum two or three times. Any dust that is left on the hardwood when lacquered may cause bumps and irregularities.

If you were planning on staining your floor, now is the time to add the stain. Follow the directions on your stain of choice, and after waiting the amount of time stated on the can, apply the chosen lacquer to the floor. Lacquer usually requires two or three coats with complete drying in between. Remember to follow the directions on the product. Make sure to plan out or “map” how you are going to stain and lacquer your floor, so you don’t get stuck in a corner with no way to escape the hardwood without stepping on it!

Now all you have to do is close off the room, so the hardwood isn’t disturbed until fully dried. Take before and after pictures, so you can remind yourself what a great job you did on your first attempt at hardwood floor restoration!