How to Refinish Hardwood Floors: DIY Guide

DIY Difficulty: Moderate

Time Required: 2 to 5 days

Time to Read: 18 Min

Revitalize your home and restore the timeless beauty of your hardwood floors. 

Hardwood floors refinishing removes scratches, dullness, and worn finishes, giving your space a fresh, polished look. It’s a smart, affordable solution that avoids the waste of replacing floors entirely while increasing your home’s value.

How Much Does It Cost?

When refinishing hardwood floors, the square footage of the area plays a significant role in determining the overall cost:

• DIY Approach: Costs typically range from $600 to $1,000, covering tool rentals, sandpaper, and finishes. For small areas, such as a single room (200–400 square feet), costs are typically on the lower end of the range, around $600. For larger spaces, like an entire home (800–1,000 square feet or more), the cost may approach $1,000 or slightly exceed it due to additional materials and extended tool rental periods.
• Professional Services:Expect to pay $1,150 to $2,500 for a professional wood floor refinishing service.

Looking for more details? Check out our guide on the cost of refinishing hardwood floors in Boston.

Updated: Nov 18, 2024

• How Difficult Is It to Refinish Hardwood Floors?

  Refinishing hardwood floors is a moderate-difficulty project. It requires intermediate skills to operate heavy tools like drum sanders and manage a detailed process. Mistakes like uneven sanding can lead to costly repairs.

  For DIYers, consider tool rental fees when calculating how to refinish hardwood floors cheap — they’re essential but add to your budget. While the project saves money, hiring professionals ensures expertise and faster results.

Tools and Materials Needed to Refinish Hardwood Floors

Before starting, make sure you have the right tools and materials. Here’s everything you’ll need for a successful refinishing project, organized for clarity and cost estimation.

Essential Tools

Essential Materials

DIY vs. Professional-Grade Tools

Optional Tools for Advanced Techniques

Tools you need when refinishing without sanding(anchor link)

🧹 Remember: Keep your tools clean, clean the dust bag regularly, and vacuum thoroughly.

We've also prepared a PDF version of a checklist for you with the refinishing tools you need:

📄 Download PDF-checklist

When to Refinish Hardwood Floors

But before we start refinishing, we need to assess the condition of the wood floor. Not every floor needs a full sanding! Sometimes a polish is all it takes to restore the floors to their former beautiful appearance.

Signs Your Floor Needs Refinishing

Do your floors have just minor scratches or are they looking dull? A thorough cleaning and polishing will already restore them to their former appearance. Easy approaches like the screen-and-recoat method or treatment with a chemical abrasion kit are already enough to restore your hardwood floors without sanding, saving you a lot of time and effort.

The tools for non-sanding methods are simpler and more affordable. Here’s a comparison:

💡 Pro Tip: Non-sanding methods are perfect for floors with surface-level wear, while sanding is necessary for floors with deep scratches or exposed wood.

However, deep scratches, water stains, or exposed wood are signs that a full sanding and refinishing is necessary. In these situations, sanding will smooth imperfections, and refinishing will protect the wood while restoring its beauty.

Testing Your Floor’s Condition

To assess your floor’s needs, try these simple tests:

• Water Droplet Test: Sprinkle a few drops of water on the surface.
  • If the water soaks in immediately, the finish is worn, and refinishing is required.
  • If it beads up, cleaning and polishing may be sufficient.
• Coin Test: Gently scrape a coin across the surface. If it scratches easily, the protective finish is gone, and your floor needs attention.

How Often to Refinish Hardwood Floors

How frequently you refinish depends on your floor's usage. High-traffic areas, like kitchens and hallways, often require refinishing every 5–7 years. In contrast, rooms with lighter use may last 10–15 years before needing attention. Regular cleaning and using furniture pads can help extend this timeline, keeping your floors looking their best. More in our article about how often to refinish hardwood floors.

Hardwood Floor Repair

If you have significant damage to your floors, hardwood floor repair should be done so that it is ready for refinishing. Do not refinish damaged floors. Clean the floor with a damp rag, identifying all significant scratches, dings and gaps.

Small cracks can be handled with a special wood filler (wood patch filler), on larger areas use a trowel filler. Then sand the repair work, focusing on the texture of the grain of the wood. You can smooth the edges with steel wool.

If you notice any damage at all, the planks will need to be replaced.

For severely damaged areas, replace planks and ensure they align with surrounding boards. Keep tools clean by regularly emptying the dust bag, and vacuum thoroughly to remove all debris. With repairs complete, your floor is ready for a flawless finish.

The topic of hardwood floor repair is extremely broad. It cannot be fully covered in this article. We advise you to study our other materials.

💢 Need help fixing damaged floors? Check out our guide on how to fix wood floors for more detailed advice.

💲 Wondering if refinishing is worth it? Read our article on whether it’s cheaper to refinish or replace hardwood floors to decide the best path forward.

💧 If water damage is the issue, repairs may require extra care. Learn more about addressing wood floor water damage in our detailed guide.

Preparing the Room for Refinishing Hardwood Floors

The next important step is to prepare the room.

💡 Carpet Removal Tip: For those curious how to refinish hardwood floors under carpet, use pliers or pry bar to pull up the carpet. Remove the staples with a flathead screwdriver or staple remover.

💡 Pro Tip: If you need to remove base moldings, label each piece to make reinstallation easier. Use a pry bar with padding to avoid damaging the molding or the wall.

❓ For Uneven Floors: Use a level to assess the surface. High spots may need extra sanding, while low spots can be filled with wood putty.

💡 Pro Tip: If you need to remove base moldings, label each piece to make reinstallation easier. Use a pry bar with padding to avoid damaging the molding or the wall.

How to Sand and Refinish Hardwood Floors Yourself | Step-by-Step Process

Next is the most important part. We've been coming to this for a long time! Here is a step-by-step guide with techniques, tips and advice on refinishing your wood floors.

Step 1: Sand the Floor

Sanding is an operation to remove old finishes, which smooths the surface and makes the floor ready for staining or sealing.

1. Start with Coarse Grit: Use 40-grit sandpaper and use it on the first sanding process to remove the old finishes and imperfections.
2. Progress to Medium Grit: 60- grit sandpaper, followed by 80-grit sandpaper to complete the surface sanding step.
3. Finish with Fine Grit: Finish off the job with 120-grit sandpaper for a flawless finish ready for application of stain or finish.

Common Problems & Solutions:

• Uneven Sanding Marks: Never stay on the spot when sanding, as staying there will leave gouges or swirl marks. Mistakes cause overlaps only slightly.
• Dust Buildup: To maintain a consistent cut a floor and sander needs to be vacuumed between passes so that buildup doesn’t clog the sander.

💡 Pro Tip: Get adequate use experience by applying a drum sander on construction cut offs first before the floor.

Step 2: Sand Edges and Corners

Edges and corners need to be given special attention because these areas are inaccessible by drum sanders.

• Progress through grits in the same way as when sanding the floor for an edge sander.
• We recommend using a hand sander wrapped in sandpaper or a sanding block for more confined areas like corners.
• Practice using the edge sander to avoid applying uneven pressure to the wood, which can leave unsightly marks.

Step 3: Buff the Floor

The buffing process helps in the elimination of the small imperfections that are often left after the sanding process and creates a proper surface for staining or sealing.

• Manual Method: When finishing, use a pole sander with a 120-grit sanding screen. Sand along the direction of the wood grain, then pull the sander back and repeat.
• Machine Method: For quicker results, an industrial floor buffer can be rented. Fasten the buffer in motion while making wide circular arcs on the floor.

💧 Water-Popping Technique: Before staining the underside of the flap or any porous surface, use alcohol and water to pull off the grain. This technique helps to absorb stains better and transfer color better. Make sure the floor is dry before proceeding.

Step 4: Clean Thoroughly

Nothing short of an impeccable result may be desired and this can only be achieved by a clean surface below the application.

1. Vacuum the Floor: In order to remove the dust and debris from the floor and baseboards, use a vacuum with the brush attachment.
2. Wipe with Tack Cloths: These are cloths that are slightly sticky to touch and work in a way that helps the engendered dust migration to the floors and soffit.
3. Optional Alcohol Cleaning: If the dust is heavily embedded, mix denatured alcohol with water and apply to the dusty areas of the floor.

Step 5: Stain the Floor (Optional)

Staining the floor is useful because it gives it shades, but it is not mandatory for those who want a natural wood-colored floor.

• Choose the Right Stain: Oil-based stains take a longer time to dry - which is good and has a strong tint - whilst a water-based stain is fast drying and has low VOC.
• Application Tips: When applying work starting from the furthest corner of the room towards the door. For larger spaces use an applicator pad and for the borders use a brush. When painting, maintain a wet edge, so that lap marks are avoided.
• Spot-Test First: One important thing to do when painting is to apply a small strip of the desired color around an area that is not visible so as to see how the whole picture looks.

Troubleshooting:

• Uneven Color: If there are overlapping sections, blend them but do take care of removing the extra stain if so.
• Streaks or Lap Marks: Avoiding applying pressure on the painted surfaces and working on small areas may help in avoiding the said marks.

Step 6: Seal and Finish the Floor

Sealing is meant to preserve the floor against degradation but also adds a gloss or a matte look.

1. Choose a Finish:
   • Oil-Based Polyurethane: Quite strong but does take a while to dry
   • Water-Based Polyurethane: Dries easily with reduced VOCs
   • Wax or Natural Oils: Although suitable for old homes, they suffer from lesser durability
2. Apply Thin Coats: Use a sheep's wool applicator or foam pad for application. Applying the finish across the grain leaves streaks.
3. Sand Between Coats: After each coat, sand lightly with 220 grit sandpaper or fine SS wool and clean the space before applying a new coat.
4. Let the Finish Cure: Make sure the floor is completely dry before you step on it. In the case of oil-based coatings, wait at least three days to return things to the floor.

💡 Pro Tip: Matte finishes are more sought out and fit in well in contemporary homes while gloss finishes should be reserved for classic houses.

Advanced Refinishing Scenarios

Refinishing hardwood floors can present unique challenges, especially when dealing with engineered wood, significant damage, or obstacles like built-ins. Here's how to approach these situations effectively:

💡 Pro Tip: For heavily worn engineered floors, replacing planks may be a better long-term solution than refinishing.

💡 Expert Advice: Address water stains and warping early to prevent further damage to surrounding planks.

❓ Did You Know? Using a humidifier during dry seasons can minimize seasonal gaps in hardwood floors.

💡 Pro Tip: Use masking tape to protect nearby surfaces while sanding and applying finishes.

Cost Breakdown

Understanding how much does it cost to refinish hardwood floors is key to planning your project effectively. Costs vary depending on whether you choose the DIY route or hire professionals.

DIY Costs

• Tools and Materials: Expect to spend $600 to $1,000. This includes renting equipment like drum sanders and buying essentials like sandpaper, wood filler, and polyurethane finishes.
• Hidden Expenses: Don’t forget protective gear, cleaning supplies, and potential extra costs for fixing unexpected damage.

💡 Cost-Saving Tip: Rent tools instead of buying and look for refurbished or second-hand equipment when possible. Buying tools will drive the price up a lot. And will not prove profitable even in the long run.

Professional Costs

Hiring professionals for a seamless finish costs $1,150 to $2,500 on average. While more expensive, it ensures expertise, especially for damaged hardwood floors or complex spaces.

Comparison of DIY vs. Professional Refinishing

Maintenance Tips for Long-Lasting Hardwood Floors

To keep your floors looking pristine, regular cleaning and protection are key. Sweep or vacuum daily to prevent dust and debris from scratching the surface. For weekly care, mop lightly with a well-wrung damp mop, as standing water can lead to warping.

Protecting your floors from furniture is equally important. Use felt pads under table and chair legs to avoid scratches, and place rugs in high-traffic areas for added durability. Proper precautions can extend the time before refinishing is necessary, often stretching to 10–15 years for low-use rooms and 5–7 years for high-traffic spaces.

"Consistent care ensures refinished floors maintain their beauty for years, reducing the need for costly touch-ups or early refinishing." — Comment by Weles Professional

Simple maintenance habits can save time and money, preserving your investment.

Frequently Asked Questions