From hardwood to easy New systems make refinishing floors a smooth chore by Jerd Smith Scripps Howard News Service People who overhaul their homes usually look longingly at their hardwood floors, then look away again, thinking that any meaningful refinishing is too hard. But that's no longer true. With a little planning and some furniture moving, most hardwood floors can look, if not new, at least clean and shiny in a day. The popularity of hardwood floors has grown dramatically in recent years, driven by a national housing boom and a public that loves the floors' durability and low maintenance, says Doug Lux, president of the National Woodflooring Association. Key to the process is determining whether your existing finish is modern urethane or an older varnish or shellac.
Different finishes require different treatments.
Floors installed before the 1960s are likely to have a shellac or varnish finish. You can clean these by buffing them lightly with a motorized floor buffer and then applying paste wax. These modern floors can be revived in several ways. This requires the use of a floor sander. A complete re-coating also means allowing at least 24 hours of drying time and letting the floor breathe for several days before putting rugs and furniture back down.