The economy is in sad shape these days and everyone is looking to save money whenever and wherever you can. However, when the flooring in your house is in sad shape, it still has to be done. If you have looked at the prices to have this done by a professional lately, you know it is an expensive task and one that not many struggling family budgets can handle. That being said, you may have to learn how to go about refinishing hardwood floors on your own to save some money.

The process of refinishing a hardwood floor is a long one and one that you need to be sure that you can complete before you ever start it up. You cannot rush the process and one small mistake can lead to extra costs that you never planned on. Read up on the process and make sure you are up to the task before starting the job.

The first step is to clear all the rooms of any rugs or furnishing that you have in place.  The whole process works best if all rooms are free and clean of everything so you can move from one room to the next without delay.  If you have to, send the wife and kids off to their mothers for the weekend and rent a small storage trailer that you can put everything into while you are working on the floors.  Ideally, you will have about 4 or 5 days worth of work if you are doing the project yourself.

Check the floor to make sure that all nails are flush with the flooring.  If you don’t, you will run the risk of ruining your sander.  When the floor is checked, it is time to start sanding.  Use a heavier gauge paper for the first round.  Use long, controlled, even strokes and make sure that the sander constantly stays in motion while you are working.  If not, you will run the risk of gauging the floor.  You will also want to make sure that you go with the grain of the wood so as not to ruin its appearance.

Once you have gone over the floor with the heavier gauged paper, you can repeat the process with a lighter gauge of paper.  This will allow you to get all of the finer scratches out of the floor to create a perfect look to the floor.  Do this in the same manner as you did the heavier paper.

Once the sanding is done, the floor will have to be cleaned up.  To do this, you will need to use a shop vac and tack rag.  You must make sure that the floor is completely cleaned and no fine particles are left in the wood.  They will show up in the finish if you do not clean it properly.

The staining and applying polyurethane to the floor is almost an identical process.  You will use long, even strokes for both processes, but you should use a rag to ensure evenness when you do the stain.  You can use a roller for the polyurethane.  You will first apply a coat of stain and then allow it to dry and then reapply.  Do the same with the polyurethane and then after the second coat, allow the floor to sit for three days undisturbed before allowing anyone to walk on it again.