Step-by-step instructions on how to easily refinish hardwood floors yourself.
Discover the nine most disastrous DIY refinishing hardwood floors mistakes I made so you don't do the same. Save time and money with these practical tips!
A step-by-step tutorial for refinishing an existing hardwood floor, including a complete list of materials and tips for a seamless process. #hardwoodfloors
DIY hardwood floor refinishing without sanding. Follow these steps and see how easy it is to bring life to your worn floors...
The year is coming to a close which means we’ve been living in our little house for just over a year now. Crazy! We moved an hour west from Columbus, OH to Springfield, OH to be closer to my new office. This is our first single family house we’ve lived in and we’ve been excited to dream up and start tackling home projects. When we got the keys last December the first thing we did was start to rip up the old, thick dark gray carpet that covered the first floor of the house. The hardwood floors in the dining room were exposed and we could tell it continued into the living room under the carpet. Spencer was nervous of the condition of the floors and what scary things lay beneath the carpet… but I’m more of a “let’s just go for it and we’ll deal with whatever it is” type of person. We were both pleasantly surprised with the condition of the floors. They were stained an orange-ish red color and there were some pet and paint stains, but overall they were in great condition. We moved in that same weekend so we didn’t have time to remove the rest of the carpet in the two bedrooms, 4 closets and the hallway of the first floor. We were also busy planning our wedding so this project was put on the back burner until July. We also didn’t want to spend the money to rent a dumpster to take away the carpet all at once or have it all piled up in the garage, so we removed it room by room and set out small amounts with our weekly trash pick up. The final room to take the carpet out of was our bedroom. In order for us to remove the carpet in there, I had to remove the carpet from our finished attic and paint the floors up there to have as our bedroom (a whole other project see pictures of that here). The hardwood floors on the first floor run continuously in the same direction from room to room so if they were going to be redone they all had to be done at the same time. This is why we finally decided that we wouldn’t be refinishing the floors ourselves. We thought about this for a long time and knew it was a project we could tackle ourselves, but we are living here so packing up moving all the furniture from the first floor and learning to refinish 800 square feet of floors would be too much of an undertaking. We also decided that it’s such an impactful feature of the house that we wanted them professionally done. After I did a bunch of research on local floor refinishers we got an estimate from Leininger Hardwood Floors and we ultimately decided to go with them. They fit us into their schedule super quickly. We had to work overtime to finish removing every single staple and every piece of the quarter round trim before they started sanding. The Leininger team was efficient and communicative. They started on a Monday and they were finished by Thursday afternoon. During the week they reached out to us that they were concerned about the pet stains that were too deep to be sanded out, and suggested that we might want to go with a darker stain to cover them better. The stains were most prominent in the hallway and one of the bedrooms. Our inspiration photos we fell in love with were all of natural and light floors. We decided to chalk the stains up to character and move forward with leaving the floors their natural color! After seeing the finished floors I have no regrets. Check out the floor reveal reel! The cost ended up being $4.50 a square foot which is cheaper than new hardwood floors would be, and they’re original to the house which keeps the character of our 1940’s home intact. We did the natural wood color (so no stain) and we went with a water-based finish instead of oil-based. The water-based finish prevents the floor from yellowing over time unlike the oil-based finish and is just as durable. We are so happy with the finished results! The floors have completely changed the house and it was totally worth the investment to hire this project out. This was the first big project we had to budget for before we could start with any of the other ideas we have for this place.
Want to revive your old hardwood floors? Here's how to refinish hardwood floors DIY style, with tips on the best tools, FAQs, and more.
I sanded my hardwood floors, and here is what I wish I had known before I started! This complete guide shares everything about DIY refinishing wooden floors.
Thinking about refinishing your hardwood floors? Do it right with my complete guide that walks you through the process & shares helpful tips & advice!
Sharing the story of refinishing my upstairs hardwood floors as well as my process for choosing a hardwood floor stain color.
Curious about hardwood floor refinishing? Here's how much it might cost to refinish wood floors, plus other details about refinishing hardwood floors.
Discover the nine most disastrous DIY refinishing hardwood floors mistakes I made so you don't do the same. Save time and money with these practical tips!
As floors get older, gaps between the boards are a common occurrence. Learn how to fix gaps in hardwood floors to create a smoother finish.
Step-by-step instructions on how to easily refinish hardwood floors yourself.
Learn from my experience about how to properly refinish a hardwood floor, and what mistakes to avoid to make it look absolutely beautiful!
A step-by-step tutorial for refinishing an existing hardwood floor, including a complete list of materials and tips for a seamless process. #hardwoodfloors
Because 3/4” solid hardwood floors can be refinished, we had the opportunity to change up the space 3 years later by refinishing floors to achieve a warmer and more natural white oak look. The benefits of 3/4” solid hardwood floors include durability, as well as providing the option to refinish.
The entire appearance of a home can be changed with refinishing. Whether the choice is to hire a professional or to DIY, make sure to do proper research and get recommendations from trusted friends and neighbors. Get insight and tips for refinishing hardwood floors here.
No matter how bad your hardwood floors look...there is a good chance they can be saved with a little hardwood floor refinishing! 9 steps you need to know...
Learn how to fix scratches on hardwood floors effortlessly. Discover effective techniques and products to restore the beauty of your floors.
We all love a good Ikea built-in hack, am I right?! I sure do and this Ikea Billy bookcase hack is my all-time favorite!
some practical thoughts on floor stain
The year is coming to a close which means we’ve been living in our little house for just over a year now. Crazy! We moved an hour west from Columbus, OH to Springfield, OH to be closer to my new office. This is our first single family house we’ve lived in and we’ve been excited to dream up and start tackling home projects. When we got the keys last December the first thing we did was start to rip up the old, thick dark gray carpet that covered the first floor of the house. The hardwood floors in the dining room were exposed and we could tell it continued into the living room under the carpet. Spencer was nervous of the condition of the floors and what scary things lay beneath the carpet… but I’m more of a “let’s just go for it and we’ll deal with whatever it is” type of person. We were both pleasantly surprised with the condition of the floors. They were stained an orange-ish red color and there were some pet and paint stains, but overall they were in great condition. We moved in that same weekend so we didn’t have time to remove the rest of the carpet in the two bedrooms, 4 closets and the hallway of the first floor. We were also busy planning our wedding so this project was put on the back burner until July. We also didn’t want to spend the money to rent a dumpster to take away the carpet all at once or have it all piled up in the garage, so we removed it room by room and set out small amounts with our weekly trash pick up. The final room to take the carpet out of was our bedroom. In order for us to remove the carpet in there, I had to remove the carpet from our finished attic and paint the floors up there to have as our bedroom (a whole other project see pictures of that here). The hardwood floors on the first floor run continuously in the same direction from room to room so if they were going to be redone they all had to be done at the same time. This is why we finally decided that we wouldn’t be refinishing the floors ourselves. We thought about this for a long time and knew it was a project we could tackle ourselves, but we are living here so packing up moving all the furniture from the first floor and learning to refinish 800 square feet of floors would be too much of an undertaking. We also decided that it’s such an impactful feature of the house that we wanted them professionally done. After I did a bunch of research on local floor refinishers we got an estimate from Leininger Hardwood Floors and we ultimately decided to go with them. They fit us into their schedule super quickly. We had to work overtime to finish removing every single staple and every piece of the quarter round trim before they started sanding. The Leininger team was efficient and communicative. They started on a Monday and they were finished by Thursday afternoon. During the week they reached out to us that they were concerned about the pet stains that were too deep to be sanded out, and suggested that we might want to go with a darker stain to cover them better. The stains were most prominent in the hallway and one of the bedrooms. Our inspiration photos we fell in love with were all of natural and light floors. We decided to chalk the stains up to character and move forward with leaving the floors their natural color! After seeing the finished floors I have no regrets. Check out the floor reveal reel! The cost ended up being $4.50 a square foot which is cheaper than new hardwood floors would be, and they’re original to the house which keeps the character of our 1940’s home intact. We did the natural wood color (so no stain) and we went with a water-based finish instead of oil-based. The water-based finish prevents the floor from yellowing over time unlike the oil-based finish and is just as durable. We are so happy with the finished results! The floors have completely changed the house and it was totally worth the investment to hire this project out. This was the first big project we had to budget for before we could start with any of the other ideas we have for this place.
Wood flooring looks nice and is very easy to clean, but in time it can become worn and will need a bit of restoration work to bring the floor back ...
Chooing a wood floor stain color can be one of the toughest decisions you’ll have to make when it comes to refinishing your hardwood floors. Here are some tips and ideas that will help you make the best choice for your home and style of decorating.
