There's no doubt about it, re-finishing a wood floor is a big project, but it's relatively easy if you know what to do.

Remove any carpet, padding, nails, staples or tacks from your floor.

When re-finishing an entire room, rent a large orbital sander with 2 to 3 grades of sandpaper that will vary depending upon the condition of your floors. For smaller jobs, you can buy or rent a hand-held random orbit sander. Use 60-grit sandpaper to remove any finish from the floor; wear a particle mask to protect yourself from the dust.

When the surface is sanded, vacuum to pick up the dust. Then switch to finer grit sandpaper to smooth out the surface, and vacuum again.

Dampen an old bath towel, and use it to clean the area. Let it dry and repeat 2-3 times until all the dust is gone. The surface must be entirely clean for the sealer to adhere.

When the floor is thoroughly dry, apply the sealer. There are two choices: water based or oil based polyurethane. Water based polyurethane dries in about an hour and cleans up with soap and water. Oil based polyurethane dries in 6-8 hours and must be cleaned up with mineral spirits.

Pour the sealer directly onto the floor and use a lamb's wool pad to spread the sealer evenly. Make sure you work with the grain of the wood in smooth, level strokes.

When the first coat is completely dry, use a piece of 100-120-grit sandpaper to lightly sand the area that you just sealed. Repeat steps 4-6 for each of the remaining coats.

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