Discovering Your Hardwood Floor, Part 3

the can, apply with a natural bristle brush along the edges, corners and hard to reach places, and use a long handled roller on the main part of the floor. Keep the room well lit...it's easy to miss spots or leave bubbles. Let dry eight hours (check by pressing your thumb on the surface; a dry floor won't leave a print), buff lightly with steel wool or very fine sandpaper, vacuume, wipe with a tack cloth, and apply a second coat. There is now a water-based polyurethane which goes on cloudy but dries clear. Clean-up with paint thinner (water-based with soap and water).

Shellac: Doesn't offer much protection against moisture, but is a durable finish. Apply two or three coats, allowing each coat to dry two hours and sanding lightly before next coat. Clean up with ammonia and water

Varnish: Once widely used on hardwood floors, varnish is easily scratched and darkens with age. Apply two or three coats with a brush, letting each coat dry 24 hours. There is no need to sand between coats.

Wax: Can be applied over shellac or varnish, but not over polyurethane. Can also be used alone to make the floor look as natural as possible. Apply a thin coat with a soft cloth and let dry before applying a second coat. Then polish by hand with a soft cloth once the wax is dry.

All that's left is to replace the shoe moulding, any pipe collars from around radiator pipes, floor registers and furniture. Enjoy the hardwood floor you always wanted, but may not known you had.

Until next month, In bocca al lupo!

The copyright of the article Discovering Your Hardwood Floor, Part 3 in Home Renovation is owned by John J. Pascarella. Permission to republish Discovering Your Hardwood Floor, Part 3 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Go To Page: 1 2 3 4

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic