Learn about our 8 steps refinish process:

 STEP 1

Prepare the Rooms

Make sure all furniture is off the floor, and the floor is relatively clean. Next, we remove as many wall decorations as possible, as well as flipping up the drapes and curtain. Next, we remove the covers from any baseboard heaters and doors that may prohibit sanding and then set any protruding nails or screws. We’ll also cover any electronics with plastic. Even though our dustless sanding removes 98% of airborne dust, we always take extra precautions.

 STEP 2

Remove Old Finish

To restore the floor’s natural appearance, we initiate the elimination of the existing finish and proceed to bare wood. This requires multiple rounds of sanding using different sandpaper grits and various sanding equipment, including edger sanders, a large belt sander, and manual scrapers. In the case of mastic or shellac, we will use 16 or 24 grit sandpaper for stripping. If the floor only has old urethane, we begin “cross-cutting” at an angle of about 45 degrees using 36 grit sandpaper to “flatten” the surface.

STEP 3

Rough Sanding

After utilizing 36 grit sandpaper with a 30-degree angle, we switch to a 50 grit on the big machine to sand with the grain and remove the cross-cut lines. We then conduct a thorough inspection of the entire surface, ensuring that all pet stains, water stains, or past spills are buffed out. If necessary, we can repair these areas then we proceed to two passes with the edger. The first pass involves a lower grit sandpaper, and the second pass with high grit sandpaper, depending on the wood species.

STEP 4

Vacuum and Filler

At this stage, the entire floor should be stripped down to bare wood, except for any areas where the big machine and edger could not reach. here, we meticulously vacuum the floor and extract any nails or staples protruding above the surface. If necessary, we will then spot fill nail holes, staple holes, and chip-outs on older floors, or for new floors we spot fill staple holes, nail holes, chip-outs, and gaps. For wind-shake or blisters, we use an epoxy solution to restore the surface to its original condition.

STEP 5

Final Sanding

Now we proceed with sanding using 80 or 100 grit sandpaper, depending on the type of wood. Both the big machine and edger are used to sand off the wood filler and eliminate the 50 grit lines. To ensure a seamless transition, we utilize 100 grit sandpaper on a random orbit sander to blend the big machine and edging areas. Additionally, we sand all the doorways to eliminate any sanding marks from the edger. Finally, we use a small hand scraper to remove any residual finish from the corners and other areas where the edger could not reach, such as around radiators and nosings.