Questions tagged [hardwood-refinishing]

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How can I tell if this is hardwood or subfloor?

Photo 1: Photo of the carpet, pad, and wood taken from lifting up the carpet from the vent cover. Photo 2: Photo of an unfinished closet that leads to the crawlspace. Would a vent ever be installed on ...
supernovaliving's user avatar
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What caused, and how to fix, wooden stair tread stains?

We recently put in brand new, prefinished red oak stair treads. Yesterday we had a steam cleaner come clean the upstairs carpet, and they ran several hoses from their van outside all the way up the ...
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3 answers
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Can I use a belt sander to strip a coffee table

I want to strip and refinish this coffee table. I don't have an orbital sander, the tools I have are belt sander, a vibrating sander or by hand. I intend to stain it this color
David Sopko's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
150 views

What are the steps to refinish hardwood floors? [closed]

I'm looking to have some hardwood floors refinished. Its one large room and a tiny hallway under 250 sq ft so I could get all the sanding done in 1 rental day. What are the usual steps? Off the top of ...
RocketManZ's user avatar
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How can I remove a urine stain from varnished hardwood flooring? [duplicate]

I'm considering chemically stripping then applying a poly to my hardwood floor. The current finish is varnish I believe, it's circa 1937. My concern is that I have a dog urine stain (see picture). One ...
Paulb's user avatar
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3 answers
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How to support hardwood floors with no existing subfloors to prevent squeaking in 100-year-old home

This is a follow up question to this old thread: Replacing hardwood floor in 100 year old house with no subfloor The house has hardwood floors installed directly on floor joists and the floors are ...
ssm's user avatar
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10 votes
2 answers
3k views

Chipped floor planks keep snagging my socks

In my home office, there are parts of the floor that seem to be chipped off. Their pointy edges keep catching my socks when I walk by. How would you solve this problem? Ideally the solution would not ...
Ryan's user avatar
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1 answer
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How do I remove caulk from joints on a paneled door?

I salvaged an old 4-panel wooden interior door and painstakingly stripped off much of the paint with the goal of re-finishing it with oil. It looks as though a previous owner filled in all the joints ...
dweg's user avatar
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1 answer
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How to fix discoloration on wood floor due to fragrance/scented oil spill

So one of those scented oil plugin came loose from an old outlet receptacle and the spilled oil messed up the floor finish. I didn't notice for a bit since it's behind a table (you can see the circle ...
unknownprotocol's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
49 views

External Oak Door refurbishment

When we moved into our house 22 years ago we has a new oak front door made and fitted. I treated it with a few coats of Danish oil and haven't done anything to it since then. It is beginning to look a ...
Keith Miller's user avatar
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1 answer
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how smooth refinished hardwood floor is supposed to be?

How smooth should be the refinished (3 finish layers) hardwood floor surface? Is this normal?
alveko's user avatar
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4 answers
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Replacing hardwood floor in 100 year old house with no subfloor

This is a 100-year-old, single family house in Washington, D.C. The floors are aged and worst of all terribly squeaky. The main issue we are trying to solve is to not have the floors squeak. Unless we ...
ssm's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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How do I refinish a floor damaged by rolling desk chair?

I used a rolling desk chair without a protective mat for a long time. We started sanding the floor with 40 grit sandpaper, but the damaged area still rough and has very dark veins. We decided to sand ...
Erma Guise's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
140 views

What is tacky finish?

I see this mentioned all the time in guides but I don't know what this looks like. Google does not make this obvious. Can anyone please tell me what a tacky finish is or is supposed to look like? ...
sparaps's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
220 views

How to tell oak from walnut flooring

How do I identify what kind of hardwood flooring this is by the grain?
MonkeyBonkey's user avatar
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Dried bits of polyurethane in recently refinished floor?

Over the past few days I refinished the hardwood floors in my living/dining rooms. I sanded the floors with a Home Depot random orbital sander rental at the beginning of the week before applying a ...
sourcefive's user avatar
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0 answers
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How can I tell if this is a wood stain or a gloss coat so that I can match the finish

Part of stairs that weren't finished by the previous owner for unknown reasons. I want to finish to match, but not sure if I am supposed to use a wood stain, varnish, or if I can use a polyurethane ...
MonkeyBonkey's user avatar
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-1 votes
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Redo of hardwood floors didn’t remove all poly

I refinished my sunroom’s hardwood floors. It used to be an open porch. When I applied the poly, I noticed swirls and scratch marks and decided to redo them again. The floors are now even, polished ...
Friedbrains's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
38 views

Paslode Impulse IM65 F16 Nailer's fan operation during normal use

Will the fan on a Paslode Impulse IM65 F16 Nail gun spin (whir) when the nail gun's firing muzzle is pressed against the surface to be nailed, if there is no fuel cell installed? In other words, does ...
rca repairs's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
416 views

New baseboard on old wood floors

We are getting our floors refinished and I would like to replace the baseboard + shoe moulding with baseboard only. The problem is the original wood floor installation used shoe, so right now, shoe is ...
Chris's user avatar
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1 vote
3 answers
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Do I or do I not remove baseboards when refinishing my hardwood floor

I need to have my wood floors refinished and have had several quotes. One person says they have the tools to get right up next to the baseboards and he does not need to remove them. He has 45 years of ...
kimberly062's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
58 views

Which Polyurethane for Industrial Loft Floor

I am planning to sand and polyurethane a floor in an industrial loft, my question is what poly to use.. water or spirit based, and is there anything elae that makes a difference in choice of poly? ...
little_birdie's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
431 views

Do I need to clean out/fill in cracks in wood floor?

We have a lot of gaps between boards in our wood floor (see pic, I'm holding a penny in the crack, some are wider, most are narrower). It looks like the cracks were originally filled with something, ...
tnknepp's user avatar
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-1 votes
1 answer
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What is the cheapest/laziest way to touch up discolored hardwood?

I rent, so the amount of money and labor I am looking to invest in my floors is small. That said, there are a number of spots where the hardwood has a sort of "dead" look that I wouldn't ...
HotDogWater's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
303 views

How smooth should I expect final finish to be on an new hardwood floor install?

I had an existing hardwood floor in one part of the first floor connected to new wood in the rest of the first floor. The contractor has done a great job of splicing in so there is no gap. What I'm ...
RD Smith's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
3k views

Open Riser Stairs / Removing carpeting and converting to hardwood [closed]

We have a staircase from the first floor to the second floor. The stairs are open riser, with the treads wrapped in carpet. The reach a landing and then transition to closed risers. Some treads are ...
user3533030's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
207 views

How to clean gunked up sandpaper?

How do I remove gunk buildup on sandpaper? After using acetone to remove some of the finish I am using sandpaper on the door. The sandpaper keeps getting black goo on it. But the sandpaper underneath ...
Whitecat's user avatar
  • 123
1 vote
3 answers
455 views

Do solid hardwood floors have top laminate layers--or is this engineered?

I am looking to refinish or replace an existing wood floor. The previous owner says the floor is solid hardwood. A contractor came to look and said he thinks it is solid, too. However, we had a ...
Julia Bernards's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
113 views

How can I reduce the sheen of Osmo Polyx hardwax oil?

I put on a first coat of Polyx on my fir floor. I am regretting the choice of Satin instead of Matte. I can see it is quite shiny already on the harder/denser parts of the boards and I imagine that ...
Lyndon's user avatar
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1 answer
991 views

Using scaffolding boards (new or used) for flooring or counter tops

I've got access to cheap scaffolding boards. Using those and a planer/thicknesser, are there any downsides to trying to use them in flooring or biscuit-jointed as worktops? I've installed normal ...
dochero's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
141 views

How to refinish antique stained with walnut?

I have a table made around 1905 and its base was apparently stained with natural walnut, which was a common stain at the time. Most of the stain has been sanded off, but unfortunately there are few ...
Tyler Durden's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
169 views

Can This Hardwood Floor Be Saved?

I'm considering putting an offer in on a house that is a fixer upper. I'd like to keep the original (1945) hardwood floors but am concerned about their condition. The floor has a large bare spot in ...
Newbie DIYer's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
278 views

How do I fix or finish a partially sanded wood floor

In my home office (it was a bedroom before and will be one in the future) I have a wooden floor (not laminate) and I have an office chair with plastic wheels on it. Over a number of years these ...
Guy's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
244 views

What should I consider when determining whether to clear coat, oil/wax or paint an old fir floor?

I'm not sure how to make the decision about how to finish my 100 year old fir floor. The boards are 7/8" thick, but quite splintery. They have stains on them. Even after sanding 1-2mm of material ...
Lyndon's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
31 views

Re-Staining Factory Finished Maple Hardwood Darker Tones

I'm pretty familiar with the cosmetic remodeling trades (plumbing, electricity, drywall, and tile) and reasonably handy. I'm closing on a 15 year old house, with 2,800 sq. ft. of orange / mahogany ...
Leroy105's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
331 views

Can I match new to existing polyurethane floor finish?

I had painters tape pull up the finish on my flooring in a strip all around the room Can I sand down the wooded strip and put polyurethane back on the one in strip and it be the same?
Drew's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
401 views

Can I recoat my floor's matte finish with a satin sheen product?

I had my floors refinished in a water based Matte sheen. They have no life. Can I add a coat of satin to at least give them a little shine?
Kathleen McCarthy's user avatar
6 votes
6 answers
5k views

Would it be appropriate to sand a floor between coats of poly with a handheld orbital sander?

Very closely related: How should I sand before the final coat of polyurethane? However, I'm not asking for a how-to or which is the preferred tool/method but rather one specific tool and if it's an ...
Broots Waymb's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
43 views

Is it normal for a professional hardwood refinishing to not have removed black stains? (pet/iron oxide)

I recently had the hardwoods in my new (old) house professionally refinished. Besides the decades-old finish having been worn down completely, there were also black iron oxide stains throughout. After ...
WakeDemons3's user avatar
1 vote
6 answers
288 views

What species of wood floor do I have?

We are refinishing our wood floor and want to make sure that we make the right choices. Initially, multiple people suggested that it's pine wood but now after sanding our flooring guy thinks it's ...
user2503795's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
89 views

Can engineered hardwood floors be refinished? [duplicate]

I want to replace the floors in the lower floor of my home. I'm estimating about $8000 worth of work, installed. My wife has been looking into engineered floors. I have never been a huge fan of ...
mreff555's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
193 views

How to cut a door wrapped in sheet metal

In my kitchen I have a dumb waiter; the door is 1" thick solid wood wrapped in 1/16" sheet metal. I removed the old door knob (that's the hole in the photo) to make room for a flush pull. I need to ...
raffian's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
294 views

A minimal regimen to remove the last bits of oil paint after applying stripper?

What is the best way to remove the last bits of softened paint in the panel crevices after applying paint stripper, shown above at right? I'm stripping 100+ years of paint (including lead paint) from ...
Kevin Cain's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
5k views

Why do I get brush marks with oil-based polyurethane?

I’m trying to refinish the above table but having problems with streaking polyurethane. Using Minwax Fast Drying. The process has been as follows; sand, stain and applied poly using a Purdy brush for ...
Kathy's user avatar
  • 11
3 votes
1 answer
233 views

Staining a 130 year old pine floor

So.. we decided to rip up carpet and plywood to find original planks (pine) in one of the third floor rooms in our 1880 home. Fast forward to save you on reading.. I applied a penetrating oil based ...
The_antonious's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
192 views

How can I protect a hardwood floor against dog claws?

I just bought a house with new hardwood floors. One of my dogs is a little wild and keeps sliding and scratching the floors up. I've tried cutting her nails and she won't wear boots. Does anybody ...
Busch's user avatar
  • 119
0 votes
1 answer
42 views

Panted & Varnished but rough to the touch

I have a rocking chair a Gentleman refinished for me. He stripped it, sanded it down then painted it and put a varnish on it. It looks really good but extremely rough to the touch. Without messing ...
Celia's user avatar
  • 1
2 votes
2 answers
4k views

Spot repair hardwood floor due to Goo Gone

I just had my hardwood floors professionally sanded and finished with 3 coats of Bona Mega Water Base Satin Finish. Because we’re in the process of moving in and doing other renovations, it was just ...
Aaron's user avatar
  • 59
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

Reapplying spar varnish/urethane to exterior door

I have a 'knotty alder' front door that was refinished by a contractor last August. However, because the lower panel of the door has already deteriorated due to sun exposure, I decided to sand the ...
Grant's user avatar
  • 605
1 vote
4 answers
602 views

Difficulty in driving a nail through with a nail setter

I've been pulling the carpet up and getting the nails out from where the carpet tack strips were nailed to original wood flooring, but about a half dozen are now headless. I watched several tutorials ...
Rachel Ayoroa's user avatar