DIY Hardwood Floor Restoration Time Lapse - Sanding and Refinishing 700sq ft of Flooring

In this video, my brother and I refinish 700 square feet of hardwood floor! This house has had a ton of work done to it. It was my grandparent’s house originally and my brother has been remodeling it. I wish I had all of the footage of everything he has done but I unfortunately do not as I have lots of projects of my own. This was a huge project that took 2 days of sanding! If you are planning on doing this, you should put aside plenty of time and realize it is going to be a massive amount of work.
If you want another time lapse video, go check out how I turn my 2 bedroom house into a 3 bedroom in my "Epic 3-in-1 Remodel" Video: • Epic 3 in 1 Remodel | ...
Keep in mind, we are not professional floor refinishers but we got it done and I think it came out great! This is not the only way to refinish a floor but this is how we did it...
Step 1: Sand everything with 24 grit sandpaper
Step 2: Replace old stair treads
Step 3: Sand and scrape all edges
Step 4: Vacuum and fill all holes and gaps
Step 5: Sand with 60 grit
Step 6: Sand with 100 grit
Step 7: Clean and vacuum everything
Step 8: First coat of sanding sealer
Step 9: Second coat of sealer
Step 10: Coat with high quality polyurethane
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Videos produced by The Fixer are provided for informational purposes only. All material provided within this video is for informational, educational, & entertainment purposes only. Some of these projects, materials, and techniques may not be appropriate for all ages or skill levels. Please use all safety precautions while following any instructions or concepts provided by this video. Viewers must be aware that by doing projects on their homes they are doing it at their own risk and The Fixer cannot be held liable if they cause any damage to their homes. It is the sole responsibility of the viewer to educate themselves on their local codes and regulations before undertaking any sort of project. Always have safety in mind and have fun!

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Subscribe to my channel: bit.ly/SubscribeToTheFixer Thanks for watching! 😃

[@essiekelly8553]

I have a 200 sqft bedroom to do. I received a quote for $750. After watching you guys, you just gave me the courage to do it myself. Thank you

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

I love it! I wish you the best of luck, Essie!

[@lynneanthony9172]

I love your attention to detail, your work is impeccable!!! Well done. 👌

[@robinr.770]

Beautiful results. I adore the chill of a wood floor on bare feet. Way to go you guys. :)

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thank you!

[@n.cboone7082]

Love the outcome of these floors. The colors in the wood is gorgeous. Great job

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks, Nicci!

[@annemarieparker9574]

I came across this video, after watching the kitchen time lapse, of you and your brother sanding and varnishing the floors & stairs in your home. You are very thorough and both made a great job of it throughout...Amazing 👏 👍

[@janedoe805]

You’re definitely the most “Handiest” guy on KZbin! It looks beautiful! 👍🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@L1...]

I appreciate the time, and effort you put into this, to do the job right.

[@sharondaugherty389]

Y’all did an amazing job. Thank you for sharing. We want to tackle refinishing our floors one day so thank you for the step-by-step details. ❤️

[@bmrjma2144]

2:40 looks so gorgeous. I love the natural wood color

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks so much and thanks for watching!

[@AndyG1995]

How do you keep it that light color??

[@mgill404pfft]

@@AndyG1995 best I've found for a just sanded look is Bona Naturalseal and then Bona Traffic on top.

[@gloriamaggs5453]

Great team work, and awesome results! G.

[@disadionicio8195]

Wow! Nicely done you guys!! It looks amazing 😍

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thank you!

[@kcanded]

Good heavens what an amazing job! So meticulous: I'm a lazy bum and I don't know if I would have removed the heater covers and scraped and sanded the edges, but it does make a heck of a difference. Thanks for posting! And I bet your brother is very grateful that you came to help!

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Hey! Thanks so much! Yes, he was very happy. This was an insanely labor intensive job so he was very grateful. Thanks so much for checking it out!

[@sumar207]

Great job on the floors! I believe these videos of yours will have far-reaching positive effects on untold numbers of motivated people in this world. You show that seemingly daunting tasks CAN be done and show HOW they get done.

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks so much, Sue! This comment is inspiring!! Really appreciate it!

[@Shad0wC0mpany2]

Sue, well said!

[@DD-uh5zy]

Beautiful floors! Thanks for sharing!

[@Ms181171]

Inlove all you did in ur house and all the colors Well done!!!! Even the brown in the master bedroom!! Its cosy and warm -I love it!! Keep up the great work! You are methodical and have attention to detail- perfect!! 👏👏👌

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

😁 Thanks so much! And thanks for watching!

[@gigireddick3239]

Excellent work looks gorgeous!!! Good work guys!!!! Gigi

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thank you!

[@snakegriffin4928]

That turned out a lot better than expected for a DIY especially with no drum sander and no buffer

[@mariam.a941]

All of you did an AMAZING job😍👌❤️❤️👏

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks Mariam!

[@lindakinsman6215]

Wow looks fantastic 👍 I just love the time laps videos

[@AndyTheXTech]

Nice job Dude! I like the variety of colors in the older floor. Looks awesome. 👍

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks Andy! I agree, I think the old floor has a lot of character. Thanks for checking it out!

[@captaincodypotato8386]

That's so much work! I'll look at every refinished floor with a new appreciation.

[@tylerh7049]

Cody Gammons especially since they used sanders designed for the final pass to do the entire process. A proper drum sanding would have done this faster and better. Also using an angle grinder to sand edges is ridiculous. There’s too many of these videos showing the wrong way to sand. Drum sand, edge, buff, scrape corners, Water-pop, stain, finish.

[@kevinbushracing58]

@@tylerh7049 STFU

[@kkeen1450]

A lot of work obviously went into that project. You and your brother make a great team! Thanks for sharing this 👍💎

[@pj89-96]

Beautiful... Well done as usual !!! Love it!!

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks Peggy!

[@lhowse6172]

What a great video, I'm going to do my own floors and this showed me the most important steps , now I can find the right products and get started. Thanks Also great tunes with the video

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Excellent! I hope you got some tips from the video. There are other ways to do this, this is just the way I did it! Good luck with your project!! Thanks for watching!

[@le-netteleveston6835]

Those floors are beautiful.

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thank you!

[@beatricelutchmiah8399]

That’s a Great Job ! And that brothers a keeper

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks Beatrice!

[@MarkWilliams-tb3ks]

Thx so much for recording this and sharing! Great job and great learning tool!

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Great to hear! Thanks for watching!

[@ecarroll777]

AWSOME job guys💙 I bought my home in 1990, it was built in 1954, I bought it from the elderly couple that built it, oak floors had dark stain so I had them professionally redone, sanding the whole thing with a lighter stain kinda like I see in this video, my only regret was not having more coats of poly put on my floors, a friend of mine told me I could do it myself and told me the steps of sandpaper to use to get the poly up, and just redo applying how many coats I wanted, just make sure I allow proper drying times in between coats. I believe I can do this, it would mean me staying in a Hotel for a few days so I could stay off of it between coats of poly but I think it would look so much nicer and new, not a whole lotta cost, just my time and labor, hotel and food, but it’s way cheaper than hiring it done, now I’m inspired to go for it, I’ve wanted to do it fro at least 10 yrs, thanks for this video and for giving this 62 yr old gal a reason to just do it🤷🏼‍♀️🙏🏼💙

[@DIYAllied]

Have you considered using water based poly. It dries very fast, usually in a couple hours.

[@Istebrak]

you go girl!

[@HectorPerez-tb8hn]

water based is the way to go !!

[@maryallen6334]

I did my whole house with Cabots water based in a clear satin - I was about early 60s at the time - easy enough. Was a bit apprehensive as I had been told the machines were strong to use so I sat on the floor and used a 1/3 sander. I did room by room, it took a while, but came up beautifully. On reflection I am so pleased I used water based - it dries v. quickly - and the Satin finish doesn't show small surface scratches like Gloss.

[@uniquelife4659]

@@maryallen6334 yes it dries quickly and has zero scent,unlike oil based poly

[@susanmcgee5877]

Nice job. I love wood floors!

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks and thanks for checking out the video Susan!

[@LeoInAMillion]

Awesome job, it looks fantastic! 🙌🙌👌👌

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks Leo!

[@GodsavedSM]

Looks amazing! You both did a good job!

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks Shanteen!

[@fintan3563]

Man, is that a beautiful floor!

[@ItsAlexxDuhx]

Awesome job guys!! I turned out so good!!

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thank you!

[@84Safiye84]

Great job! Congrats from Belgium!

[@micmic9410]

Great job! My “Workin Man Blues”- Merle Haggard

[@narrowistheroad8789]

Awesome work guys! 😎

[@mykelc205]

Inspiring work. Looks amazing.

[@sinkos6194]

Fantastic job!

[@Shad0wC0mpany2]

Great work, awesome video! Thank you 🙏🏻

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Great to hear! Thanks so much and thanks for watching!!

[@Niemannst]

Wow that’s an amazing transformation

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks, Kurt! I really appreciate it! 😁

[@AlliancecarpentryLLC]

You are a very good brother!!👍🏽👍🏽

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

I try!! Thanks for the comment and for checking out the video!

[@appletree9974]

Wow! Beautiful

[@patriciamedina3247]

Absolutely gorgeous job 😉👌

[@MarkCeeee]

Love time lapse being synced to the music; makes me want to get up and do something productive

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Do it! 😁😁

[@delmaquezada6733]

Wow great job.

[@brendalawrence6732]

What a nice brother you are! The floors and steps look beautiful, a big job, but the outcome is stunning. Well done to you and your bother.

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks so much!

[@tangocharlie7029]

Great work! Thinking about taking on a similar restoration project soon. I was told the house I bought has a hardwood floor under the carpet.

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

That is great news! It is amazing to me that hardwood floors get covered up like that. Good luck and thanks for checking out the video!

[@tarynsanmartino8930]

Thanks for this tip regarding knowing what you're doing with the belt sander. Bummer that you discovered the problem when you sanded wirh the orbital. Looking for finish on this. Will have to see if I can get to it.

[@maroua7140]

That's amazing job

[@beckiblack859]

Beautiful.

[@miamitreasurehunter]

I so love this job and I agree with the comment below. Yes the more poly you put on the more it shines. I Had a pine table I made for my girl for her sewing table and put nine coats on it and it just glows and is so beautiful. This is what I saw a Love about word, no matter what you do to it it can always be brought back to Ace beauty !!

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Yes, the more coats the better in my opinion. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@echambers1112]

If your flooring work is as good as your video production work this is a stellar job. What a nice video you made, wow. And I learned a lot. For instance, I'm going to hire someone to do this :)

[@jaconova]

Lol, it is hard work. Bit like going to the gym but better.

[@smsucks7174]

Looks like dad pitched in too. Nothing like family

[@Danny-fs1hk]

Very, very nice!

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks, Danny!

[@jsma5503]

You did a great job

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thank you!

[@georgiapeach7291]

Wow! What a huge job! Beautifully done. It looks amazing and brand new. Love it! ❤️

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks Georgia Peach! It was a ton of work but I think it was totally worth it as it looks so much better. Thanks for watching as always!

[@sonialegault8673]

Great job

[@sharonsoule8742]

Ok I’m inspired to start our floors again! My husband asked if your for hire!🤔😂Beautiful job!

[@vanessableo121]

Amazing! ❤️

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thanks so much Vanessa!

[@GreenVegan816]

Wow, that was a huge job! Came out beautiful. I did a couple of rooms in my house and I have to say, it's a lot of hard work. And not as easy as you guys made it seem. I ended up creating a few dips when I was using the big sander and the edge sander (it was different than yours) was heavy and hard to handle so the base boards got nicked up along the way which added more work in the end!

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Hey Sharon! Yes, it is a TON of work. We sanded for 20 hours! We also nicked the baseboard a bit so that will need to be touched up. The whole process is exhausting but worth saving the money and very rewarding when it is all said and done. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@ecarroll777]

The Fixer I know your brother greatly appreciated all the labor of love behind the work💙

[@ecarroll777]

Sharon J Smith, I think I can take up my poly and redo, if you can surly I can💖

[@krakenwoodfloorservicemcma5975]

I bonk the baseboard all the time.. if you don’t ding the trim here and there, you aren’t sanding hard enough.

[@VidMashUp]

@@krakenwoodfloorservicemcma5975 So it's important that you bang.up.the trim?

[@ilovearizona]

All i can say is....WOW!!!

[@Luie355]

Thank you for this video , very informative 👏 👍

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Awesome to hear! Hope it helps!

[@lindarosenthal6835]

Beautiful

[@coreymoriarity9900]

Great video!

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Thank you for watching!

[@petsrule5198]

Well done Good job

[@b.albaka1309]

Hey great job! Thanks for sharing, do you have a link to that grinder 4:12 that you used to sand the very close lines to the walls!

[@jaconova]

Quality job, I just started doing some house stuff, and I know how hard it is: a bit like going to the gym but better, as you are not just lifting stuff in front of a mirror: there is a goal here, and the importance of making a home more beautiful, harmonious, which has obvious inplicancies for human psyche. I also love how clean you remain throughout the jobn: a mark of a master for sure (I would have coats of polish of all over my shoes, scratches, etc, lol, maybe you also did when you started! :)). Congratulations for this display of willpower and patience and good work-ethics.

[@xinyanzhao4919]

Thank you for your sharing, and great job done!! Could you make another video to produce the equipment’s types and where can rent them? Thank you very much!!!

[@ericsgranny8933]

Thanks for the tips! Beautiful job!

[@ibrazeau3044]

Luv the end result... good job. Not something I am willing to attempt at this stage... love doing finish work but refinishing floors is too much for me. Question - why didn't you choose a belt sander over the triple rotary?

[@jamieoliphant4035]

Wow 30 years of doing hardwood floors I never saw a floor done with out buffing between coats lol rock on

[@kevinbushracing58]

If you are such an expert, why are you watching?

[@falconflooring2797]

@@kevinbushracing58 Pros will watch and use such videos to show how not to do hardwood floors.

[@krakenwoodfloorservicemcma5975]

Anyone can do it. Other than blending the edging, it takes very little skill. It is hard monotonous work though. Really time consuming if you want perfect results. Most rental machines are not worth renting. They just dont have the power to cut a floor like a professional belt sander.

[@quincherry4966]

Ha. For sure. And that under the cabinet edging with an angle grinder. I tried that on a job once. Extremely hard to control and not dig into the wood

[@jdp1219]

Hi. Great video. What kind of round sanding disc did you use to get the very edges?

[@fernando2014]

Very nice video! For sealer and finish it is best to apply with the wood, not perpendicular to it. Even edging should be done as you go. That's how you got those streaks. Clear finish is very forgiving though, stain jobs require perfection.

[@joelgranados5808]

Cuanto tiempo invirtieron en este trabajo? Good job

[@mangachanfan1556]

@2:47-3:01= Ahhhhh! So satisfying!! Well done guys! Simply outstanding!

[@machoruiz2608]

Nice floors Do you have to sand after applying sanding sealer???

[@sandovalsuarezmh6939]

Awesome job ! ... What did you use to apply the sealer? (terry cloth / sponge / brush)

[@chadaclegg]

Floors look great! Have you tried an oil vs poly? Something like Osmo? I use it on furniture and it lasts through some serious abuse

[@lawadm1]

Type of sander used would be helpful. Orbital?

[@turquoiseafro1520]

What kind of saw and sanding extension did you use for the edges. Is it a Dremel saw or regular saw? Good work. Refinishing hardwood is hellish.

[@cinepost]

If the floors are cupped, will this rotary sander work well enough? 24grit sandpaper? Is there less dust with this kind of sander?

[@risktakers3835]

What kind of floor sanders did you use? Did you rent those if so from where?

[@aznbo187]

Did you not have to sand between the sanding protectant or after the poly?

[@MayaBench1]

Excellent did you guy have a beer after all that? again fantastic

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

I had a couple. 😁Thanks for watching!

[@rawbgrr]

I believe someone else also asked; any preference between a rotary sander and a belt/drum sander?

[@ihall5856]

What type of Bona Woodline Poly did you use Semi Gloss or Gloss?

[@marwanm8942]

thumbs up!! where to rent the sanding machine?

[@ultimaetsolder]

looks yellow after the sealer. Looked beautiful directly after the sanding.

[@axltitude3053]

I've had 500 sq. ft of my hardwood floors done. They were pretty messed up and looked way better when done. I didn't have them stained.

[@ihall5856]

What kinda of Bona poly did you use Satin or Gloss?

[@nealmanis1378]

Did that sanding sealer one gallon do all 700 square feet. I to do about the same amount and wondering if one gallon will be enough

[@georgedavis9943]

Don’t be afraid to use a drum sander. It’ll cut your sanding down in half. Great for resurfacing the old floors and pro tip, sand with it at a 45 degree angle to grain to ensure you don’t leave any long runs in the floor.

[@caseywuest6016]

How do you decide when to use a drum or orbital sander?

[@michaelfairchild]

Nothing beats a real wood, be it a desk, furniture or floor and it gets better with age, if taken care of properly.

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Couldn’t agree more! Thanks for checking out the video Michael!

[@el3389]

We have hard wood floors in our home that desperately need redone. With 4 kids dont think we could tackle it ourselves like you guys. We'd be living in dust for weeks.

[@TheKali4niagurl]

Wow! You guys did an outstanding job! Looks amazing! I have wood floors just like that but the poly is going thin so I will need to have that redone. Unfortunately, I fostered some kittens and they were urinating under an end table and now I have a large black area under this table (the area was blocked from view when this was happening). How do I remove this stain or should I just put a dark walnut stain on the rest of the floor when I redo the floors???? I’d appreciate your input.

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

Hey Julie! Sometimes you can't get a stain out. If you take a look at this floor we did, we have some spots that just wouldn't come out but it actually adds character to the floor I think. Just don't tell anyone what it is from haha. If it really bothers you, you could patch it. This video might help... kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqqWqWWYqZp9i5I Thanks for the kind words and for checking out the video!!

[@turquoiseafro1520]

Try peroxide or bleach. I've seen a video of a lady using even hair dye color lifter to rid of cat urine stain. YT has a lot of vids. I've used bleach successfully.

[@lynnsiebriones2435]

How long did it take to dry before putting a second coat on?

[@MG-tw6rl]

So do u or do u not know the sending disk for grinder that u use??? I see at least 4 ppl commented and I'd like to know as well thanks.

[@mlewis341]

I know very little when it comes to this type of thing but love watching (weird I know). I understand sanding the edges but what is the reason you scrape the edges? Is it to get the debris out? Curious minds want to know, lol. Love watching your videos, very informative.

[@liamcondon225]

Only thing that can get into the corners you basically sharpen the scraper and it acts as your sand paper to get the super tight corners its a trade trick. Most people will opt for quarter round molding in the end (diy) cause it'll cover that last bit of edge

[@JasonCGreene]

Is it hard to not scratch baseboards when edging? I want to leave mine on but don’t want to ruin them