How to Refinish Hardwood Floors | This Old House

This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows how to apply a new finish to an old hardwood floor. (See below for a shopping list and tools.)
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Shopping List for How to Refinish Hardwood Floors:
- 36-, 60-, and 80-grit sandpaper, used for removing old floor finish
- mineral spirits and cotton cloth, used to wipe away sanding dust
- basecoat floor finish, used to seal floor after sanding
- water-based polyurethane topcoat, is applied over basecoat
Tools for How to Refinish Hardwood Floors:
- floor sanding machine, used to remove old finish down to bare wood
- edge sander, used for sanding around perimeter of room close to walls
- 4-inch polyester paintbrush, for applying finish
- synthetic floor-finish applicator, used to apply finish
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How to Refinish Hardwood Floors | This Old House
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[@challzbrown]

I’ve probably watched hours worth of these and this is the most complete, concise efficient and shortest video I’ve ever seen. It keeps it very simple and informative at the same time. Don’t waste time watching other videos like I did, just go with this one

[@zenjon7892]

Yes, it's impressive; every statement was right to the point

[@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101]

Great work, and attention to detail! Thanks for posting!

[@Thorum13]

Love Tom's accent!

[@deandecoursey7721]

I’d like to see Tommy apply several coats of Glitsa finish to the floors. Either he would be in full hazmed attire or he would be gasping for air. I usually use either oil based polyurethane or Glitsa on a job, with my preference being Glitsa because of its hardness and its hand rubbed look. It’s not the easiest to apply because of the smell but I’ve been using it for 40 years and have tried many products in that time and always come back to Glitsa

[@adamhall5024]

water base urethane does have durability, and will last for years, but it doesnt penetrate the wood to show grain, and its purely a topical finish.

[@GILLEBRATH]

Water base is easier to apply and lacks the strong smell and fumes of the oil base but I find it ,the water base is not as durable as the oil base finish. I have worked with this flooring refinish for over 30 years and that's my view.

[@GILLEBRATH]

Don't understand what it is you are talking about ? sorry could you rephase that. Thanks.

[@GILLEBRATH]

Water base coating should work if you decide to use it, only make sure that it is sanded professionally .

[@davidwillerup7605]

What did you use for the base coat?

[@DHannonExit]

what do you use for a base coat

[@chefelk]

What supplies to use like application on the floor

[@GILLEBRATH]

After water. base coat dries . You mentioned apply polyurethane ? isn't that an oil base product ?

[@pcm7315]

Lady asked some good questions.

[@user-mf4gz3sp1q]

...as per the script...

[@paulcilluffo]

Most important water base does not yellow and if a catalyst is added to the water base its twice as hard as oil base .30 year from now it will not darken

[@san379]

OIL BASE IS BEST.. JAPAN DRIER.. IS USED TO DRY IT FASTER.. WORKS GREAT.. 1 COAT A DAY.. 3 COATS.. THE FLOOR WILL LOOK LIKE A WET PIANO

[@aurvaroy6670]

After 7 years of patience, the homeowner is still waiting for the base coat to dry so that she can apply the polyurethane finish

[@carolinedelosso6429]

😂

[@SopurkhKaur]

What is the base coat product please?

[@jamieperez8495]

quiero conectar la luz del bano con el ventilador como debo aserlo

[@ruinsane100]

Hi. A floor professional recently refinished our floors and used 3 coats of Duraseal oil-based poly (no stain) over a period of 3 days - giving a day of dry time between each coat. It has been 23 days since he completed the job and, while the finish is very hard and scratch-resistant, our floors still feel a bit tacky, especially if you walk on them in bare feet. We tried to slide across the floors in our socks and it's impossible to slide. We have been trying to find answers online and we're unsure if the floors are just not fully cured yet, or if there is an actual problem. The floors were done in September and the humidity was moderate. We did not run the air conditioner at all during the curing time - we kept the windows cracked and the fans going (as recommended by our contractor). When we called to ask why the floors are still sticky, he says it is because the weather is humid. It is October and we are having beautiful fall weather here in NJ. We read online that certain conditions or circumstances can cause the poly to not cure properly and that the floors could remain tacky forever. Should we be worried about this happening?

[@Guillotines_For_Globalists]

What happened during these past 11 months?

[@soufgas9631]

Maybe he didn't buff between coats.

[@BurgerJoint.]

@@soufgas9631 Definitely didn’t buff or buff good enough.

[@MelDaltonMusic]

Where can I see the whole thing? The original segment was obviously much longer.

[@adrianlove68]

Do you sand between these coats

[@thoughtocrat]

yes

[@josephnagle3852]

My floors have bowed can I sand it down and refinsh

[@zerorootx]

When can you sleep in the house after application?

[@adamhall5024]

water base is weak, been refinishing floors for 20 years. If you go thru the process of refinishing your wood floors, do yourself a favor and go the extra step and use the best stuff. OIl BAse is the best product, and lasts the longest!

[@peppercock]

i think he means that it will not protect as well as an oil base finish.

[@peppercock]

rosramoy snap. Why is that?

[@theblogofsingh]

Just go to Nevada and buy it I hear everything is legal there. But I'm in Md and I just used oil polly for my floor. Was as a tough job. I got it everywhere... even the ceiling. Shoulda hired a pro.

[@bjkjoseph]

Yup,water based sucks when it comes to this,it's fantastic for painting,not for the wood floors.I used it once,never again.

[@DctorSkillz1]

I keep my floors unfinished.

[@jonahcabrera2680]

Which episode is this from?

[@KonataTanaka]

they say to wait just a few minutes after using mineral spirits, but my floors still have that dark, wet appearance hours later! is this normal?

[@josiahcbelflower]

Is this Gayle from Seattle Coffee Gear?

[@fuzzyschwartz]

Whoa?!?!? She vacuumed.

[@illmatic33]

I am in a little sticky situation (no pun intended). After the sanding & stain, I applied first coat of Polyurethane sealer and came back 4 hours later for the second coat. thought it was fully dry but when pressure was applied by my size 16 foot, I started to stick leaving prints. left it alone for 3 days and now resending with 220 grit and I noticed only in some areas the finish would come off (little sticky) on the sandpaper. my plans are to clean with mineral spirits, tac cloth then apply second finish coat. what I want to know, is anything mentioned above abnormal? Am I on right track?

[@chrisadrian5404]

Always allow one day, at least,for dry times, even with Waterborne finishes and a minimum of 24 hours when using oil based products. ALWAYS. May feel dry to touch on some areas that have good air flow, but may be tacky when walked on; especially areas that get minimal ventilation such as closets or isolated rooms. Have patience, follow directions and manufacturer instructions. Even better, higher a professional floor redinishing company. I spent 19 years as a floor refinisher and refinished a lot of DIY jobs.

[@abdulelkhatib2674]

Maybe it's cold in that area or there is no ventilation

[@procleanprofessionalservic3504]

if the floor is not ABSOLUTELY like sterile clean if any wax or oily stuff stayed on you are toast ..

[@ashow13]

Why use mineral spirits to wipe down the floor and not just a water damped rag?

[@abdulelkhatib2674]

Because the mineral spirits clean better and dry faster also it doesn't make the wood swell

[@mikelee7876]

Water base is crap turns white doesn't last as long as oil base

[@Anonymous-rm6fi]

Why don't they call that stain when the finish changes the color?

[@abdulelkhatib2674]

When the finish changes the color it is stain but clear polyurethane doesn't but if it does its a minimal amount or its just the sheen

[@gabybouras]

I like him very much he have a lot of knowledge but with this one he messed up, you cannot put oil based on top of water Base product ,but you do can put water base and top of oil base.And oil based finish is much stronger...God bless you all!!

[@billyandjohnny7734]

Po

[@Filmaker25]

Looks like laundry detergent ...even bottle is the same

[@jarredmarion1538]

Looks like laundry detergent 💁🏻

[@gabybouras]

I like him very much he have a lot of knowledge but with this one he messed up, you cannot put oil based on top of water Base product ,but you do can put water base and top of oil base.And oil based finish is much stronger...God bless you all!!

[@brandontheprizenorwood5797]

gaby bouras oil can go over water. water can’t go over oil. You got it backwards!