Handyman Life

Before Refinishing from wkendrider

Hardwood floors are undoubtedly the one feature any renter or prospective home buyer is looking for when searching through pages and pages of listings. However, destroyed hardwood floors tend to detract some buyers from investing in an otherwise great home. Their first instinct is to completely scrap the floors and invest unnecessary money in new flooring. But a smart buyer knows that with a few tools from their local hardware store, they can make their floor look like new again.

Take for instance this Reddit user, wkendrider. An admitted home improvement novice, this renter was able to improve the look of his home completely with $250 and less than a week of work refinishing hardwood floors.

After first pass through with sander by wkendrider

Depending on how damaged the floor is, you may have to experiment with what sander and grit to use. A random orbital sander with 60 grit will work just fine for slightly damaged floor, a 120 grit being more appropriate for completely ruined floors. Be warned, the sander you rent from your local hardware store will probably weigh upward of 110 pounds. So if you struggle with carrying laundry up the stairs or have existing back problems, you may want to get a helpful friend or neighbor to give you a hand.

Once the scratches, stains and damages have come up from the floor, you will want to decide on what kind of stain to refinish the floors with. This of course depends on how close you want to remain to the original floor color. For a warmer hue, you will want to go with red oak. But if you’re going for a lighter look, limed oak might be more your speed. Apply as many coats as it takes to get it to the color of your liking.

After staining by wkendrider

After the stain dries, you will want to apply Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane for Floors to finish your floors. Depending on what look you want the hardwood to have, you will again have to choose from multiple options. From glossy to satin, apply this poly evenly with a roller to get your hardwood shiny and presentable.

After adding poly by wkendrider

Once the poly dries, it’s time to put the furniture back in the room. You have completed the task of reviving the seemingly unsalvageable. The time you invested will be invaluable and allow you to have a larger budget for some other home projects.

And if you pull up some carpet and find you don’t have the hardwood you desire, reach out to us for all your Chicago flooring needs!