Ways To Refinish Hardwood Floors Without Sanding

Refinishing hardwood floors minus sanding is usually a big, expensive and messy job, although it is great for an old worn-out laminate floor or hardwood floor that is badly damaged, worn, or with deep scratches. But if your hardwood floor is just lightly damaged with (wood stain) or scratched, you can refinish it without sanding perfectly. You can opt for refinishing the wood floor instead of replacing hardwood floors.

A number of people want to revive and give a fresh new look to their bare wood floors except sanding the floor. But, sandless refinishing is not good for solid wood floors, and do not attempt to sand a floor that has a thin veneer. 

While you might want to even consider refinishing with sanding, not all wood flooring may be good for sanding, it may have a veneer that is extremely thin to sand. To refinish without sanding, you will need a floor that is quite interesting a good condition. 

However, you have a great alternative to leaving the floor damaged or replacing the hardwood floor, which is refinishing it without sand. While there are different methods for refinishing hardwood floors without sand, the best methods to be considered include the screen and recoat method, and using hardwood floor refinishing kits. Moreover, you must purchase a refinishing kit with a finisher that is compatible with the existing finish. 

How To Refinish Hardwood Floors Without Sanding

To refinish the entire floor without sanding, follow the steps below.



#1 The Screen and recoat Method 

This method is a wood floor restoration process that needs a sanding screen to scuff the old finish off the floor. Screen and recoat are synonyms, so it means that you abrade or scuff up then apply a coat for protection. There are specific steps to ensure the result of this method is optimal. These steps include:

• Clean the floors

It is important you clean the floor surface before refinishing, so ensure to remove furniture and other valuable properties so you can clean the floor thoroughly. To prevent water damage,  ensure you do not drench the floor and also use a damp mop or rag to wipe off. However, it is either you use a pH-neutral floor cleaner or warm water. You can get on your knees and hands and scrub. 

• Check if your floor was initially finished with a lacquer or oil-based product 

You might not be able to identify an oiled floor from a lacquered floor if you are not a professional. Although there are some observable differences you can use in differentiating them, some of which include;

Oiled Floor

• Oiled floors tend to wear faster on the surface 
• Slightly more orange color, slightly dark
• Get stained easily
• Leaves a mark, when a drink spills on it

Lacquered Floor

• They are lighter in color
• Lacquered floors tend to wear easily. You should quit the refinishing process it is completely worn.

It is recommended that you use hard wax oil if your floor's surface has an oil-based finish and a Polyurethane lacquer with a lacquer-based finish.

• Lightly abrade the surface of your floor

 With a floor buffing machine, you can do this using a 120-grit sanding screen over the surface. Rub the floor down going with the grain of the wood, ensure to do this strategically, so you would not leave any areas unabraded. While an abrading, abrade lightly,  with little or no pressure. The reason for this is to smooth out surface scratches so that the new coat can bond to the floor and Always prevent the peeling off of the new coat. 

• Vacuum the floor.

Also, ensure this is done slowly, carefully, and strategically, moving around the floor edges with the pipe of the hoover to ensure the floor is dust-free. You could also re-mop using dishwashing liquid and a gallon of warm water after the floor has dried up.

• Lacquer or oil the floor

To lacquer or add hard wax oil to the floor you need some tools which include, an inch roller, paint tray, finishing product of choice, and lastly courage. Task the floor and lay two coats of clear floor finish, this could get dry in a few hours depending on the hardwood floor finish contained in the refinishing kit you are using. You can apply a second coat after drying up. But one major difference in refinishing with lacquer and oil is that you can use a short pile roller when refinishing with oil, but you would need a longer pile roller for lacquer. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are several methods to refinish hardwood floors except sanding. You can use a paint pad, wear shoe covers, and use all the major materials. Make sure you don't apply too much pressure to the paint pad and wax finished floor. You can also use flooring strips and an applicator pad. For a more abrasive look, use an abrasive pad. If you want a more light sanding look, use a thin layer of sandpaper. You can also use a whole floor sander.



If you're using water based urethane, make sure you apply a coat of primer first. If you're refinishing an old finish, be sure to remove all the wax before applying the new finish. If you're refinishing a wax finish, be sure to apply a thin layer of Beauchemin's Multi- purpose Refinishing Gel. If you're refinishing a wet finish, be sure to apply one coat of Waterlox Original Formula Tung oil based sealer/finish. Lastly, if you're using microfiber cloths to clean your floors, be sure to vacuum or sweep first to remove any loose dirt or debris.

About Wollongong Timber

Installing a hardwood floor can be a daunting task. It's not something that everyone is familiar with and it can be tough to know where to start. There are so many things to think about when installing a hardwood floor- the type of wood, the color, the finish, how to install it properly... it's easy to feel overwhelmed.



Wollongong Timber has been installing hardwood floors for years and we're here to help make the process as simple and straightforward as possible. We offer a wide variety of woods, colors, and finishes so you can find the perfect floor for your home. Plus, our installation experts will help ensure that your floor is installed correctly and lasts for years to come.