Need hardwood floor refinishing advice

[scesnick]

I am getting ready to refinish my maple hardwood floor. I installed and finished this floor 11yrs ago when we built the house. I have been researching what to use as a finish and of course, eash product claims they are superior.

I would like to use a water based stain ( poly) since they claim dry times are only a few hours at most and the fumes are nowhere near as bad as oil based. But, i am not married to this idea. I want a semi to high gloss finish.

Also, what is your opinion on sanders? I want to totally strip the old floors. Ten yrs of kids strollers, walkers and toys have taken a toll on the floor and they need sanded. Some say a walk behind belt sander is the way to go, others say walk behind orbital sander...Obviously I will be renting the sander either way.

Anyone out there have any firsthand knowledge?

 

[arrow]

I am getting ready to refinish my maple hardwood floor. I installed and finished this floor 11yrs ago when we built the house. I have been researching what to use as a finish and of course, eash product claims they are superior.

I would like to use a water based stain ( poly) since they claim dry times are only a few hours at most and the fumes are nowhere near as bad as oil based. But, i am not married to this idea. I want a semi to high gloss finish.

Also, what is your opinion on sanders? I want to totally strip the old floors. Ten yrs of kids strollers, walkers and toys have taken a toll on the floor and they need sanded. Some say a walk behind belt sander is the way to go, others say walk behind orbital sander...Obviously I will be renting the sander either way.

Anyone out there have any firsthand knowledge?

I just refinished a floor in my daughters house. The sander is pretty tricky so start in an area not as noticed. The belt sander can leave streaks and more damage if you are not used to it. It got to the point where I was not happy with my sanding job so I called someone in to do that part. I did the rest and the professional guy was quite helpful. He advised to stay away from the water based stuff. He tried them and stated he did not get the finish he was looking for and he thought they were more prone to humidity swing drying blotches. I stuck with all oil base after hearing this and all came out well. 3 coats of poly with sanding in between ended up with a nice finish.

 

[jmolwitz]

Oil base poly is the way to go , I've seen it last 40 yrs . Also I dont spend too much on it ,Home depot has it for about 20 a gallon . You need the the walk behind drum sander to strip the floor . The orbital is for finish sanding and in between coats .

 

[vwnotrunning]

I have used the walk behind drum sanders before. They will make short work of it. Be sure not to let just anyone operate it!! They can do a lot of damage if allowed to set stationary for any time at all. Oil based would be my preference also

 

[mostly_gas]

If you have to ask about the sander you probably need to go orbital as 1st choice and belt as 2nd choice. I think drum sanders are too aggressive for the casual user.:2cents:

 

[Cliff_Johns]

There's nothing wrong with water-based poly for a floor. It's clear and durable. It looks a bit like milk when you apply. I wouldn't use oil myself. It's stinks and is toxic. I don't think its even legal in CA anymore. I had them use water-based 20 years ago on my house and it does need refinished now, but I expect oil would too. We've fostered over 250 dogs over the years and that takes its toll on floors.

What oil does provide is that light yellow varnish color which is appealing. You need to get your floors stained to the color you want, then urathane them. With oil, you want to stain them with the knowledge that the poly will darken them and add a bit of yellow.

Remember that with waterbased poly from most manufacturers, you add a hardner when you use it on floors.

Do 3 coats. Satin is usually best on floors.

Personally, I check how much it costs in your area to hire it out. They are fast and if they know what they are doing (get recomendations or join Angie's list) the floors will look great without the hastle. Also the pros usually have a dustless system which reduces the dust problem tremendously.

Cliff

 

[scesnick]

thanks for the advice fellas.

 

[Ductape]

I would use an orbital sander. I can't imagine there is much warping on your floors, so I wouldn't think you'd need anything as agressive as a drum sander. For the edges, I use an orbital palm sander with the dust bag removed and hook my shop vac to it (sucks up most of the dust).

I only use oil based urethane, but to each their own. I see some of the water based stuff says right on the label 'not recommended for use on floors'. I don't have any family or friends who have used the water based finishes, so I'll take into account the good reviews on it from folks here. I may try it at some point in the future.

Buy a couple packages of tack cloths when you get the urethane. They do a decent job of picking up any dust just before you put down the finish.

I've got so many to do in our 1880's New Englander, I figured I might as well buy my own sander. Just did our livingroom about a month ago. To each their own, but I would never try to sand out every imperfection. A divot here or there adds character IMO. I'd way rather have a nice looking old floor than a 'new' looking old floor.

Disclaimer: Take my advice for what it is worth, as I've actuyally only done Pine floors.