How to Refinish Hardwood Floors

Wood floors are a feature that most home buyers put on their must-have lists. Just watch any episode of HGTV’s House Hunters, and you’ll see what we mean.
Undeniably, hardwood floors are a go-to material for homeowners designing and renovating their homes because of the warmth and substance they add to a space. But beyond the aesthetics, the care and maintenance of these wood floors is definitely something you should consider before locking in on a selection.
Once the newness wears off and you and your family are actually living in the home, how do you handle a damaged floor plank? What are your options for how to refinish or repair hardwood floors?

How to Refinish Hardwood Floors

The answers to these questions depend on what type of wood flooring you have.
As long as your flooring is made of actual hardwood or you have an engineered flooring material that has been stained, it is possible to refinish them. Here is are step-by-step instructions to help you tackle this do it yourself project.

Step 1: Prepare the floor by clearing the room of any furniture and finishings. This includes the base molding too (you can leave the baseboards in tact). Be sure to number the molding pieces as you remove them to make replacing easier.

Step 2: Use wood filler to patch and repair any holes or cracks. Once it is dry, wipe the floors down with a damp cloth to get rid of any debris.

Step 3: Start sanding the old finish off your hardwood floors using a drum sander. Begin sanding with 40-grit sandpaper and slowly work in the direction of the grain in 3–4 foot sections. Try not to stop as this can create unwanted marks. You will need a smaller sander for the edges of the room. Repeat this process continuing sanding upward with an increasingly fine grit until you are get to 120-grit sandpaper. Though this may be a time-consuming task, you will be rewarded with a smooth floor surface.

Step 4: Buff the floor in the direction of the grain to remove any fine sanding marks.

Step 5: To prep the floor you will first need to clean both the floor and walls to remove any debris left behind. If you are going to stain your floor first, you will have to "water pop" it first, Use one part denatured alcohol to two parts water to spray the boards completely. This will cause the wood grain to rise and allow for it to accept the wood stain more easily. Let the floor to dry for at least 30 minutes before moving onto the next step.

Step 6: The bare wood is now ready for the staining. Use an oil-based stain in a well-ventilated area to achieve the look you desire. Apply the stain in the same direction in 3–4 foot sections. Allow to dry and repeat the process once more.

Step 7: If you are not planning to stain your hardwood, then you can simply move on to sealing it. A polyurethane seal is popular for wood floor refinishes. It will help to protect your floor from scratches and water damage and helps to bring out the shine and luster of the natural wood. It is also possible to use a natural oil or wax finish depending on what you prefer.

If the DIY route isn't for you then you can have a floor repair company come out to assess the damage, strip the stain off of the parts of the floor that are damaged, make the repairs, and then restain the newly repaired pieces to match.

If you are trying to change the color of your floors (say you are going from a dark stain to a lighter tone), a floor repair specialist can tell you your color options depending on the species of wood you have and then stain a few samples so that you can see what the color would look like on your floors.
The cost to restain your floors would include removing the previous stain, prep work, and applying the new stain, and this could run from $4/sq. ft. to $8/sq. ft.

Other Wood Flooring

Unfortunately not all wood flooring can be refinished. If you have a Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) product or even an engineered hardwood product, it's unlikely that you would be able to strip that hardwood material down to be able to refinish it in another stain or color. It’s also unlikely that you can strip a single damaged plank to repair it. If this is the type of product you have on your floors, you’ll want to check to see if you have any extra leftover material from the original installation of the flooring.
If you have extra planks, you can use them to have a floor repair company come out to replace the plank so that the damaged area is no longer visible and the repair is seamless. If you don't have extra material and you don't know where to access the material, contact a local floor repair company or a floor installation company to come out to your home to assess the floors and see if they can repair the damaged plank or match the product if it needs to be replaced.
A local repair company might charge you a trip charge of about $50 to come out and assess your floors, and then the cost to repair your floors would be based on the amount of damage.

Another option is to reach out to the company or contractor that built your home to see if they can give you any information on the make and SKU number of that flooring material.
The goal is to try to have the floor repaired or have planks removed and replaced. That way you can avoid having to replace the entire floor just because you can’t find an exact match, which would be a very costly undertaking.
Essentially, when you are weighing the repair option vs. the replacement option, keep in mind that the material and labor to remove and replace your floors could be anywhere from $8/sq. ft. to $12/sq. ft.

The bottom line is, if you have real hardwood floors, you have more options on how to repair and restain your floors than if you have an LVT or engineered product.

Award-winning, Baton Rouge-based interior designer and content creator Arianne Bellizaire has been named a High Point Market Authority Style Spotter (2015), Perlick Ambassador of Cool (2017), Villeroy & Boch Color Challenge Winner (2017), Modenus Blog Tour invitee (2016 & 2019), and Modenus DesignHound (Spain and London 2016, Surfaces 2018). She was also selected as an Ambassador for NYDC 2020 What's New What's Next. Her work and expertise have been featured in Forbes, Rue Daily, House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Business Of Home, and USA Today.