How To Refinish Pine Floors – 7 Steps To Have A Shiny Floor That Looks Like New

After a period of use, your pine floors will eventually discolor or get scratches and cracks. This not only makes your room look unsightly but also an ideal environment for termites to thrive. Therefore, you must fix the issue right away.

But how to refinish pine floors properly and correctly, then? Don’t you have any experience doing this task by yourself?

As flooring experts with many years in this field, we will guide you on how to take care of the pine floors! What are you waiting for? Let’s find out and start the work now!

how-to-refinish-pine-floors

Tools To Prepare   

To be able to refinish pine floors quickly and efficiently, you need to prepare the following tools beforehand:

  • Cleaning tools (broom, dustbin, vacuum cleaner, soft clean cloth, mop, etc.)
  • Hammer
  • Carpenter’s level
  • Paint Thinner
  • 2×4 boards
  • Masking tape
  • Ammonia
  • Xylene or toluene
  • Sandpaper (40-grit, 60-grit, 100-grit, and 120-grit)
  • Paintbrush
  • Lamb’s wool applicator
  • Stain
  • Lacquer Thinner
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Sealer
  • VacuumDrum, belt, or orbital sandpaper

How To Refinish Pine Floors?

1. Empty The Room

Before starting to refinish the pine floor, you first need to empty the room! Take all furniture in the room out.

Next, close all doors (including windows) to prevent the spread out of sawdust. For opening doors in the room, you can put a layer of tape over them for coverage.

You can also do the same for the floor vents. Make sure the room is completely closed before you start, or else the sawdust will fly all over your house and damage your furniture.

2. Check The Baseboard Trim

Once you’ve cleaned up, carefully inspect the base of the wall above the floor. If there are worn or damaged parts, get rid of them immediately.

For wall decorations, you can use the claw end of the hammer to remove them. Besides, don’t forget to tape the electrical outlets to prevent sawdust from entering!

3. Check For Cracks And Grooves In Floor Surface

In this 3rd step, you must identify the points that need to be filled and check for the floor’s toughness and condition. 

To test, place an extended ruler (e.g., a 2×4 board) on the floor and slide it along the floor’s surface. First, slide it in one direction, then a perpendicular direction.

Once defined, mark again to distinguish the areas. For grooves, cracks, or depressions, re-mark with an ‘A’ and a ‘B’ for raised areas. Since the protrusions should only be 1/8 inch high if you spot a nail sticking out somewhere, push them down to level with the surface of the floor.

4. Check The Condition Of The Old Finish

Polyurethane will not work at its best when combined with other finishes. Therefore, you need to check the old finish by putting a little rubbing alcohol on the floor; if the finish is shellac, you will see a bubble appear. Alternatively, you can drop cellulose thinner on the floor if you see a reaction, as it’s lacquer.

As we are mainly showing you how to refinish pine floors with polyurethane in this article, if you have used any other finish, make sure you have thoroughly cleaned it before you begin!

5. Clean The Finish

To protect the wooden floor, you need to sweep, vacuum, and wipe it before sanding, as dirt and small particles of sand will wear away the sandpaper and damage your floor. Therefore, a clean and airy floor is easier to refinish.

When working, you can use an auxiliary tool such as a sander to save energy. There are different types of sanders for you to choose from. Yet, regardless of the method you use, the working process is the same.

refinishing-pine-floor
Refinishing Pine Floor (Image: Deerbourne)

To get started, install your machine with 40-grit sandpaper first, followed by 60-grit and 100-grit in the end. Next, run the sander over the floor, but don’t scrub in one spot for too long except for the raised areas (where the ‘B’ is).

Continue sanding to remove the old paint and level the floor completely. Then use a vacuum cleaner or broom to clean the dirt after sanding. Finally, don’t forget to wipe it down with a wet cloth to ensure there isn’t a speck of dust left, even on the wall.

6. Apply Bona Novia (Satin)

After sanding is complete, paint the satin finish that you want. In case the wood is exposed, you should apply a sealer before painting. One of the advantages of pine wood is that it absorbs stains quickly; the sealer can fill in holes and keep the color natural.

Wait for about 3-4 hours for the sealer to completely dry, then you can rub or paint the satin on the floor. Additionally, a small note here is that you must paint it in the direction of the wood grain so as not to miss any areas.

7. Bona Traffic Hd Cover

At this point, the refinishing process is almost complete. You need to apply a layer of semi-gloss polyurethane over the contours of the floor. Remember that a dose is enough to cover the whole bottom!

Next, use a lamb’s wool applicator to spread the polyurethane over the center of the floor in a beaded pattern. When painting, you should paint according to a specific strategy. Precisely, move backward to paint from the inside out, towards the door to avoid stepping on the painted surface. Let the paint dry for about 24 hours after that.

After the paint has dried, continue sanding with 120-grit sandpaper. Next, wipe off the dirt and then apply the polyurethane again. To achieve the desired effect from the refinishing process, you need to apply two coats of polyurethane to the floor.

Finally, replace the baseboards and put the furniture back.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Best Finish For Pine Floors?  

There are a variety of finishes you can use for pine floors. Each finish type has its advantages. For example, water- or oil-based polyurethanes help minimize floor scratches; Satin has the benefit of helping to conceal imperfections on the floor. 

So, it is difficult for us to confirm which finish is the best as it depends on your usage needs.

How Many Times Can I Refinish A Pine Floor?    

Usually, you can refinish the parquet about six times or more, based on the thickness of the floor. Still, for soft pine floors, this number may be slightly lower.

Can I Refinish Pine Floors Without Sanding?   

Of course, you can. If you want to refinish pine floors without sanding, you can refer to ways such as using chemical abrasives, polish and repaint with polyurethane or use a reviver. 

Conclusion

The discolored floors are ugly but not irreparable. Just follow the steps that we have introduced above, and you can completely fix it without spending money on hiring an expert. Please be mindful of emptying your room before the process and check the condition of the finish carefully to apply relevant methods! 

Last but not least, note down the available numbers for refinishing your pine floors based on their thickness! Hopefully, after reading this article, you now know how to refinish pine floors and soon regain the original beauty of your wooden floors.

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