How to Refinish Pine Plank Floors
- 1). Clean the floor by sweeping and mopping with clear water and vinegar. Scrub any particularly stubborn spots to remove excess dirt and oil, which will clog the sanding screen and slow down the refinishing process.
- 2). Attach a sanding screen to the accessory wheel of your floor buffer. Buffers can be hired by the day from equipment rental houses. Stand the machine in the center of the floor, check to see that the power switch is in the off position and connect the cord to the power.
- 3). Stand behind the buffer with both feet firmly planted, take a firm grip on the handles with both hands and pull the trigger. As the buffer spins up to speed it may give a firm tug. Hold the handles firmly, as the rotating head reaches full speed this should ease up.
- 4). Lower the handle of the buffer slightly to travel left and raise it to travel right. Release the trigger immediately if your feel you are losing control of the machine, hold onto the handles, the rotation will stop and you will be able to start again safely.
- 5). Run the buffer's screen across the floor, beginning parallel to the longest wall in the space. Do not worry about the few inches next to the wall, you will get that later. Work across the entire floor, moving side to side in overlapping rows to make sure the screen runs over the whole surface.
- 6). Run a tackcloth on a lamb's wool applicator across the floor to remove the dust. Check for spots that may have been missed, and rebuff anything that looks uneven or undone.
- 7). Sand the edges of the floor with an edge or random orbit sander and 80-grit sandpaper. Mop the floor with odorless mineral spirits to remove the dust. Allow the floor to dry.
- 8). Apply clear polyurethane finish with a lamb's wool applicator. Work in rows 6-to-8-feet deep from the wall. Pour the finish in small quantities directly on the floor and spread with slow, steady motions to avoid bubbles in the finish. Work from one end to the other of the first wall.
- 9). Spread the finish in rows, overlapping each row, 6-to-8-inches to ensure complete coverage. Continue spreading finish until the entire floor is covered. Always work to end up in front of an exit, to prevent painting yourself into a corner. Allow the finish to dry between coats, according to the label-recommended time. Apply three to four coats of polyurethane using the same technique.
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