I'm refinishing my oak floors. Would you like to help me?

8 years ago

These are 25 year old oak floors that have been sanded a couple of times but never stained. Some parts have been abused to bare wood by dogs, water, an occasional doggie accident. No warping or curling, a few pits. Good first-timer project for me. :-)

320 sf of supposedly red oak, but one guy insisted it was white oak. I think it's red oak because some unworn parts look very red and red oak is what I bought originally.

SANDING: Since I am a first timer, I'm leaning toward renting a flat sander to remove the finish. I also considered a clarke easy sander (?) but was told that wouldn't do the job. Drum sander is a no-no for first timers I was told. I have not yet researched the edge sanding and sandpaper grit sequence issues yet. I was planning to rent the sander for one day and do subsequent sandings manually to open up grain for each stain and poly step.

FILLING: This is where I got confused. I will be staining the floors a dark cherry. I bought dark red non-stainable wood filler. It is more purple than the mix of minwax red chestnut and red sedona wood finish stain I wil be using. Should I be mixing wood filler colors too? Minwax stainable wood filler got bad reviews. I want to use wood filler conservatively. I really don't want to go over the wood filler with the big sander, but I have palm sanders I can use. So I really need to figure out what to do about the wood filler. Right now I'm thinking I will mix and apply conservatively after staining, and sand lightly with the motorized palm sander. Maybe I should get a lighter wood filler to match the lighter colors in the wood after staining?

STAINING: I did a test piece with my stain mixture and it came out light, but seems to be darker after a couple of days. I plan to apply as many coats as will take using these steps: Lightly sand, clean dust with mineral spirits (NOT tackcloth), apply stain, wait 15 minutes, wipe, let dry overnight. Repeat until the wood does not absorb any more stain or I get the color I like. Sound OK? the CS rep at Minwax said I could apply multiple coats with wipe off until the wood stopped absorbing.

POLY: I bought water based varathane wood floor finish, high traffic, satin. I wanted bona traffic, then after reading reviews got steered toward other products, then I decided to go with something forgiving that I could reapply myself. So it may not be the best product, but it looked like something I could handle and redo as needed. 2 coats with lambswool applicator, let dry overnight, lightly sand, (clean with mineral spirits?), 2 more coats the second day, let dry 3 days, then move in. Most of this is from the instructions on the can and from the Varathane rep. A home depot associate said something about using fans, but I am concerned about dust circulation. Any advice on that? Should I turn off the heat too? And how do I access the floor? Should I start in the back corner and work my way toward the hall? Can I step on the varathane after a certain amout of time? What should I wear on my feet? Guess I need to do more research.

I realize I won't be doing the best job possible, but my goal is to have success, not perfection. I really want the experience, and I want full control over the stain color, which is why I will be DIY-ing this. Any tips for a first-timer?

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Comments (3)

klem1
8 years ago
Well you are determined,I'll give you credit for that. Floors are a challange to say the least and I can't give you much advice that will change that but will offer a few thoughts. Red vs White is not nessarly refering to color of wood,both exibit multiple colors. Red Oak is open grain and look's better if filled, White Oak is closed grain therefore doesn't require filling. First thing you need to do is determine which you have,go look at samples at a store. If it's Red i see no reason for waiting until after first coat of stain to fill it. Test color after each coat of stain by touching a spot with siliva moistoned finger,that's close to what it will look like after clear coating. Oil base clear is more suitable for floors (other than Maple where you want no orange tint). To clear dust while sanding, speed drying and clear odors during application,do this. Tape largest hvac filter in the opening of a raised window. Place fan in a secound window at other side of room. Seal around fan with cardboard and tape. Close and/or tape over hvac vents. Chink gap below doors leading into room. Wearing clean socks to walk on floor is fine after tack is gone. I never sand between coats unless it's been over 6 months and I've never had a single problem.
Jane thanked klem1
User
8 years ago
Find a U-Sand machine, Home Depot rentals have them as do many other rental shops. It has 4 large rotary sanding discs, is virtually dust free, and is easily learned/used. It is almost impossible to accidentally screw up a floor with this machine. I'll include a link about the machine.

Sand, stain, then fill. You will almost never be able to use the stain on filler and get anywhere close to a match. Matching a filler color to a stained floor is much easier. Add the filler and spot sand if necessary. Allowing the stain to sit longer means a darker tone. There is a limit to allow for good staining and blotching, however.

Pay attention to the can/manufacturer, not someone at a home improvement store. If you use a lambs wool applicator, comb it before use---I learned that the hard way---couple lumps in a room.

U-Sand
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gregmills_gw
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
" Red Oak is open grain and look's better if filled, White Oak is closed grain therefore doesn't require filling." -Wrong, completely 100% false. Both Red and White oak are OPEN grain woods. The grains on white oak are a bit more narrow, but still open. Maple is an example of a closed grain wood.

If you take a close up pic of the floor, and post it, i can tell you if its red or white. I post over on the Floors forum all the time, post your question there and receive a lot more help.

I personally dont like the varathane products, but thats for a different debate.

For the Smoothest results, lightly abrade between EVERY coat. generally a 150 grit paper is fine, can even go 220. two coats in a day is fine. i would try 3 coats total (2 one day, then 1 more the next), and then see how you like the look. if it looks dry or you feel like another is necessary then go ahead.

since you plan on staining the floor, do not keep adding coats after coats of stain. it can effect the adhession ability when you go to apply the coats of finish.

If you want the stain to come out darker, you have two options, mix the stain with a darker stain, or you can Waterpop your floor. this will help get a more even color throughout the floor and take the stain a bit deeper.

The wood filler i would do this, if you prefer to not trowel fill the entire floor during the sanding process, then after you get two coats of finish on the stain, then spot fill the areas you want and then lightly hand sand the fill off...doing this with finish applied will help prevent you from scuffing the stain off the bare wood causing a shading issue.
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I'm refinishing my oak floors. Would you like to help me?

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klem1

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