To varnish wood floor is an easy task that you can do all by yourself without hiring a professional. Varnished wood flooring is elegant and is better protected from damages compared to an unvarnished wood floor. Below are the materials that you need along with the instructions on how to varnish a wood floor.
What You'll Need:
- Working Gloves
- Safety Glasses
- Mask
- Plastic sheeting
- Hammer
- Pliers
- Nail pry
- Electric floor sander
- nail set
- Belt or orbital sander
- Orbital palm sander
- Fine Grit Sandpaper
- Putty knife
- Putty
- Vacuum Cleaner
- Tack cloth
- Polyurethane varnish
- Paint brush
Step 1 - Wood Floor Preparation
Prepare the wood floor that you will work on by removing the old varnish using an orbital or belt sander. If you do not have an electric floor sander you can search your local yellow pages for nearby equipment rental shops. The internet is also a good source of information when looking for an electrical floor sander for hire.
Step 2 - Remove all the Furniture
Remove all the furniture found in your working areas such as chairs, tables, cabinets, sofas, and desks. This is to make sure that your working area is free from obstructions so that you can uniformly apply the varnish to the wood flooring. If you have floor molding you can also remove it so that it will not scuff with the electric floor sander.
Step 3-Check the Flooring
Check your wooden flooring for any protruding objects such as carpet tacks and nails. Remove the protruding objects using a pair of pliers. There are cases where removing a protruding nail on your wood flooring will do more harm than good. Instead, use a nail set to hammer down the nails. Check your wood flooring for any gaps as well and use putty to fill the gaps. Make sure to allow the putty to dry before proceeding to the next step.
Step 4-Seal your Working Area
Seal the room using plastic sheeting secured by tape. Cover all the openings such as doors and windows. This is to prevent dusts from entering your working area and damage your varnishing.
Step 5 - Wear your Protective Gear
Wear your mask, safety glass and working gloves before moving on to the next step.
Step 6 - Use the Electric Floor Sander
Remove the old varnish using the electric floor sander. Floor sanders can be quite heavy so be careful in handling your floor sander. Start in one corner of your wooden flooring and work your way gradually into the other side until you have covered all the areas. For sanding tight places, use smaller sanders.
Step 7 - Remove the Dusts
Using a vacuum cleaner, remove all the dust from using the electric floor sander. Vacuum the ceiling and walls as well to make sure that your working area is free from dust before applying the varnish to your wood floor.
Source: www.DoItYourself.com
