Hardwood Floor Refinishing Process

1. Prep the Room

Remove all furniture, window treatments, rugs and carpet. Each area that is part of the refinishing project must be clear of all furniture and contents. Together we should determine the best location to store it while we do our work—perhaps an adjacent room, the garage, basement, deck, etc. If you don’t have a practical place for storage you may need to rent a pod. This is very useful when you have limited storage. While we are pretty good at moving things in and out, some times it is best if you hire professional movers (unusually heavy, awkward items, delicate, large items, lots of glass, etc, we may be more comfortable if you have a professional team take care of the move). If we are removing any existing flooring, you will need to contact your township regarding bulk trash collection. You can expect any carpet to be cut in 4-5’ long rolls, wrapped in duct tape. Some towns, neighborhoods and developments permit the goods to be placed at the curb for collection by the township, some strictly prohibit it. If Royal has been contracted to remove and dispose of these things from the premise it will be listed on the purchase order.

2. Patch and Repair

We Will Check the floor for larger holes or cracks and repair using wood filler. After the filler dry completely. We will wipe down the floor with a damp rag to remove all debris and dust.

3. Sand the Floor

For this step, we will use a drum sander. We'll start sanding with the 40-grit sandpaper. This is a very coarse paper that will do the heavy-duty work of removing scratches, dings and the old finish, but will leave a rough surface. Because the drum sander is large and cumbersome, we will use a different sander for the edges of the room. Using the same grit sandpaper on the edge sander to sand right up to the wall. We will repeat the process using 60, 80 and then the 120-grit paper on both the drum sander and the edge sander. Each round of sanding will reveal a smoother surface with all repaired holes or cracks flush with the floor surface. We will Vacuum and wipe dust from the floor between each step.

4. Buff the Floor

Buffing the floor will remove tiny sanding marks and give a completely smooth finish. In this step we will be using a 120-grit sanding screen.

5. Prep for Sealer or Stain

We'll make sure your floor and room are completely clean. In order for the stain to penetrate the wood evenly, we use a technique called "water popping." Mixing a solution of one part denatured alcohol to two parts water. Our crew will spray the floor, covering the floor completely. This causes the wood grains to rise and better accept the stain.

6. Natural Wood Tones or Stain Selection

Your bare floor is now ready for either stain or sealer. If you want to change the color of the wood, we will apply sample stain colors directly to small portions of your newly sanded floor. Making it much easier to select the stain color you prefer.

7. Sealing the Floor

After the stain is dry or if you are skipping stain, we will finish by sealing the floor. Sealing protects the floor from water damage, dings and scratches and adds luster and shine to bring out the beauty of the wood.