Most of us have moved a rug or a piece of furniture and noticed the covered part of the floor is either lighter or darker than the surrounding wood. Whether you’ve recently purchased unfinished wood, or you want to transform your space, your flooring is one of the grandest statements that you can make.With stain, you don’t have to replace floors to get a new look. If you have ever painted the walls in a room with windows, you are probably familiar with the process of applying tape to the window frames to keep the paint off of them. I just felt better with the extra protection. This way, if some of it ends up in a puddle you can wipe that off quickly. As an example, one of the rooms upstairs in my house required 5 passes to get all the old glue, finish and stain off the floor. Lightening a hardwood floor can be a costly process, especially when you hire a professional flooring expert. The chairs around my dining table are the front-runner in this category. The last thing we want is for the work are to have any dust and debris on it when we start to stain. The silver lining was that there were no items in any of the rooms I really needed to worry about except the doors. Some of the stains used can be very dark and not everyone who buys a house likes that deep and dark color. Bamboo Flooring vs Hardwood – Pros, Cons and Cost, Reclaimed Hardwood Flooring – Benefits, Risks and Cost. Like painting, you can apply tape and paper to anything that you feel is worth protecting. Coat your floor with the stain using a brush. How much does it Cost to Lighten Hardwood Floors? Start doing that at least an hour before it is time to start working with them. Start with a piece of scrap wood if you have one. Happy flooring day! All of your hard work paid off and you will have something to be proud of for years to come. The concept of sharpness applies to saw blades as well. How do you Prevent Hardwood Floors from Fading? We want to make sure the tools won’t end up causing more harm than good. Your hardwood flooring stain color has an instant effect on all types of living spaces, and the decision between dark stains vs light stains plays a major role in interior design. They include the following: Ensure the nature of your wood is appropriate for sanding. Just like the stain, you’ll want to work your way toward the exit from the opposite end of the room. Staining a hardwood floor is a completely easy and fun process to do. Wood stain that's too dark can affect the entire appearance of a piece of furniture or room. When a wood floor loses its luster, the usual solution is to sand it down to raw wood and completely refinish it. There are two lines of thinking on this topic and it is important that I detail both so you can ponder and decide which avenue works best for you. When you are working on this part, it will almost feel like you are applying clear paint to the floor. The one I used was only 1 ft. long. After all that sanding, there is sure to be a mountain of sanding dust everywhere in this area. This is followed by staining or lightening before applying a protective polyurethane layer. Always begin from the furthest corner from the entrance. Most can be rented for a reasonable price. The only catch to this version of polyurethane is that the fumes are quite potent. Now that all the tedious work is done, we just wait a little bit for the floor to dry. We are refinishing the floors in our house. Congratulations! Most finishes, including polyurethane can be applied using a soft cloth bottomed applicator on a handle or stick. Testing your wood stain or color on a small section during sanding will help you to envision the outcome before applying the stain to the entire surface. Something to keep in mind: Be sure the medium you are using for a shield is made of something that is non-absorbent. Staining your floors with hardwood stain colors is an alternative worth considering, and can be especially interesting if you are looking to enhance the grain of your hardwood floor, or to refresh old flooring, or to give your home an entirely new look. The Cleaning Specialists, San Diego, California You can salvage that old worn-out hardwood floor to look new again today! The first major consideration is the type of wood that is on the floor. This should take care of any last remaining dust that was left on the floor. A dark floor … This way you can ensure they are all topped off and ready to go. While both types are durable, there are slight differences. Staining wood is one of my favorite parts of any woodworking project I undertake. I recommend an oil-based polyurethane. For lighter floors, there are a ton of options that are popular right now, including gray-toned hardwoods and whitewashed wood floors. Armed with all of your safety gear and work-ready tools, let’s get to work. Unfortunately, this will give your floor surface an unattractive and uneven appearance when the color peels off. Staining hardwood floors is easy, as long as you are aware of these hurdles. Once you are done with the initial bigger sanding project of getting all the old stain and finish off, it’s time to go over it once more with a few levels of fine grit sandpaper. However, a perfect outcome will depend on the condition and the natural color of the wood. We had not moved anything in yet so it made it a lot easier to move through the whole house pretty fast. It will look even better after the next couple of coats. Dog Urine Soaked Into Hardwood Floors: What To Do Now, How to Restore Hardwood Floors after Carpet – Step by Step, Acacia Hardwood Flooring, Pros, Cons and Cost. How do I Protect my Hardwood Floors from Furniture Scratches? Take a few moments to contemplate before moving on the next step. How to Lighten Dark Wood Stain. 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