How to Refinish Hardwood Floors

Having great hardwood floors can make for a great grand entrance into a home: fresh stain and a polished look can make hardwood floors stand out. If you have a historic home, the right stain can make those floors shine through to their original look. Over time, hardwood floors can become scratched or damaged and don’t have the same shine that they used to. Read more below about how to refinish your hardwood floors using stains from Cardinal Home Centers.

Prepare Your Space

Depending on the scope of your project, it may take longer to prep for staining your floors. If you are just restaining a small room or portion of your floors as a patch, or if the scratches do not go through to the wood, you may be able to just use 320-grit sandpaper. However, if you are doing a larger area, you may need a buffer, which is available for rent at our Madison store. You may also consider using a drum sander – although we do not have one available, we carry the rolls of sandpaper needed. The day before, clean your floors using any hardwood floor cleaner and be sure to allow 24 hours for the floor to try. Rough up the surface with either sanding method. Use a hand sander to get into any corners and hard-to-reach areas.

Choose your Stain

Cardinal Home Center offers two main types of stain that work best for hardwood floors: Zar and Minwax. The type of stain you want to use will depend on what you want to get out of the wood, and how you want to apply it.

Zar, which is sold both as an oil-based and water-based stain, will provide a richer color to your wood and sit more on the surface of your floors. This stain can be applied using a rag or cloth to rub in the stain. We sell Zar stains in half pint sizes (if you want to sample a color), quarts, or gallon sizes. Zar can also be used on metal, fiberglass, and PVC surfaces.

An alternative is Minwax, which is a transparent, oil-based stain. This type of stain will enhance the grain of wood on your floors. This can only be used on wood surfaces and is best applied using a brush.

Applying your Stain

If you have any notches in your wood, use a wood filler pencil to fill those in before you start refinishing. For Minwax, apply their Pre-Stain Conditioner first. Then, use a brush to apply the stain to your floor, starting around your baseboards. If using Minwax, apply with a brush or rag, ensuring you give an even coat across your floor. 5 to 15 minutes later, use a rag to wipe in your stain. Apply a second top coat 4 hours later.

Zar stains follow a similar pattern: start around your baseboards with a rag, and then move to the middle of your floor. 5 to 15 minutes later, use a rag to wipe in your stain. If you would like to make your wood darker, you can apply polyurethane three hours later. For a lighter stain, wipe immediately when applying your first coat.

After applying, wait 4 hours to apply a second coat. Furniture should not be put back on the floor until a week after.

Please note: if you have any questions throughout the process, it is best to consult a flooring expert within the region.

Giving your floors a fresh coat can make a big difference in a room, and instantly create a wow factor when you walk into any room. Have questions, or are you ready to start your own project? Check our Paint & Sundries section for more information about what we offer, or get a paint quote from our team!