So you dont sand the floor at all? You just put acetone on floor a little at a time and wipe/scrub. Then put ace on, wipe, and let it dry. Repeat applications until reach satisfied coat.?
This is just what I needed. My biggest problem is that I have huge windows and my dark hardwood floors are faded in window areas as well as scratched .Will be acetone Remove the existing verathane or whatever it is that is on my floor now. I really do want to add a new coat of stain to even out the tones and then I could use what you’ve used to finish off the floors. Is that feasible? Thanks a bunch.So glade you video popped up on my searches for a solution.❤.now a subscriber for life!
Definitely going to jam some A7X doing this haha. Do you think staining the floor after acetone and before the zep would be alright? I like this but kind of want a darker floor
Hey man, I'm in the same situation and going to follow your steps. Just some questions I'd love some help with. 1. Can you use a mop instead of a cloth to wipe in the acetone and then polish? 2. Everywhere on the internet I've read acetone is dangerous against hardwood, but in your video it looks good. Why is that? 3. When and what do you scrub with the brush? I would appreciate the help, it's my first time doing it tomorrow. Thanks, from Norway.
You could use a flat sponge mop. I wouldn't use an old school mop. It would get all over the trim. It's fine it turns out perfect. I've done it on several different floors and it always works out good. Usually the people that say otherwise are trying to sell you something. I clean the floor with a brush to get in between the cracks. Hope this helps
Ugh. I pulled up carpets before, I know the pain of staples. And that dang wood piece with the nails in it along the wall. Im having an episode just remembering it.
You are a lunatic. This was a wax floor. It is not a urethane floor. You can use something as toxic and dangerous as acetone, , but no rational finisher would. There are numerous wax removers out there that are safe. You can not do the above method to finish aurethaned, varnished or shellac coated floor. You can set yourself on fire. Your information is highly misleading. Most importantly, your Zel polish will peel. A professional will now be required to finish this floor. Folks, do not listen to this guys strategy. It is dangerous. I am a professional of 27 years.
Well done. People get it into their heads that you can only use certain finishes on wood but there are other options. I grew up in an old house with hardwood. I remember my mom using floor wax on them periodically when I was a kid. She'd run us out of whatever room she was working on until it was thoroughly dry. As a kid I didn't pay that much attention but looking at old family photos you can often see those floors in the background. They look like something out of a magazine. As an adult I was able to buy that old house. The 160 year old hardwood had been partially covered with carpet, and the rest was looking pretty sad. I used a solvent to clean off a lot of the old wax and then used an orbital palm sander to scuff them a bit. I put down a couple of coats of Amber Shellac (basically wax dissolved in alcohol). The first one I thinned out a bit with extra alcohol and used a wide brush to apply a heavy coat. That old wood had been neglected in the years since we had lived there. It soaked up that thinned shellac right up. In some places I had to re-apply several times before applying the top coat. People told me that shellac was a terrible choice, but like you I didn't want them perfect. The rest of the woodwork shows some wear and has a lot of character. Why would I want my floor to look like some modern reproduction? From working with wood previously, I knew that shellac is an easy finish to work with and touch up. Sure enough when we were moving in a well meaning helper dragged a piece of furniture across my newly refinished floor leaving a 12 foot long scratch all the way down to the bare wood. How they didn't hear and feel that I'll never know but it happened. My wife was nearly in tears. I wasn't thrilled but I knew it wouldn't take long to fix. Sure enough I touched it up that evening with a bit of sandpaper and a small brush. By the next morning it was almost impossible to find. 15 years later and I've had to touch up a couple of high traffic areas but the floors are still the first thing anyone comments on when they visit us for the first time. Messes are easily cleaned with a swiffer wet jet, and I mop them now and then with some murphy's oil soap. That's about it. As for other finishes, I used to live in an apartment where the wood finish on the cabinets was beginning to look sad. I used some lemon oil on them and they looked better for about 24 hours before drinking most of it up. In the end I kept a rag and lemon oil in that tiny kitchen and would hit those cabinets a couple of times a week until most of the wood stopped soaking it up. It took like 2 minutes. It really was a tiny kitchen. Then I just focused on the dry spots. It took a few months but they stopped soaking up lemon oil and only needed to be touched up every month or so after that. When I moved out I got my deposit back and a phone call from the landlord asking what I'd used on those cabinets. They'd been painting all the ones in the other units because of how sad they'd begun to look. When I told her that it just took a bottle of lemon oil and repeated applications over several months she seemed to lose interest.
I know some people use it on wood cutting boards. I've always used lemon oil on woodwork because it is cheap, it smells good and is readily available. After a quick google search it looks like most lemon oil products sold for wood are mostly mineral oil with oils extracted from lemons / citrus to make them smell nice. @@slashcan
Looks great! Quick question though, does the zep polish seal the wood? We need to reseal our floors. is the Zep's thick enough to fill in the cracks like a poly would or is it thin for that kind of effect? Since it isn't meant for wood I can't find anything on that.
@@stephanielove4469 it depends on the floor. In my case I had to use a cloth because it took quite a bit of elbow strength. It's hard to get that with a mop. I suppose if your floors aren't too bad that may work.
i have a mostly nice hardwood floor that I don't want to move everything off of, but have some high traffic areas that the finish has worn off and it's turned grey. No paint. Would acetone be necessary in this case or just a good cleaning and then the Zep?
It appeared unfinished. I've done this in several homes on older floors under carpet, and it has always looks the same. I'm not sure what they were doing back then.
@@smokymountainrides It may only have had a wax or oil finish. I found a website that gave the history of hardwood floor finishes and up to 1920 wax or oil was pretty much all that was used.
I too, am a cheapo looking for a cheap way to refinish the floors in my grams apartment. The sander from home depot is never available to rent. The floors look way worse than yours though! They were never taken care of, and barely ever mopped.
Be careful your wood can warp or cup because the finish has a lot of water in it. And it's not made for hardwood. So after some time, you would start gapping and cupping. Cheap isn't always the best way to go. Believe Me i'm certified a refinisher😅
TE AFECTÓ LA RESPIRACIÓN LA ACETONA , ES FUERTE , CUIDATE LOS PULMONES.
Thank you!! I’m definitely trying this method ❤
Thanks so much for this video. It’s exactly what I needed and a life saver for me. Not a back saver but a life saver. Lol. Thanks thanks thanks!!!!!
Wow that floor is beautiful ❤
Dude you are killing me over here! You're awesome man!
Why is the Zep wet polish not recommended for wood? Looks like it turned out nicely.
I'm not sure. It turns out sweet. I've done it in many homes
So you dont sand the floor at all? You just put acetone on floor a little at a time and wipe/scrub. Then put ace on, wipe, and let it dry. Repeat applications until reach satisfied coat.?
No sanding at all! Super easy. That's it. And yes, I used 4 coats of ZEP, but you can repeat until happy.
This is just what I needed. My biggest problem is that I have huge windows and my dark hardwood floors are faded in window areas as well as scratched .Will be acetone Remove the existing verathane or whatever it is that is on my floor now. I really do want to add a new coat of stain to even out the tones and then I could use what you’ve used to finish off the floors. Is that feasible? Thanks a bunch.So glade you video popped up on my searches for a solution.❤.now a subscriber for life!
That’s what I call thinking out of the box. That is awesome!
Definitely going to jam some A7X doing this haha. Do you think staining the floor after acetone and before the zep would be alright? I like this but kind of want a darker floor
When i moved in our house we pulled up the carpet and everyone has me scared to do anything to my floors. This is beautiful ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you ma'am
Hey man, I'm in the same situation and going to follow your steps. Just some questions I'd love some help with.
1. Can you use a mop instead of a cloth to wipe in the acetone and then polish?
2. Everywhere on the internet I've read acetone is dangerous against hardwood, but in your video it looks good. Why is that?
3. When and what do you scrub with the brush?
I would appreciate the help, it's my first time doing it tomorrow. Thanks, from Norway.
You could use a flat sponge mop. I wouldn't use an old school mop. It would get all over the trim.
It's fine it turns out perfect. I've done it on several different floors and it always works out good.
Usually the people that say otherwise are trying to sell you something.
I clean the floor with a brush to get in between the cracks.
Hope this helps
Ugh. I pulled up carpets before, I know the pain of staples. And that dang wood piece with the nails in it along the wall. Im having an episode just remembering it.
You know the pain! Man did that suck
That is awesome! Hey thanks for thinking out of the box. Keep it up!
Definitely will!
I'm a DIY guy. The last thing I do is contact a contractor if I can do it myself. It may take longer but zit will look great when I'm done!
You are a lunatic.
This was a wax floor. It is not a urethane floor. You can use something as toxic and dangerous as acetone, , but no rational finisher
would. There are numerous wax removers out there that are safe.
You can not do the above method to finish aurethaned, varnished or shellac coated floor. You can set yourself on fire. Your information is highly misleading.
Most importantly, your Zel polish will peel. A professional will now be required to finish this floor.
Folks, do not listen to this guys strategy. It is dangerous. I am a professional of 27 years.
Well done. People get it into their heads that you can only use certain finishes on wood but there are other options.
I grew up in an old house with hardwood. I remember my mom using floor wax on them periodically when I was a kid. She'd run us out of whatever room she was working on until it was thoroughly dry. As a kid I didn't pay that much attention but looking at old family photos you can often see those floors in the background. They look like something out of a magazine.
As an adult I was able to buy that old house. The 160 year old hardwood had been partially covered with carpet, and the rest was looking pretty sad. I used a solvent to clean off a lot of the old wax and then used an orbital palm sander to scuff them a bit.
I put down a couple of coats of Amber Shellac (basically wax dissolved in alcohol). The first one I thinned out a bit with extra alcohol and used a wide brush to apply a heavy coat. That old wood had been neglected in the years since we had lived there. It soaked up that thinned shellac right up. In some places I had to re-apply several times before applying the top coat.
People told me that shellac was a terrible choice, but like you I didn't want them perfect. The rest of the woodwork shows some wear and has a lot of character. Why would I want my floor to look like some modern reproduction?
From working with wood previously, I knew that shellac is an easy finish to work with and touch up. Sure enough when we were moving in a well meaning helper dragged a piece of furniture across my newly refinished floor leaving a 12 foot long scratch all the way down to the bare wood. How they didn't hear and feel that I'll never know but it happened. My wife was nearly in tears. I wasn't thrilled but I knew it wouldn't take long to fix. Sure enough I touched it up that evening with a bit of sandpaper and a small brush. By the next morning it was almost impossible to find. 15 years later and I've had to touch up a couple of high traffic areas but the floors are still the first thing anyone comments on when they visit us for the first time.
Messes are easily cleaned with a swiffer wet jet, and I mop them now and then with some murphy's oil soap. That's about it.
As for other finishes, I used to live in an apartment where the wood finish on the cabinets was beginning to look sad. I used some lemon oil on them and they looked better for about 24 hours before drinking most of it up. In the end I kept a rag and lemon oil in that tiny kitchen and would hit those cabinets a couple of times a week until most of the wood stopped soaking it up. It took like 2 minutes. It really was a tiny kitchen. Then I just focused on the dry spots. It took a few months but they stopped soaking up lemon oil and only needed to be touched up every month or so after that.
When I moved out I got my deposit back and a phone call from the landlord asking what I'd used on those cabinets. They'd been painting all the ones in the other units because of how sad they'd begun to look. When I told her that it just took a bottle of lemon oil and repeated applications over several months she seemed to lose interest.
What other oils work besides lemon oil? Could coconut oil work
I know some people use it on wood cutting boards. I've always used lemon oil on woodwork because it is cheap, it smells good and is readily available. After a quick google search it looks like most lemon oil products sold for wood are mostly mineral oil with oils extracted from lemons / citrus to make them smell nice. @@slashcan
Enjoyed this thank you
Looks great! Quick question though, does the zep polish seal the wood? We need to reseal our floors. is the Zep's thick enough to fill in the cracks like a poly would or is it thin for that kind of effect? Since it isn't meant for wood I can't find anything on that.
Wow awesome! Just curious was there a poly or any type of coating on top?
Thanks for watching. There wasn't any polyurethane.
Love the video and that there is no "Part 2"! How much time did you spend on that one room?
Thanks for the view! I spent about 4 hours on it total.
Can you use a wide soft mop to apply the acetone and a dry mop to help it go faster?
@@stephanielove4469 it depends on the floor. In my case I had to use a cloth because it took quite a bit of elbow strength. It's hard to get that with a mop. I suppose if your floors aren't too bad that may work.
What about liquid sandpaper instead of acetone
i have a mostly nice hardwood floor that I don't want to move everything off of, but have some high traffic areas that the finish has worn off and it's turned grey. No paint. Would acetone be necessary in this case or just a good cleaning and then the Zep?
That's where I would start. You can always try to strip it down a little bit if it doesn't. Good luck
Man this stuff is strong, definitely need ventilation and a good mask and eye protection, looks good though
What about a wood filler for any gaps in the flooring?
I wonder if you can stain it darker after this??
@@tonibates5341 I'm sure you probably could. I haven't tried it but I've often thought about it.
Is there a satin finish product, for those of us that don't want the wet look?
I love avenged sevenfold, their albums would be fantastic for floor cleaning lol
Thanks for the view! If you haven't, please subscribe!
Money saver and it looks great! Thank you for sharing!!
Thank you ma'am. Appreciate you
What do you believe the old finish was on the floor?
It appeared unfinished. I've done this in several homes on older floors under carpet, and it has always looks the same. I'm not sure what they were doing back then.
@@smokymountainrides It may only have had a wax or oil finish. I found a website that gave the history of hardwood floor finishes and up to 1920 wax or oil was pretty much all that was used.
Cool.
How long it take u to do the room?
@@FoneA79 two or three hours
I too, am a cheapo looking for a cheap way to refinish the floors in my grams apartment. The sander from home depot is never available to rent. The floors look way worse than yours though! They were never taken care of, and barely ever mopped.
How's it look after one year?
@@Focalpointfloors thanks for the view! They look as they were put down. It's a really great technique. Been using it for years
Be careful your wood can warp or cup because the finish has a lot of water in it. And it's not made for hardwood. So after some time, you would start gapping and cupping. Cheap isn't always the best way to go. Believe
Me i'm certified a refinisher😅
So what should have been used?
Yah Yah yah
you my friend must be a huffer bad idea