This is called screening and coating or as he calls it a buff and coat. The same thing. Abrading the floor is not sanding. The abrading renders the existing polyurethane so that the new coat will adhere without orange pealing. The abrading also can eliminate the superficial scratches that he mentions. The floor needs to be in good condition for a screen and coat to be beneficial.
This video is exactly what I needed to see. I was going to have the floors of my new house stripped and refinished. Now I know that I can refresh them myself. Just saved a lot of money. Thanks.
I wish I saw this before I paid a guy to do my floors. They look horrible. I'm on my way to Home Depot to get some stripper and do the my self. He put an ugly dark brown stain on all 4 of them
Thanks for the great video! Many don't understand the difference between a light sanding and a total complete sanding which is a major job. Your video saved me having to go through that nightmare. Thanks!!
this video is awesome. i have a job coming up tomorrow and ive never sanding floors or done any floor work at all. this video has giving me the confidence to tackle this job with ease. thanks again. coming from East Texas
@@HowToSandAFloor It comes across to those of us who aren't getting stuck on the fact that roughing up the surface of the floor requires sandpaper. (Still doesn't make it a full on proper sanding job, as you demonstrate in the video.)
Skye Marsh He’s only doing a clear top.. if the floor was squeaky clean you could even skip the entire scuff sand step. If you’re re-staining a floor then you have sand off the existing finish completely to the bare wood.
Hi, how can I tell whether my current tired looking wood finished laminate floor was oiled or lacquered? I don't know what to put on it after a light hand sand. Thanks.
Excellent video; been in construction for 30+ years and this is among the best I've seen. And yes, I understood the difference of quick hand sanding to major resanding, but I can see where others would get confused from the title. The music is fine--odd that many said it's like porn or were bothered by the music??? I cut in more at a time but I know your way is even better. Anyway; this is a great video and I'd recommend it highly to anyone doing floors
+888strummer Thanks to your post, I understand it better. I'm not a construction person, but I am looking to redo the floor in a couple of rooms. Although I am thinking of doing it myself, I will still get a few quotes. Based on the quality of my floor, I think this method is best for me.
I know, right! He even says he sanding: "what ya do is, you take 3 boards at a time, and you sand with the grain all the way along" ...whether he is SANDING to "rough it up" or SANDING out stains, it is still SANDING and he even says it. Fix The Title.
I believe that grit of sand paper would qualify as "scoring" the surface, not sanding. Because you are not using abrasion to remove the surface layer. You are just breaking the glaze to increase the porosity. There is a difference. But yes the title can be misleading.
He is technically using “sand paper” yes. But he is not sanding the floor. Basically it’s like when u go to mail salon and they take the shine off ur nail. He is taking the shine off the floor “buffing” the floor. Sanding would be much more work than what he did and is doing.
Funny to read this from a professional... Surface roughing with sandpaper/polishing the surface/buffing the surface are the same process as sanding the surface. The only difference is the sandpaper/polishing compound grit size and the pressure applied on the surface. So what you doing in this video is technically a light/fine sanding(!!!) with 120 grit sandpaper(!!!), to rough the surface. If this is not sanding, than why you need vacuum cleaning the dust created with the process?
We call that a screen and recoat here in the USA. Generally, I screen it twice, once with 100 grit, then a second time with a 150. This assumes I am using a satin finish. If I am going to use a semi-gloss finish, I start with a 120, then use a 180. If the floor is going to receive a 2nd coat, most do, I will use a 220 screen or maroon pad between coats. If the floor is very rough, but they chose not to more aggressively sand the floor, restain, fill, etc, I will start with an 80 screen, then go to a 120 screen. In this case I prefer satin and of course it always gets a 2nd coat. In these situations, most if not all the finish is gone and I like to start with a sealer, then 2 coats of finish. Most will chose a medium solids water based finish around 30-31%. some will opt for something with a catalyst and solids around 33-34%. I just did a home with 2 coats and actually 3 coats in the entryway, not including the sealer used in the entry way. People freak out from the odor of oil based, but they also freak out over the long dry times of water based. I find these people want the floor to be ready for use and abuse in a few hours, which is never going to happen. In those cases I will clean with a maroon pad and plain water, then apply a finish that is somewhere around 5% solids. Then they can't understand why it is worn out in 2 months, even though they paid 1/4-1/3 the cost of a screen and recoat.
Over here it's the oil based stuff that takes long to dry. I mean 4 hours minimum just to be touch dry, sometimes up to 24 hours. Waterbased dry enough for furniture in a few hours is already here, check out the aboritech UV Cure system. And as for those customers you mention last, don't service them! stand by your standards ;)
I let my dogs sand the floor for me over time. Using a 9x6 throw rug without a backing pad. With them running around on it, light sanding was accomplished... 😀
What I did was take lacquer thinner on a rag .. first I washed floor with a good mix of soap light bleach .. got a 5 in 1 putty knife. Washed floor took 5 in 1 and scraped areas that had a spots or specks.. then I took lacquer thinner and rubbed the floor woth rag and rubbed very heavy to oenetrate the old urethane . As thr floor dries the old urethane revives itself and has a little shine .. then I applied a good urethane and made sure was layer heavy even with a brush . Small area not gym or lambs wool I would've used .. and it looks amazing
Great video; thank you. One question: if you don’t know the history of the floor (whether it was ever coated with shellac, oil, lacquer, wax, etc), is there a safe approach, or product to use, other than sanding it down to bare wood? Or is there a way to determine how it was coated in the past? I just bought a house and found beautiful hardwood floors under decades old carpet; no idea their history. Thanks again!
I'm curious, would this take out dog claw scratches that have indented the polyurethane finish but have not gone down far enough to scratch the wood? I have a new floor and the dog has gouged a few places but it has not gone through the stain of the wood. When it is dark you can't see them but when light hits it at an angle you can see the gouges in the finish. FYI Dobermans and hardwood are not compatible, they have too much weight and too much torque.
@@HowToSandAFloor Oiled floors would have a very low sheen. Whereas lacquered has an actual coat like acrylic clear nail polish. Check an area of your floor that has had little to no wear on it, you should be able to tell.
Thank you for sharing your hard-earned experience and know-how with us!! Excellent content and commentary on the video, including your replies in text. Truly nice work. Many thanks.
The wood here looks like it is about to peel in some places. Would I still be able to do this? What would happen if it were deeply scratched and you did this? I mainly just want to do this so the floors become sparkling clean. I'm not worried if there are still a few scratches.
To all you jackasses who criticize the video for lightly scuffing the surface with 120 grit; The title of the video is meant to mean "without sanding off the entire coat of prior urethane", which is a big job (best done by hiring a professional) and very messy. I understood the guy PERFECTLY. He is presenting a shortcut to the costly professional job. Get the knack!
Hi George, I could have said it better--rather politely--yet I like the unique introduction of words you used. Thank you for helping others find clarity in the title. As a novice, I understood it perfectly too. I love the video as it delivered an inexpensive option I plan to use. Thank you for sharing!
excellent video, i have a cleaning business and a professional at stripping waxing floors, this gives me another avenue, also being trained in marble restoration thanks for the video good job
Good video. I used a floor restore kit several years ago on part of my living room. The floor had originally been installed in 1997. The etch solution ruined my floor. It caused the original surface to lift and bubble. Large bubbles 1 to 12 inches in size. It also cause the wood to lift and separate where the grain ended. I do not know what type of finish was on the floor but had assumed semi-gloss Varthane. I now suspect it was lacquer. After much sanding, staining and repairs the living room was refinished in semi-gloss Varathane. I plan redoing all my floors this winter. I will scuff the floors as you suggest, but was wondering if there is a clear primer that I could use that will allow me to refinish my all of my floors with a clear fast drying Polyurethane gloss. I obviously know what the finish of part of my living room floor is, but I can not be sure of the rest of my floors. Is there a clear primer that you could suggest that will allow my to prepare all my floors for the final coat of polyurethane?
Nice video, we would usually throw the electric cable over our shoulder to keep it out of the way and when we vacuum we would always clean off all ledges and window sills before carefully methodically vacuuming the floor as the slightest draught could bring down dust onto the floor. Nice clean job though
Can you get scratches out of a floor without sanding, staining polyurethane the entire floor? My family's floor got scratches when they slid efrigerator out. It look like the scratches are in the top coats. Can polyurethane just be applied, it's not taking stain because it seems like it's not down to the wood. The floor is few years old.
hi, thks for the info. i have done this already but i wanted some reassurance. as to the sandpaper comments, people get a life! Howtosandafloor has posted a vid for our info, its free and he doesn't need the abuse. if you really don't know floors need sanding count yourself lucky you have never needed to do it or pay someone to do it. i have done with big machines, which requires care and muscle, and small machines which doesn't do as good a job and takes longer but will do fine if thats your budget or your preference.
Sanding a wood floor is exactly that. In other words the floor is sanded so that all of the finish comes off back down to virgin wood. What is being done in this video is what's done between every coat of polyurethane or urethanes. The chemicals have a mechanical bond where they need whats called hook or tooth in order for the next coat to properly adhere to. Without etching the previous coat, the proceeding coats have nothing to grab onto. This is a typical screen and recoat and by far is not a video about how to sand a floor. The flooring itself isn't being touched during this procedure. The finish is.
First of, respect to the guy who made this video. Thanks for the tips. For those of you who have no ideea what he is talking about better make no comments. There is a huge difference between sanding a floor and screening or buffing... a Sander uses a sand belt and takes a good portion of the wood off... for deeper indentations. There is a much higher risk with sanding, because of uneveness floor, or thin hardwoods. By taking only the top layer of you save a lot of time and money.
Robert Onofrei well said Robert,and a definite well made video, easy for alot of people to always want things the hard way, but alot of times a nicee smooth alternative pays well also,and much quicker cleaner and faster so you can make the home owner happy and they will want you back in future ...I find that nice clean work is what I prefer these days
People that are quick to complain about the "sanding" are showing their lack of knowledge. There is a HUGE difference between scuffing the surface and sanding the floor which anyone that has refinished a floor knows.
If you had bought new oak floor, pre-finished, would you sand it and oil it once laid? This is an oiled floor, but I’m thinking that the manufacturer will have put the minimum amount on it and it won’t ware well.
Norman Poisson you could be a complete idiot and just lacquer straight on top but it would just peel off... I suppose you’d complain about that too wouldn’t you....
Thank you for all that work! Whew! I am new to this diy home upgrading but fully committed and fully addicted! I am doing a home make over for my monster-in-law for her birthday. She loves what I have done to my place and has requested my services. I've done a bevy of things for that wow factor but I have not tackled flooring and this is where you come in. I am confident I can take on her floors and some other projects to keep her as out of my home as often as possible for she has been visiting tooooo much as of late! I am certain my husband will agree with this master plan as well >;) Quick question: with just a buff and coat (of lacquer) do you think it may be too slippery? My father-in-law is kinda up there in age (and a bit of a drama queen that will fall out and lay on the floor for extra sympathy- Jesus help me) and she has expressed concern about him slipping. A buff and coat should just be enough to rejuvenate without it being too slippery, right? She has great floors but they need a little umph at the very least. Thanks again and I will definitely check out your other videos and recommend them to friends :)
Tanya Holly Yes it should be fine, the lacquers are made with a certain amount of slip resistance, but if you are overly concerned Junckers have a lacquer called Friction+. The slip resistance is much higher on this lacquer
ROTFL!! "Monster-in-law"...! I'm thinking your simplest solution is to MOVE. Like, across the country. Then you have the added advantage of being able to start all over on your DIY projects.
XD...you have a point there but I can't pack up the family and move fast enough (her birthday is just around the corner)! Thankfully I enjoy this kind of creativity. I'm sure there will be a liberal amount of interference, for she hasn't been dubbed monster in law for no reason, but I'm actually excited about getting started! We are moving by year's end, btw, so Diane great minds think alike! Good luck on your project and thanks for the laugh/support needed for the performance I will be knee deep in pretty soon!! Jesus help me....
Great video ! I have oak hardwood floors from 1943 . I pulled the old carpet to find they are in very good shape, there was a quality carpet and pad over them . I notice that they have a wax on them . Can I do this process with the buffer , or how do I remove the wax first ? Any product you suggest for wax removal . thank you much
Hello there - thanks for the video. Do you think i could use this method to revarnish a recently varnished wooden floor with a darker colour? The original was too light for the mismatched floor, so I tried to take off the varnish with a hired 'sand glider' machine and add a darker version. I don't think I got all the first lot off, as the darker varnish has gone on patchily. I tried to cover that up by using an even darker varnish. Even more patchy. Now when I hand sand it (using 100 grain) to try to get a key for a final coat, some of the colour comes off, but the finish just gets smoother. It's like polished stone now! Just about resigned to the soul destroying task of sanding all four coats back down to bare wood and starting again, but wondering if it's worth another throw of the dice...
Mich McEye Sorry for the delay. Personally i dont use coloured lacquers, varnishes or oils. If I want to colour a floor, i use a dye to actually stain the wood itself, then apply 2 coats of clear lacquer over the top. Its too difficult to get coloured varnishes smooth enough to look good. By the way you spell "colour" i assume you're in the UK. Go to a b&q near you and get ronseal "colron wood dye", the solvent is the best one. brush in round the edges then apply thickly with 1 rag then dry it off with the other, do only a few boards at a time, going along the boards so as to not cause patchiness. I have shot a video for this but unfortunately havent edited it and uploaded it yet. I feel like a let down, need to get it out. Thanks for your question
I meant, not sanding with like big sanding machines, i should have clarified really but i think most people know what i mean. Big difference between renting heavy machines and taking a couple days to rip back a couple of millimetres of wood and lightly 'keying the floor' to get the next coat to stick, sorry for confusion!
You should put that in the description as most people who look for refinishing tutorials don't know anything about refinishing a floor, or the difference between buffing and sanding...
Insightful. Couple of questions: (1) My kitchen is worn around the table - not really scratches but the lacquer has worn off and the floor is a bit grey. Do I need to sand or just buff. (2) If I want to buff the entire home: kitchen, den, dining, living - do I need to do it all at once or can I go room by room?
sounds like it needs a full sand to me im afraid carla! If there floors are connected without a threshold, you are going to need to do the whole lot if you don't want ugly join lines between the rooms
Carla Nieto if you are considering a temporary way to seal the worn area you could consider the item I used from www.wearmax.com (also available on Amazon). The grey in the floor - suggests that the wood may be damaged probably due to direct exposure to water after the finish wore away. So it sounds like refinishing is the right thing to do as soon as you can. If that is not feasible right away at least applying a temporary finish in the affected area will help. It will blend in with the other finish since it is clear, but the grey will still be there since that is discoloration from the prior moisture.
Useful video but why do people find it necessary to add irritating background music. I want to hear what you're saying so I can't turn the volume off and so I have to listen to a noise that even some kid buzzed out on ecstasy couldn't tolerate.
Hello, we have plank floors that were pre-finished with wax and then installed. Our understanding is that it was wax-impregnated. Is this what you mean when you say an oil coating or is our flooring, made in US by Bruce Floors (no relation:-)), a third sort of wood flooring? And by 'laquer' are you referring to polyurethane?
Yup my company made me use this on a massive gymnasium floor. I happened to get bronchitis at the time, the combination was coughing up blood for a week😷 do yourselves a favor and use a respirator
Great instructional video. QQ The majority of my ground floor only needs this, however I have wear at the back door and by a sink. can I sand those areas and then follow these instructions or do I need to sand the whole ground floor?
Good video. Totally got what you were saying and description made perfect sense. I’m guessing the people who got it have some general construction/renovate understanding, those who didn’t might not understand general construction concepts.
Thanks for the video. I have teak flooring, but recently it has water damage which I can see it clearly. I’d like to use your technic to apply extra varnish only on that area and some other which are almost bare wood due to heavy traffic. Do you think it’s possible?
Brother you did sanding only with a different method as well it was a time saving idea. Which i never known in my practice. Wanna know the mesh detail in excact. Can you please guide me up as it's not available in my zone. None have seen this kind of mesh
Ok. Quick question. Do I need to do this on brand new floor? I am installing a satin finish floor but I need it to be higher gloss. I don't feel like doing all of this. I just want to coat it and be done.
Power cord? What power cord? Heck, just buff over the power cord. Couldn't help but notice why he just doesn't pull the cord away from the area where he's buffing? I was waiting for the power cord to get caught up in the buffer - now THAT would be entertaining!
It's hard enough keeping my vacuum cleaner from gobbling up the cord with no one watching. It's probably harder to keep it out of the way when you have to concentrate on both the floor and the camera.
No matter what you do, mate, there will always be a boatload of wankers who want to pummel the shit out of you with their farkwad commentary. Thanks for posting this. And to hell with all the haters.
Question......How would you know that the floor does not have a bunch of mop&glow or something like that on the floor that needs to be striped off before doing what you are doing?
Question. I have floors in pretty poor condition. I can’t do a full sanding and new coat at the moment. Will this at least help them a bit for now or would it ruin any future complete redo? Also how do I determine lacquer or oil? House is 1956 build.
Sanding means, we use a sanding machine, and sand down the previous finishing from the wood, until it gets perfectly clean. Then do the other sandings till the point its enough for the finishing project. This is just a quick buffing.
Thank you for sharing what to do to make your wood floor more like new! Our golden retriever has worn out our hard wood floor by the back door, we have a rug there, which keeps getting moved a but every time she goes out and the floor has worn the finish off in places over the years. I appreciate your video!
Eric Davis mean without properly sanding the floor, which means removing the finish and all dents and scratches. This requires renting heavy machinery and a full day or more of work. I just didn't wanna explain that in the title. I think most people know the difference
nedyost63 the skirt on the buffer keeps the cord out, and even if it didn't the buffer could never cut into the cord, it can get wrapped around the plate however, and that has happened to me, but we all make mistakes when we start out!
I have hardwood floors that I sanded and refinished a couple years ago. I have noticed that the shine is gone in some of those more traveled areas. I really don't want to resand as the rest of the floor looks OK. Do I need to use the floor buffer or can I just hand sand? I believe I finished them with an oil based lacquer originally so what should I use?
Bridgette Vandenelst just by the sound of the excessive wear in those areas it sounded like oil.. I would recommend osmo hardwax oil, and yes you definitely can just hand sand it like that. That's the one bad thing about this video is that people think they need a buffer when they most certainly don't. Good luck with it, hope you're happy with the results
All these comments about sanding ... You've all never refinished a wood floor. You need to sand the whole thing with a big machine sander or by hand . He used 120 grit which is is pretty fine and quickly and lightly used it. All in all this is a pretty good job for not sanding .
Lol. He used a large buffer with a 120 grit sanding mesh on it. Then went around with a hoover to suck up all the wood dust. What would you call that... buffing? Yeah I do all my woodwork without sanding. Before I add stain to a wood project, I like to start buffing my wood with 120 grit sandpaper, then buff with 180 grit, and then 220 grit. I don't buff with anything higher than 220 grit or it will be too smooth to accept the stain. This keeps me from having to sand.
This is called screening and coating or as he calls it a buff and coat. The same thing. Abrading the floor is not sanding. The abrading renders the existing polyurethane so that the new coat will adhere without orange pealing. The abrading also can eliminate the superficial scratches that he mentions. The floor needs to be in good condition for a screen and coat to be beneficial.
rodger hobson spot on, exactly right, perfect, thank you. Please others thumbs up this comment so it goes to the top :)
rodger hobson then shouldve did a video then stfu and watch
I was gonna say, so you screened the floor...
Ahh why don't you get your own channel ...🙄
@@kidt3068 first off all people can be filthy... Sickos everywhere including the UK
I've seen several videos on floors and I have many years of experience in the construction industry, this guy knows his stuff.
This video is exactly what I needed to see. I was going to have the floors of my new house stripped and refinished. Now I know that I can refresh them myself. Just saved a lot of money. Thanks.
#metoo 🤣
I wish I saw this before I paid a guy to do my floors. They look horrible. I'm on my way to Home Depot to get some stripper and do the my self. He put an ugly dark brown stain on all 4 of them
Be careful. Try some small areas first.
Thanks for the great video! Many don't understand the difference between a light sanding and a total complete sanding which is a major job. Your video saved me having to go through that nightmare. Thanks!!
This is a very good UA-cam of How to Refinish a Wood Floor Without Sanding and we love it!❤👍👍👍
this video is awesome. i have a job coming up tomorrow and ive never sanding floors or done any floor work at all. this video has giving me the confidence to tackle this job with ease. thanks again. coming from East Texas
With or without sanding in the title I loved this video. I feel I can do my own floors now. Great video!!
You are straight forward; I only trust your sites.
Greetings from North California.
After vacuuming I’d recommend going over the surface using a tack cloth, it's amazing how much the vacuum cleaner leaves behind.
I like the simplicity of your demonstration!
This video shows you how to do a short-cut if your floors are in good condition and just need a new look. Good Video!
Spot on! I kind of feel I should have been clearer on this, but hopefully it comes across
@@HowToSandAFloor It comes across to those of us who aren't getting stuck on the fact that roughing up the surface of the floor requires sandpaper. (Still doesn't make it a full on proper sanding job, as you demonstrate in the video.)
"Roughing up" is NOT sanding! You have to give the seal something to adhere to - same as when you repaint a wall. THANK YOU for this tutorial!
Exactly!!
Most people dont know the difference though. #fact Still grateful for this video nonetheless!
Skye Marsh
He’s only doing a clear top.. if the floor was squeaky clean you could even skip the entire scuff sand step. If you’re re-staining a floor then you have sand off the existing finish completely to the bare wood.
This is not a reply, it is a response for which I used the Reply button to reply (but as a response)
Yes luv you're right!
Came here for the comments as soon as I saw him start sanding 😂🤣
couldnt of said it better myself 😂
maybe a typo
Saw the comment and skipped ahead in the video 🤣 thanks man
@@ufcwescodmobile1199 He even says it in the video "I'm going to show you how to refinish a floor without sanding" and then proceeds to sand the floor
That’s hardly sanding, he’s just keying up the substrate on top of the timber not sanding it all off with a drum sander.
@@bigfakerotarygangster So… sandpaper isn’t sandpaper anymore?
Hi, how can I tell whether my current tired looking wood finished laminate floor was oiled or lacquered? I don't know what to put on it after a light hand sand. Thanks.
I think you should give your camera man more props. He just stood there watching you do this or at least 30 minutes if not longer. (Y)
Excellent video; been in construction for 30+ years and this is among the best I've seen. And yes, I understood the difference of quick hand sanding to major resanding, but I can see where others would get confused from the title. The music is fine--odd that many said it's like porn or were bothered by the music??? I cut in more at a time but I know your way is even better. Anyway; this is a great video and I'd recommend it highly to anyone doing floors
Thank you that's high praise. Very glad to hear it
+888strummer Thanks to your post, I understand it better. I'm not a construction person, but I am looking to redo the floor in a couple of rooms. Although I am thinking of doing it myself, I will still get a few quotes. Based on the quality of my floor, I think this method is best for me.
How to refinish a floor without sanding... we’re going to start with some sandpaper 😂
I know, right! He even says he sanding:
"what ya do is, you take 3 boards at a time, and you sand with the grain all the way along"
...whether he is SANDING to "rough it up" or SANDING out stains, it is still SANDING and he even says it. Fix The Title.
lol
😂
John Sage like wtf
Yes and the screen is like sand paper too
I'm glade I'm not the only one that was like "without sanding..... Your sanding!!!!
I believe that grit of sand paper would qualify as "scoring" the surface, not sanding. Because you are not using abrasion to remove the surface layer. You are just breaking the glaze to increase the porosity. There is a difference. But yes the title can be misleading.
He is technically using “sand paper” yes. But he is not sanding the floor. Basically it’s like when u go to mail salon and they take the shine off ur nail. He is taking the shine off the floor “buffing” the floor. Sanding would be much more work than what he did and is doing.
how do I know if my floor was varnished or oiled? pls help, I want to revive it but not sure what to use.
I just downloaded your FREE book on the products you use which answered the "oil" question. Thanks so much.
40, 60 grit is sanding, not 120. This videowas very informative sir. Thanks
Thank you! 40 grit on an 80kg machine, thats sanding!
Exactly, 120 grit takes down the scratches on the top layer of finish. Amatures!
Funny to read this from a professional... Surface roughing with sandpaper/polishing the surface/buffing the surface are the same process as sanding the surface. The only difference is the sandpaper/polishing compound grit size and the pressure applied on the surface.
So what you doing in this video is technically a light/fine sanding(!!!) with 120 grit sandpaper(!!!), to rough the surface. If this is not sanding, than why you need vacuum cleaning the dust created with the process?
Why do they call 120 grit sandpaper still? 😂
Yeah because sanding with 120 isnt sanding. and this isnt a reply, just wanted that to be clear.
We call that a screen and recoat here in the USA. Generally, I screen it twice, once with 100 grit, then a second time with a 150. This assumes I am using a satin finish. If I am going to use a semi-gloss finish, I start with a 120, then use a 180. If the floor is going to receive a 2nd coat, most do, I will use a 220 screen or maroon pad between coats. If the floor is very rough, but they chose not to more aggressively sand the floor, restain, fill, etc, I will start with an 80 screen, then go to a 120 screen. In this case I prefer satin and of course it always gets a 2nd coat. In these situations, most if not all the finish is gone and I like to start with a sealer, then 2 coats of finish. Most will chose a medium solids water based finish around 30-31%. some will opt for something with a catalyst and solids around 33-34%. I just did a home with 2 coats and actually 3 coats in the entryway, not including the sealer used in the entry way. People freak out from the odor of oil based, but they also freak out over the long dry times of water based. I find these people want the floor to be ready for use and abuse in a few hours, which is never going to happen. In those cases I will clean with a maroon pad and plain water, then apply a finish that is somewhere around 5% solids. Then they can't understand why it is worn out in 2 months, even though they paid 1/4-1/3 the cost of a screen and recoat.
Over here it's the oil based stuff that takes long to dry. I mean 4 hours minimum just to be touch dry, sometimes up to 24 hours. Waterbased dry enough for furniture in a few hours is already here, check out the aboritech UV Cure system. And as for those customers you mention last, don't service them! stand by your standards ;)
I let my dogs sand the floor for me over time. Using a 9x6 throw rug without a backing pad. With them running around on it, light sanding was accomplished... 😀
What I did was take lacquer thinner on a rag .. first I washed floor with a good mix of soap light bleach .. got a 5 in 1 putty knife. Washed floor took 5 in 1 and scraped areas that had a spots or specks.. then I took lacquer thinner and rubbed the floor woth rag and rubbed very heavy to oenetrate the old urethane . As thr floor dries the old urethane revives itself and has a little shine .. then I applied a good urethane and made sure was layer heavy even with a brush . Small area not gym or lambs wool I would've used .. and it looks amazing
Very well done video. Should save many people a lot of time when compared to more extensive belt sanding and refinishing. Thanks!
Excellent! Never thought of this. Always hired some team with a hugely heavy sander they had to carry up the stairs. Will definitely try this! Thanks!
Professionals do this as a service and its much cheaper. It just depends on the level of wear. Thanks for the comment
Great video; thank you. One question: if you don’t know the history of the floor (whether it was ever coated with shellac, oil, lacquer, wax, etc), is there a safe approach, or product to use, other than sanding it down to bare wood? Or is there a way to determine how it was coated in the past? I just bought a house and found beautiful hardwood floors under decades old carpet; no idea their history. Thanks again!
Yes a safety tip he didn't give u. Wear a facemask.
Friend of your Brothers! Love seeing the family resemblance!
I'm curious, would this take out dog claw scratches that have indented the polyurethane finish but have not gone down far enough to scratch the wood? I have a new floor and the dog has gouged a few places but it has not gone through the stain of the wood. When it is dark you can't see them but when light hits it at an angle you can see the gouges in the finish. FYI Dobermans and hardwood are not compatible, they have too much weight and too much torque.
Thanks i was thinking about getting one..guess i need rugs and runners everywhere
I guess people never “sanded” a floor before! They are truly confused about it! Thanks for the video I will do this today!
How do you distinguish between a floor that was oiled or lacquered??
***** there is an article on the blog that describes it as best as possible
@@HowToSandAFloor Oiled floors would have a very low sheen. Whereas lacquered has an actual coat like acrylic clear nail polish. Check an area of your floor that has had little to no wear on it, you should be able to tell.
Good video. It was so simple that it should make perfect sense to even a semi aware person.
Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your hard-earned experience and know-how with us!! Excellent content and commentary on the video, including your replies in text. Truly nice work. Many thanks.
The wood here looks like it is about to peel in some places. Would I still be able to do this? What would happen if it were deeply scratched and you did this? I mainly just want to do this so the floors become sparkling clean. I'm not worried if there are still a few scratches.
To all you jackasses who criticize the video for lightly scuffing the surface with 120 grit; The title of the video is meant to mean "without sanding off the entire coat of prior urethane", which is a big job (best done by hiring a professional) and very messy. I understood the guy PERFECTLY. He is presenting a shortcut to the costly professional job. Get the knack!
Thank you sir!
Hi George, I could have said it better--rather politely--yet I like the unique introduction of words you used. Thank you for helping others find clarity in the title. As a novice, I understood it perfectly too. I love the video as it delivered an inexpensive option I plan to use. Thank you for sharing!
any tip how to understand if the floor has been oiled or lackered?
excellent video, i have a cleaning business and a professional at stripping waxing floors, this gives me another avenue, also being trained in marble restoration thanks for the video good job
I used a wall sander and sanded standing up. Wiped dust off with alcohol. And lastly clear coated floor.
How did you feel about the job of the wall sander. I'm going to try it this week.
Good video.
I used a floor restore kit several years ago on part of my living room. The floor had originally been installed in 1997. The etch solution ruined my floor. It caused the original surface to lift and bubble. Large bubbles 1 to 12 inches in size. It also cause the wood to lift and separate where the grain ended. I do not know what type of finish was on the floor but had assumed semi-gloss Varthane. I now suspect it was lacquer. After much sanding, staining and repairs the living room was refinished in semi-gloss Varathane.
I plan redoing all my floors this winter. I will scuff the floors as you suggest, but was wondering if there is a clear primer that I could use that will allow me to refinish my all of my floors with a clear fast drying Polyurethane gloss. I obviously know what the finish of part of my living room floor is, but I can not be sure of the rest of my floors. Is there a clear primer that you could suggest that will allow my to prepare all my floors for the final coat of polyurethane?
Nice video, we would usually throw the electric cable over our shoulder to keep it out of the way and when we vacuum we would always clean off all ledges and window sills before carefully methodically vacuuming the floor as the slightest draught could bring down dust onto the floor. Nice clean job though
I did my hall floor once and varnished it, one of my daughters came in with high heel shoes and ruined it, kids, don't you love em!
were they wearing razor wire on their soles?? wtf
Can you get scratches out of a floor without sanding, staining polyurethane the entire floor? My family's floor got scratches when they slid efrigerator out. It look like the scratches are in the top coats. Can polyurethane just be applied, it's not taking stain because it seems like it's not down to the wood. The floor is few years old.
Possibly yes, but I'd recommend getting a professional to come in and attempt that
hi, thks for the info. i have done this already but i wanted some reassurance.
as to the sandpaper comments, people get a life! Howtosandafloor has posted a vid for our info, its free and he doesn't need the abuse. if you really don't know floors need sanding count yourself lucky you have never needed to do it or pay someone to do it. i have done with big machines, which requires care and muscle, and small machines which doesn't do as good a job and takes longer but will do fine if thats your budget or your preference.
Stop talking down to people that are stating facts, get a life. p.s. this isnt a message, or a reply, it just is.
Awesome, i done this on my relatively new kitchen floor and it's come up a beaut!
Great video, well done and just what I needed!!!
7:24
Ahh right. I moved in last year and can’t really tell whether oil or lacquer has been used mate?
Any tips on how I would find out?
Cheers
the first thing you did was sand and then you used the buffer with the 120 mesh - please explain how this is not a video about how to sand the floor??
Just look through the other thousand people who have said this and what I have said to them
Sanding a wood floor is exactly that. In other words the floor is sanded so that all of the finish comes off back down to virgin wood. What is being done in this video is what's done between every coat of polyurethane or urethanes. The chemicals have a mechanical bond where they need whats called hook or tooth in order for the next coat to properly adhere to. Without etching the previous coat, the proceeding coats have nothing to grab onto. This is a typical screen and recoat and by far is not a video about how to sand a floor. The flooring itself isn't being touched during this procedure. The finish is.
First of, respect to the guy who made this video. Thanks for the tips. For those of you who have no ideea what he is talking about better make no comments. There is a huge difference between sanding a floor and screening or buffing... a Sander uses a sand belt and takes a good portion of the wood off... for deeper indentations. There is a much higher risk with sanding, because of uneveness floor, or thin hardwoods. By taking only the top layer of you save a lot of time and money.
Thank you Robert Onofrei
Robert Onofrei well said Robert,and a definite well made video, easy for alot of people to always want things the hard way, but alot of times a nicee smooth alternative pays well also,and much quicker cleaner and faster so you can make the home owner happy and they will want you back in future ...I find that nice clean work is what I prefer these days
I put the finish down with a 16" padco pad. It's quicker puts it on more evenly plus it's a thicker coat. You should try it.
People that are quick to complain about the "sanding" are showing their lack of knowledge. There is a HUGE difference between scuffing the surface and sanding the floor which anyone that has refinished a floor knows.
C P yes!! Anyone that has sanded a floor will see this and know the difference lol
Because not everyone have refinished floor before, which I thought why most of us are here for.
If you had bought new oak floor, pre-finished, would you sand it and oil it once laid? This is an oiled floor, but I’m thinking that the manufacturer will have put the minimum amount on it and it won’t ware well.
How to finish a wood floor without sanding. The first thig he does is sand?
Norman Poisson you could be a complete idiot and just lacquer straight on top but it would just peel off... I suppose you’d complain about that too wouldn’t you....
Is there any way to tell if my floor was oiled or lacquered?
Thank you for all that work! Whew! I am new to this diy home upgrading but fully committed and fully addicted! I am doing a home make over for my monster-in-law for her birthday. She loves what I have done to my place and has requested my services. I've done a bevy of things for that wow factor but I have not tackled flooring and this is where you come in. I am confident I can take on her floors and some other projects to keep her as out of my home as often as possible for she has been visiting tooooo much as of late! I am certain my husband will agree with this master plan as well >;) Quick question: with just a buff and coat (of lacquer) do you think it may be too slippery? My father-in-law is kinda up there in age (and a bit of a drama queen that will fall out and lay on the floor for extra sympathy- Jesus help me) and she has expressed concern about him slipping. A buff and coat should just be enough to rejuvenate without it being too slippery, right? She has great floors but they need a little umph at the very least. Thanks again and I will definitely check out your other videos and recommend them to friends :)
Tanya Holly Yes it should be fine, the lacquers are made with a certain amount of slip resistance, but if you are overly concerned Junckers have a lacquer called Friction+. The slip resistance is much higher on this lacquer
Awesome. Thank you for the advice!! It will definitely be applied.
ROTFL!! "Monster-in-law"...! I'm thinking your simplest solution is to MOVE. Like, across the country. Then you have the added advantage of being able to start all over on your DIY projects.
XD...you have a point there but I can't pack up the family and move fast enough (her birthday is just around the corner)! Thankfully I enjoy this kind of creativity. I'm sure there will be a liberal amount of interference, for she hasn't been dubbed monster in law for no reason, but I'm actually excited about getting started! We are moving by year's end, btw, so Diane great minds think alike! Good luck on your project and thanks for the laugh/support needed for the performance I will be knee deep in pretty soon!! Jesus help me....
So hand sanding with the grain or use a buffer cross grained for this “ no sand” floor finish
i clicked like for his hardwork
I have 75 year old 1” solid oak, parquet flooring.
Any ideas for this kind of wood flooring to revitalize the wood?
That was awesome!!!! Thank you soooo much. John
Great video ! I have oak hardwood floors from 1943 . I pulled the old carpet to find they are in very good shape, there was a quality carpet and pad over them . I notice that they have a wax on them . Can I do this process with the buffer , or how do I remove the wax first ? Any product you suggest for wax removal . thank you much
Good job man thanks for the video
Hello there - thanks for the video. Do you think i could use this method to revarnish a recently varnished wooden floor with a darker colour? The original was too light for the mismatched floor, so I tried to take off the varnish with a hired 'sand glider' machine and add a darker version. I don't think I got all the first lot off, as the darker varnish has gone on patchily. I tried to cover that up by using an even darker varnish. Even more patchy. Now when I hand sand it (using 100 grain) to try to get a key for a final coat, some of the colour comes off, but the finish just gets smoother. It's like polished stone now! Just about resigned to the soul destroying task of sanding all four coats back down to bare wood and starting again, but wondering if it's worth another throw of the dice...
Mich McEye Sorry for the delay. Personally i dont use coloured lacquers, varnishes or oils. If I want to colour a floor, i use a dye to actually stain the wood itself, then apply 2 coats of clear lacquer over the top. Its too difficult to get coloured varnishes smooth enough to look good. By the way you spell "colour" i assume you're in the UK. Go to a b&q near you and get ronseal "colron wood dye", the solvent is the best one. brush in round the edges then apply thickly with 1 rag then dry it off with the other, do only a few boards at a time, going along the boards so as to not cause patchiness. I have shot a video for this but unfortunately havent edited it and uploaded it yet. I feel like a let down, need to get it out. Thanks for your question
You said "how to refinish your floor WITHOUT sanding!"
This might be an old video but has a lot of good info!
120 grit sandpaper is not sanding?
I meant, not sanding with like big sanding machines, i should have clarified really but i think most people know what i mean. Big difference between renting heavy machines and taking a couple days to rip back a couple of millimetres of wood and lightly 'keying the floor' to get the next coat to stick, sorry for confusion!
***** LOL...YOU CAN STILL EDIT THE VIDEO TITLE. VERY NICE VIDEO THOUGH...JUST NOT WHAT IT SEEMS!
You should put that in the description as most people who look for refinishing tutorials don't know anything about refinishing a floor, or the difference between buffing and sanding...
So do you put the Lacquer/oil on and the the BONA Primer or vise-versa?
I thought it very informative how the cloth type roller was utilized instead of the push pad.
Insightful. Couple of questions: (1) My kitchen is worn around the table - not really scratches but the lacquer has worn off and the floor is a bit grey. Do I need to sand or just buff. (2) If I want to buff the entire home: kitchen, den, dining, living - do I need to do it all at once or can I go room by room?
sounds like it needs a full sand to me im afraid carla! If there floors are connected without a threshold, you are going to need to do the whole lot if you don't want ugly join lines between the rooms
Carla Nieto if you are considering a temporary way to seal the worn area you could consider the item I used from www.wearmax.com (also available on Amazon). The grey in the floor - suggests that the wood may be damaged probably due to direct exposure to water after the finish wore away. So it sounds like refinishing is the right thing to do as soon as you can. If that is not feasible right away at least applying a temporary finish in the affected area will help. It will blend in with the other finish since it is clear, but the grey will still be there since that is discoloration from the prior moisture.
Useful video but why do people find it necessary to add irritating background music. I want to hear what you're saying so I can't turn the volume off and so I have to listen to a noise that even some kid buzzed out on ecstasy couldn't tolerate.
Hello, we have plank floors that were pre-finished with wax and then installed. Our understanding is that it was wax-impregnated. Is this what you mean when you say an oil coating or is our flooring, made in US by Bruce Floors (no relation:-)), a third sort of wood flooring? And by 'laquer' are you referring to polyurethane?
yeah, i should have been saying hardwax oil in the video, it sounds like your floor needs wax buffing into it
Great job, great tutorial!!
Hi thanks for the help and inspiration. I need some help with the 'filler' in Australia we don't have such things. What is a good substitute please?
IF you use oil based poly, don't forget to make reservations at a local hotel for 3 days because of the odor.
and the drying time!!
Yup my company made me use this on a massive gymnasium floor. I happened to get bronchitis at the time, the combination was coughing up blood for a week😷 do yourselves a favor and use a respirator
Great instructional video. QQ The majority of my ground floor only needs this, however I have wear at the back door and by a sink. can I sand those areas and then follow these instructions or do I need to sand the whole ground floor?
Thanks
Now think fixing my floors is possible.
Kathy soccermom Good! glat to hear it :)
Good video. Totally got what you were saying and description made perfect sense. I’m guessing the people who got it have some general construction/renovate understanding, those who didn’t might not understand general construction concepts.
How to refinish a wood floor without sanding: "start with a wood floor that doesn't need sanding... Then sand it"
C S 👍🏽😿
Thanks for the video. I have teak flooring, but recently it has water damage which I can see it clearly. I’d like to use your technic to apply extra varnish only on that area and some other which are almost bare wood due to heavy traffic. Do you think it’s possible?
Muito bom mesmo camarada!!
Brother you did sanding only with a different method as well it was a time saving idea. Which i never known in my practice. Wanna know the mesh detail in excact. Can you please guide me up as it's not available in my zone. None have seen this kind of mesh
Without sanding he said, I'm watching sanding in front of me
Ok. Quick question. Do I need to do this on brand new floor? I am installing a satin finish floor but I need it to be higher gloss. I don't feel like doing all of this. I just want to coat it and be done.
Power cord? What power cord? Heck, just buff over the power cord. Couldn't help but notice why he just doesn't pull the cord away from the area where he's buffing? I was waiting for the power cord to get caught up in the buffer - now THAT would be entertaining!
It's hard enough keeping my vacuum cleaner from gobbling up the cord with no one watching. It's probably harder to keep it out of the way when you have to concentrate on both the floor and the camera.
Highly useful video. Thanks, I get what you mean, others will never get anything tbh
No matter what you do, mate, there will always be a boatload of wankers who want to pummel the shit out of you with their farkwad commentary. Thanks for posting this. And to hell with all the haters.
highfeather1 legend
Question......How would you know that the floor does not have a bunch of mop&glow or something like that on the floor that needs to be striped off before doing what you are doing?
Sanding with sand paper is not sanding it is papering. "How to refinish a wood floor with papering" hahaha
;)
lol like it matters
At 5:43- when it speeds up it sounds like a smoke alarm in the music track. Check out blues smoke alarm from Nathan for You!
How to refinish a floor without sanding.
Step 1: Sand
Question. I have floors in pretty poor condition. I can’t do a full sanding and new coat at the moment. Will this at least help them a bit for now or would it ruin any future complete redo? Also how do I determine lacquer or oil?
House is 1956 build.
How to finish a hardwood floor without sanding.
Step 1: Sand the entire floor.
... say what???
... come again please.
Your comment, Lol 😂😂. Thought I hit the jackpot when I found this video because I'm not handy or ambitious in this area of expertise.
Sanding means, we use a sanding machine, and sand down the previous finishing from the wood, until it gets perfectly clean. Then do the other sandings till the point its enough for the finishing project.
This is just a quick buffing.
I have wax built up, would this help? What about Dissolver by Basic Coating? Please let me know your thinking. Thanks
That music is really annoying.
I have red oak floors used Murphy’s oil soap on them for 4 years how do I get it off so I can use a rejuvenate restore water based on it...?
How to Refinish a Wood Floor Without Sanding
Step 1.) Sand the floor
FAIL!!!
It's more of a roughing up than sanding, just to get the polyurethane (or whatever) to adhere. A full sand is a much bigger job.
You've got to rough the surface off otherwise the lacquer will just peel off, tool
He didnt. It was on dents and not a full sand job idiot
Diane Miller sure dina
ernie5229 lol
Hi,
What the Oil calling... it is varnishes?... where to buy in UK please..
the only thing he missed on screen n coat is he needs 2 tack floor after vacum, ensuring no debris is left behind,very important.....
Thank you for sharing what to do to make your wood floor more like new! Our golden retriever has worn out our hard wood floor by the back door, we have a rug there, which keeps getting moved a but every time she goes out and the floor has worn the finish off in places over the years. I appreciate your video!
Here's how to finish a floor without sanding, first thing you need is a bit of sandpaper. Huh?
Eric Davis mean without properly sanding the floor, which means removing the finish and all dents and scratches. This requires renting heavy machinery and a full day or more of work. I just didn't wanna explain that in the title. I think most people know the difference
***** No worries, helpful video nonetheless.
***** Have you been shocked while doing this. You sure seem to hit the cord often with the disc.
nedyost63 the skirt on the buffer keeps the cord out, and even if it didn't the buffer could never cut into the cord, it can get wrapped around the plate however, and that has happened to me, but we all make mistakes when we start out!
I have hardwood floors that I sanded and refinished a couple years ago. I have noticed that the shine is gone in some of those more traveled areas. I really don't want to resand as the rest of the floor looks OK. Do I need to use the floor buffer or can I just hand sand? I believe I finished them with an oil based lacquer originally so what should I use?
Bridgette Vandenelst just by the sound of the excessive wear in those areas it sounded like oil.. I would recommend osmo hardwax oil, and yes you definitely can just hand sand it like that. That's the one bad thing about this video is that people think they need a buffer when they most certainly don't. Good luck with it, hope you're happy with the results
My husband thought i was watching porn when you were stirring it sound worse..😬
All these comments about sanding ... You've all never refinished a wood floor. You need to sand the whole thing with a big machine sander or by hand . He used 120 grit which is is pretty fine and quickly and lightly used it. All in all this is a pretty good job for not sanding .
Lol. He used a large buffer with a 120 grit sanding mesh on it. Then went around with a hoover to suck up all the wood dust.
What would you call that... buffing? Yeah I do all my woodwork without sanding. Before I add stain to a wood project, I like to start buffing my wood with 120 grit sandpaper, then buff with 180 grit, and then 220 grit. I don't buff with anything higher than 220 grit or it will be too smooth to accept the stain. This keeps me from having to sand.