Over the years, the finish on your hardwood floor is bound to wear down. Even if your finish is still perfectly in tact, it could just look out of style. Just like any other design element in your home, you might need to update your floor to keep it looking modern. Refinishing a hardwood floor is definitely a tiring and time-consuming task  but it does not require very much technical know-how. This article explains the best way to remove the existing stain off of the hardwood. Of course, this is only one part of the job, but if you don't do it right, the actual staining will be much more difficult and the end result will not be as good.

Using the Right Sander

First, you need to decide the best way to remove the stain. This depends on the size of your job. If you are going to refinish the entire floor of your house, you will need to rent a floor sander. However, if you are just refinishing a small room, like a bathroom, you only need handheld power sanders. If you do end up renting a floor sander, you will still need the handheld sanders to get all the hard-to-reach places.

Prepping the Floors

Before you start to use the sander, you need to do a little bit of prep work. If you are going to keep your existing baseboard, you need to mask it off very well. Usually, just applying masking tape over the baseboard will not offer enough protection. You need to add some cardboard over the baseboard so it doesn't get scratched or dinged by the edge of the sanders. You also want to cover all of your air registers and vents. If the sawdust from sanding gets inside the vents, it can get circulated throughout your your whole house.

Using A Floor Sander

Using the floor sander is simple, but the machine can be quite heavy. They are kind of like a lawnmower, but even harder to push when they are powered on. The key is to turn always keep your sander moving forward while it is powered on. If you leave it in one spot, it can sand down too much and cause a dip in the floor.

Finishing the Job With Steel Wool

After you get all of the stain off of the floor, you need to further smooth it out. To do this you need to get down on your hands and knees and rub down the surface with steel wool. This creates a super smooth finish that can now be stained.

Once the floor is fully prepped to be stained, the rest of the job goes by more quickly. If you're planning on remodeling your entire bathroom and would prefer to have professional assistance with your project, contact a company like Woodharbor Kitchen & Bath.